ADS Off-Road Racing Shocks - Information, Pictures, & BS Thread

Ah so the Taco's can't get it but an upgrade for the Bronco then, got it

 

Curious if ADS quality has been sustained post Holley acquisition. I have owned 1 set of direct fit ADS shocks on my Tacoma, and 8 ADS universal fitment shocks on a long travel build. All pre Holley. Looking at another set of direct fit shocks for a 4runner build. After contacting ADS they claim nothing has changed, and no corners cut.

 

I was looking on ADS’s website and saw what appears like new “Mesa” 2.5 shocks.

2.5 “Mesa” IFP fronts and 2.5 “Mesa” smooth bodies with no-res rears. Wonder how these performed to the older ones.

 

I am looking at the same 2.5 Mesa series as well. Didn’t see any info on spring rates and length. Yes more info on the Mesas would be appreciated.

 

Looks like the "MESA" branding is ADS's new terminology for factory and OEM replacement shocks. Similar to how fox has their factory series and king has their oem performance line. They should be stock travel and if you're buying a coilover, it's most likely a 14x600 or 650 spring for the Tacoma. I'm sure you can request whichever rate you want up to 700lbs.

 

Anyone try the new ADS UCA’s ? They look like a nice solid build. The mount bushings are a maintenance free design/material. Can’t find much information on the ball joint specs though.
https://www.adsshocks.com/products/control_arms/parts/100ADS-10058

 

I was checking those out too. The price is right and they look awesome. I'm also curious about how they positioned the balljoint for caster, and how those delrin bushings do.

 

I finally got my ADS shocks rebuilt after ~55k miles. I took them to Rock and Road in Loomis and these guys absolutely crushed it. They really know their stuff and work with ADS a lot. https://rockandroadperformance.com/

It ended up being a more extensive rebuild than expected. On top of replacing the seals and oil, all 4 shafts needed to be replaced because of wear and pitting. In the rear they also replaced the mounting stems, bushings, lower spherical bearings, and added shock boots. In the front they blocked off the bleed holes in the piston (they no longer have bleed holes in the current version), and added the new top out springs/limiters in the front. In short, they got the full treatment.

And I think they feel better than ever. The top out clunk I have had forever is finally gone thanks to the new top out springs. They feel supple and predictable on the road, and handle high and low speed compressions really well. The extra support in the front with the bleed ports blocked off is noticeable. Overall the ride is fantastic. I'm in love with these shocks again!

And I should have taken some pictures... they have the ADS and Fox pistons on their counter so you can get a look at what's going on inside. I have to say the amount of thought and engineering that has gone into the ADS pistons compared to the Fox ones. The profiling of the features is far more complex than I expected. Where the Fox pistons have general through-holes and slots, ADS piston holes are tapered and differently shaped depending on which side it is on. I don't get it, but clearly they do!

 

Did they charge more for the upgrades or did they just do it for normal rebuild price? Obviously outside shaft replacement.

 

They charged additional labor for replacing the shafts (less than an hour), but no additional labor charges for the other work.

 

I have a horrible topout clunk. I was assuming it was because of preload but if you're telling me it's the bumper inside the shock then it'll concern me less. I was going to lower it to 1.5" to maybe reduce some of the top out force

 

Well if you're topping out a lot, then you might consider reducing your preload. Sometime after I bought my shocks they changed the topout limiter so that it's less abrupt. I don't think there's any damage that's happening to the shock, but IMO repeated impulses like that might not be great. In any case, the new mechanism seems to be much more plush. I'm planning to head out this weekend to get some trail time so I'll see how it fairs off road.