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Thread: long travel rear suspension with 35" tires?

  1. #1

    long travel rear suspension with 35" tires?

    Ok after finding the cheap long travel it would be a shame to stop $400 short of having a equal rear end. The FOA shocks are what I'm looking at and they of course will not be a drop in fit nor would a drop in fit lead to "long travel" The below image is the route that a few 3rd gen guys have taken, but I dont think I have room for that with 35" in the wheel well. Does anyone know of any other options? I see one pretty extreme option to cut out the upper shock mount and then make a shock mount 3 or more inches higher that also supports the coil bucket. Pairing that with lower shock mounts tucked in closer to the wheel (like lance) and lower down could squeeze some 12" travel shocks I think.

  2. #2
    hmmm I might be good on the outside of the frame. That sure would make things easier. There is no way for the tire to come over this close anymore since there is a extended bump stop. This pic was flexing till the stock links binded and without coils during bump stop design.

    FOA 2.0 body shocks come in these sizes:

    10in. --16.3" 26.3"
    12in. --18.3" 30.3"
    14in. --20.3" 34.3"

    unfortunately the 2.5" bodies are not as favorable with compressed lengths.




    Lance has the right idea with lower mounts. Heres he's tucked the mount in tight to the wheel so that the lower mount is less of a rock hanger then the stock 3rd gen

    Last edited by troyboy162; 09-13-2013 at 01:05 AM.

  3. #3
    I'll be watching this closely.
    Moving that bottom mount is genius, I wish I could do that now but I think I would be hitting the frame if I did.

    Are you running a wheel spacer now?
    If so how much?
    If not, have you considered that option to help with clearance issues?

    I am not sure of your local laws, but here in PA we can't have any tire sticking out past the fender, or fender flare (depending on application).

  4. #4
    I think it was here on Chapman's 4Runner that I saw my first outboard shocks on a 3rd gen. At first I wouldn't think there was much room for a shock but then started seeing it more.

    Is the angle of the shock important? I know the links are going to move the axle in a certain path but for a better ride and shock longevity shouldn't the shock be in more of an opposing direction? Rock crawling forces the most movement and it can be assumed that although the forces maybe pretty high the speed of movement is pretty slow. In contrast paved bumpy roads, high speed fire roads and studder bumps are much faster. I guess I'm just thinking out loud and maybe I'm missing something.

    These shocks are in a similar configuration as the ones above.


  5. #5
    Avy ive reluctantly have 1.25" spacers now, but so did chapmin with his 32" tires so i though he needed them to clear. That still may be the case but the picture i found of my rig makes it look almost doable (not at home to check). I wish i had been more open to modifications earlier as that would have steered me toward something with more uptravel then i have now, but the lowered bump stops make the foa shocks possible maybe even up to 12" travel.

    Mike your definatly on to something. Ive read alot about shock angle and how much it can effect dampening behavior . It looks like you can tune for most installs but straight up and down is preferred. In our case a little angle would hopefully help transform 10" of shock travel into 12" of wheel travel. Also a big concern with mounts is the angle of the mount in regard to all the directions of motion the shock must pivot to follow our axles while flexing. Thats why i hope to copy someone else lol... Too much to figure out.

  6. #6
    That's exactly what I was thinking. If the mounts and stiction are taking up the beginning of a bump (smaller faster bumps) the shock isn't working as well (rebound and compression) and the mounts are taking a beating.

    It would require some patching but what about a longer shock just mounted up more into the wheel well? The well is easy to access from inside the vehicle a doesn't have to take up a lot of room like some of the pickups that have all that bracing inside of the bed. Something like the popular Ford shock bucket welded onto the frame and the top of it going into the well about the size of a Rockstar can.

    I've got a buddy who races Karts and has built some racecars and he has a lot of textbook style books on suspension design and theory. I've thumbed through them and while it doesn't paint a clear picture for a 4Runner it has some good baseline concepts.

  7. #7
    From an interior standpoint, it might be worth losing a few cubic inches to square off the wheel wells to cover any intruding shock mount.

    You would have to play with the suspension without springs, but I think if you mounted the top of the shock with the bolt in line with the vehicle, there should be enough play in whatever rubber bushing you use to soak up the movement as the axle goes up and down, especially with the correct geometry. If not, then the other way would work as well.

    Another option is going after a 4th gen axle. It is wider (about 3 inches IIRC, what your spacers are now), has disk brakes, and may have a stock shock mounting location that might be worth looking at. The link mounts would have to be custom, but might be worth it for the better width, disks, etc.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  8. #8
    I think your right sean. A few cubic inches wont be missed but could make all the difference. I made some high tech scetches of where I think I can beat it back with a hammer and fit a 12" travel shock. I think I want to head toward the front with my mount. I will be moving my axle back an inch and forward gives the shock a chance at sneaking by the side of the tire rather then the top where the tire should be closest to the frame. Attachment angles to the mounts can be either axis

    shock2.JPGshock.JPG
    Last edited by troyboy162; 09-15-2013 at 06:47 AM.

  9. #9
    Looks good to me Troy!

    Again, If I were doing it, I would really think about going to a 4th gen axle.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  10. #10
    You know I am too ghetto for that lol. There are disk brake conversions for our axles. Last one I read used ford mustang calipers and montairo disks. looks like a bit of work though.

    stole another picture for inspiration
    Last edited by troyboy162; 09-16-2013 at 07:55 PM.

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