Outer Limits 4x4 Board

G-day all, i had a look around and couldn't find much. When running longer shocks front and or rear on a defender 110 how do i figure out the amount to increase the mount height. I have read people running 14 inch shocks in the rear which would be about 200mm longer compressed than stock. this seems like alot of increase in mount height. does anyone make bolt on rear shock mounts for longer shocks. if i had rose jointed shocks and had to use a eye to pin converter does this change the mount height. i think i should change my name from uninformed to confused

cheers, Serg

Depending on lift, tyre size and driving style, you may want to alter your bumpstops to restrict uptravel. That will allow for a longer shock. If you are to use anything close to 14" travel you will also need radically altered shock mounts. Measure, and measure again!

Things to factor in is that the rear shocks are typically set at an angle, which decrease the need for lifting the mount and also affect the effectiveness of the shock, and that the axle will twist more with long travel shocks, which prompts the need for liftting the mounting point with more than the extra travel.

If you don't get it right the first time, padding the bumpstops and/or adding spring spacers is the easiest way to correct.

Hey Serg,

I got your private message, I haven't had a chance yet to photocopy the stuff you asked for.

When I want to decide how much to elevate a mount, I look at the shock uptravel more than the downtravel. What I need is that the new shock (the longer one), will have the same uptravel as the original one when the truck is standing level. I usually also give it an extra inch or two, in long shocks it doesn't really matter if the shock opens a bit less.
I manufacture upper and lower shock mounts which go with 10"-14" shocks - but I'm in Israel so that doesn't really help you . I'll try to take a picture of them to make it easier to understand what I'm talking about.

Erez

i use a few ways to measure shock mounts.
measuring bumpstop clearances against shock bodies.
ramp the car , mount the shock at the bottom and measure.
remove the stock shock and just measure and compare the compressed and extended lengths with the new longer one.
for example if the new shock is 2" or 50mm longer at compressed lengthen the mount should be lifted the same.
and yes!! please post pics of your mounts and rovers.
david

Hi guys,

I have a few pics from my workshop. The first pic is of the upper shock mount. It is built from 10mm with 6mm reinforcements on the side. It connects to the 3 original shock mount holes. The height of the upper screw (the shock's screw) is according to the type of the shock and its length.






In the following pics you can see the lower shock mount. It is built from 6mm. The holes are 12.5 mm (matching the Bilstein and Fox bearings).