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

These are the jam:

$178 SPC Specialty Products 40260 Universal Spring Compressor

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039K4AJA

I think I'm in the same ball park with mine. Maybe a little less than 1.25". Also have the 700# springs, plate bumper, 10k winch, AGM battery, skids, sliders, etc. Fat AF . Anyway, I'm right around 22.5" hub to fender.

 

yeah I wanna be closer to 23.5”

my wheels also poke out a ton so getting an accurate hub-fender measurement is tough.

 

You'll be topping out all the time and your CV boot fins will be rubbing. 23" is a 3" lift. It's based on 2nd gens which are 20" hub to fender. 3rd gens are an inch higher from factory which fucks up what everyone thinks the lift measurements should be.

Here's the way I measure hub to fender with wheels that poke.

 

the third gen has more clearance on the fender. Stock is 21” HtF front and 22” rear.

23.5” should put me at 2.5” lift which is where my Eibach pro truck kit was.

 

Okay man. You do you. I look forward to hearing how it works out for you.

 

curious as to why you add 0.5 in the equation? What variable does that account for? Is it for the lip on the wheel?

 

It's half the overall rim diameter, or the rim radius. It's just using easy things to measure. Rim diameter, ground to top of the rim, and ground to the fender are all easy to do.

The other way to think of the equation is M3 - (M2 - 0.5*M1).

 

ok so my rim measures 17.25” across and ground to fender is 38”. Ground to top of rim is 23.75” = 22.875”

I assume you are supposed to use the actual rim diameter measurement and not 16” ? If you use 16” then that puts me at 22.25” HtF

what’s the correct rim measurement? Actual or the “standard” size?

 

Yeah for this method you use the actual lip diameter. 17.25" sounds right for a 16" rim.

 

Somewhere I saw that @AccuTune Offroad mentioned that if your shock (while on the truck with wheels on the ground) is longer than 21” center of bottom eye to top hat or something like that, then you have too much preload. I guess 21” is the standard threshold for sacrificing ride quality. This is of course with standard coils I assume?

 

I don't recall the exact measurement but it has to do with coil bind. If you have that much preload then your coils will reach solid length before your suspension fully compresses.

ETA - I must be thinking of a different measurement...

 

This is based on shock lengths. Lifted too tall could leave the shock with little to no down travel, which is not ideal.

 

My passenger side is 23.125” by that math. It is the Eibach pro truck kit, on the second notch. Those also had way more droop than these coilovers. So much that the upper control arm would hit the coil.

I’m still not understanding how getting a 23” fender to hub would be considered a “3” lift” with these, but my Eibach kit was advertised at 2.5” and of course it settled some plus I have a ton of weight up front.

Doesn’t make sense in my opinion...someone smarter than me needs to explain.

 

If my hub to fender is stock at 21” and my new lift is 23” that is 2” of lift. How is my logic flawed?

 

Either way I’m happy where it’s sitting, might go one more turn on the collar to get me right at 23”....should look better when I throw the 35’s on later this week.


my tires are shot from riding on a shit alignment for a few thousand miles and after 66k miles on them

 

Eibach is one of few manufacturers that make a kit specifically for 16+. Most are for 05+. I’m not familiar with that setup, but with these ADS coil overs I personally wouldn’t run more than 22.5”.

 

Yeah I guess that makes sense then if these are designed around the 2nd gens...

I wish more mfg’s would make suspension products specifically for the 3rd gens...it’s frustrating that these are maxed out at 23”.

why would you limit it to 22.5”? What’s the reasoning? Not enough droop? Rough ride?

It’s gonna look rather goofy when my deavers get here and put the rear at 25”

 

I mean, people definitely go beyond 23", but ultimately you're at the mercy of your CV angles. So whatever you're willing to accept for that and down travel are really your limitations. I found that when I was north of 22.5" with these coilovers that I topped out the shocks more than I liked. It wasn't really all that bad and I'm sure a lot of people would live with it, I just didn't love the feeling. But you might as well try it out since you have them adjusted anyway and see how it works for you.

I hear you on matching the rear lift. I'm dealing with that right now myself.

 

Most spring compressors are dangerous on little 400# springs for cars. Absolutely not ok for big 700# springs. Just put the truck down on the ground, jack it up a bit - about half way for some slack, put a couple ratchet straps on the springs, then jack it up a little more to adjust the collar, then back down to get the straps off. Not so much that the springs wiggle around freely but enough that you're not fighting the collar so much. Note this method is also stupid in its own right but snapping a ratchet strap is not as bad as snapping the threaded rod style spring compressors. The big wall mount hydraulic spring compressors are really the only safe method for messing with 600+ spring rates change my mind

 

Those SPC spring compressors are rated to 6,000 lbs and have a third safety arm so they can’t go flying off. They are legit. Not those shitty ones you get from Auto Zone.