Electronics -- Measure suspension position in motion

TL;DR what sensor can I use to measure the position of my suspension? E.g. linear potentiometers

I've had an idea in the back of my mind to capture data on my Tacoma's suspension in real time. There are a lot of easy solutions but they get expensive when you factor in water and dust proofing. For example, motec makes hall effect linear position sensor. But they max out at 200mm (8 inches) and are around $400 each.

With single board computers like Arduinos for $5 and all the sensors out there that cost basically nothing, there's got to be a low cost option.

I looked into linear potentiometers and they are much cheaper but I still can find anything long. $10 for 5 inches of range. 12 to 14 inches would be ideal.

 

I think youd be able to do it with accelerometers and math

 

string potentiometers is what you want. need something rated for about 3m/s.