Went to see how far I was from the bumpstops today and well somehow they are not there :o
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Went to see how far I was from the bumpstops today and well somehow they are not there :o
If they were there (on the rear), there would only be about 1/2" clearance, if that! Many owners find they're actually touching the axel. I'm guessing the PO removed them.
Had the Rancho 9 way adjustable shocks for over a year, made ride better, but still really slamming down in the rear. Caused my rear door to need re-aligned 3 times so far in 2 yrs. Hatch popper gets whacked out of line too.
Finally decided to cut the rear stops in half. They're a figure 8 shape rubber and easy to lop off right in the middle of the "8".
Gained about 1.5" for a total of about 2".
No more slamming/jarring bumps.....it's way better!!! Best and cheapest mod I've done. :thumbup:
Told vt_maverick about it, sent him my spare pair of full stops, so he could still go back to OEM if wanted. He cut his in half about 2 weeks ago...he was equally impressed and happy with result.
Also, for the level of wheeling I do, it won't be any problem.
p.s...here's what they're supposed to look like:
REAR: Looks like mine were touching.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da.../DSCN04351.JPG
FRONT: I think there's 2 sets up front, this is only one of them.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSCN0439.JPG
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da.../DSCN04381.JPG
Hopefully others with trail experience will weigh in here, but I have to believe our OEM bump stops actually inhibit the articulation needing to do serious rock crawling. I would think that more clearance between the axle and bump stops allows for more suspension travel, and therefore better wheeling capability.Quote:
Originally Posted by VX KAT
On the other hand, cutting the bump stops down probably allows for more body roll through corners (body isn't able to "sit" on the stops anymore when leaning) as well as wears your shocks out faster.
Regardless, I have no plans of ever going back to factory bump stop settings. The improvement in ride quality is simply amazing.
I assume you are talking about the rear bumps? Did the rubber separate from their brackets or have the brackets been removed as well?Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthJ1
So how easy is it to cut these in half would anyone have pics of what they look like atfer cutting
I used a hacksaw to cut mine, probably took about 10 minutes per stop due to my dull blades and obsessive-compulsive desire to make them perfectly flat on the bottom. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lizardmen3477
I don't have a pic handy, but it's easy enough to visualize. Just imagine that the lower part of the "figure 8" below (just to the right of the red coil spring) has been removed, leaving only a round/oval rubber piece bolted to the undercarriage.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da.../DSCN04351.JPG
And just to be clear, we are talking about the REAR BUMP STOPS ONLY.
How did you get them out to cut them? And this doesnt have any visual side effects? just smoother ride?
Quote:
Originally Posted by vt_maverick
My mechanic used a Sawzall while up on the lift. Allowed the wheel/axle to drop down, gave him more space to work in.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lizardmen3477
The rear bump stop is the black thing. At the bottom of the figure 8 you can see a tan colored area (that's AZ desert dirt!). Can also see it's basically touching my axle! The bottom half of the figure 8 is what we cut off, so that tan part is no longer there.
Can also see the hardware attaching it to the truck, right above it, you can see the bolt head, also tan colored. There's 2 bolts holding it on, one on each side of the 8.
Absolutely nothing visually is changed by doing this. Just a nicer ride!
SO i can basically jack the rear end up and unscrew then hack away then screw back and im good to go!! O.O Sounds way to easy...
Yup, that's it. I know, it does sound too easy....so little effort for such big gain....
Mav told me he found some rust on his brackets where it's catches and holds water. Might want to assess your brackets while you're there. I didn't have any rust, but my mechanic recommended to leave the bracket on, don't disrupt anything. Just cut them while still on. Course he had it on a lift, so it was way easier to do it that way. I just recall him telling me that. :_shrug::_shrug:
you dont have to take them off to cut them,Just jack ur truck up a bit and pull ur wheel off and they are right in front of u,very easy access for the sawzall.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lizardmen3477
I think you have to pull/push the inner wheel well cover out of the way for it to be right in front of you. If you've got something powered this is definitely the easiest way. If you have to do it by hand, you're going to want to unbolt them, cut them, then bolt them back on. The rust KAT mentioned on mine didn't represent a structural issue; the mounting plate has a depression between the bolts that faces up, which makes a perfect place for water to pool. In that depression I had rust "scales" but they didn't impact the integrity of the mounting plate. It didn't really matter anyway, I cut up a spare set of bump stops that KAT sent me and mounted those in place of mine. (I generally buy extra of anything that I intend to mod so I don't screw up my original part.)Quote:
Originally Posted by WILLY
Awesome I may try to tackle this sometime this week.
Mav- I think we've started a bump stop revolution!
It's well worth your time, trust me. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lizardmen3477
I hope so, I can't believe I've been putting up with the harsh ride for more than 2 years when a $0, 30 minute mod would have fixed it a long time ago. Thanks again Sue! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by VX KAT
Yeah and I wish you wouldn't have...:p What I get a kick out of in this thread is that the OP looked at his bump stops in hopes of improving his ride even though they were not even there to create a "harsh ride". So the ride has not changed. Yet what follows is... everybody saying hey you could get a better ride by chopping them up IF you had them. :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by VX KAT
So... Um... Maybe the rest of you should just remove them entirely... :slap::dan_ban:
So if a guy starts a thread and then doesn't come back for two days you honestly expect us to stay on topic? :p
Now to be fair...the OP only said he went to look to see how much space there was....he didn't mention harsh ride.....prolly was thinking that! Maybe he has blown OEM shocks giving him a crummy ride??Quote:
Originally Posted by ZEUS
How did one go about figurin this out and that it would provide a better ride lol
Many trucks have a ton more clearance between the stops and the axle (Hubby's FJ has about 7"), and I've been told that most VXs have around 1/2" or less...so I think it arose from folks exploring why the ride was so slammin', knowing that many trucks have more space, and wondering why in the world the VX had so little.
Yeah that's what I was wondering... perhaps the lack of bumpers created some worn or blown shocks and sagging springs leading to a low enough ride height. Maybe it causes the shocks to bottom out and create a harsh enough ride that one must check bump stop gap? :confused: Very mysterious post by SouthJ1..... you still with us? :smilewinkQuote:
Originally Posted by VX KAT
my ride is pretty good no problems
well there ya go! Less bump stops the better!.....although it may be important to have something there so the axle doesn't hit whatever the stops were attached to?Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthJ1
man of few words
Lol... here we all go assuming things, when apparently this thread was just an announcement. Maybe this board is too helpful. :p
If your axle goes up that far your shocks will be toast (and probably your inner wheel well as well)!:yesy:Quote:
Originally Posted by VX KAT
Which begs the question, why are they even there to begin with? :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by Triathlete
Then again... maybe not. I was pretty sure it had something to do with his ABS light.Quote:
Originally Posted by vt_maverick
:smilewink
Yeah I still think the rest of you should just remove your bump stops instead of cutting them because... ride is pretty good no problems. :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by RickOKC
http://www.smileyshut.com/smileys/ne...ng/lol-047.gif You 2 are killin' me here! Zeus, yer on fire tonight boy! http://www.smileyshut.com/smileys/ne...ng/lol-047.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by ZEUS
So...exactly WHEN (with regard to rpm, not calendar date or phase of moon) do the muffler bearings start to squeal?...:confused:
Well while laying down naked on my back after eating chili my bearings act as mufflers and there is a steady squeal just after the sub-dued pfffftt sound subsides. Why do you ask?
That picture in my mind is making my eyes hurt real bad!:bwgy:
HAHA! I forgot I posted that! I gotta stop with the posting when fugged up! That's pretty foul! HAHA!
Leave me alone I use my iPhone to check the forums :p I checked it while in school when I typed that short quick message but I'm ordering low profile bumpstops next week hopefully cause I just spent 1,000$ to fix a exaugst leak on the catalytic converter :( flow master exaughst coming in monday
HAHAHA! YAY! He's not a robot! Just razzing you man. ;) Are you getting rear stops or front stops or both?
Holy crap, how much did the parts cost vs. the labor? That seems like an incredibly high price! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthJ1
Damn, you could come close to buying an entire VX for that cost.Quote:
Originally Posted by vt_maverick
They probably ordered the cat from Isuzu for ~$900. I had it done years ago when the cat flange broke and it cost me over $1000. It was so loud it was almost undriveable. I got it to a nearby GM dealer. They told me how much and I said do it. I had the money and I wasn't gonna drive it around town trying to get it welded or find an aftermarket cat. It's my only vehicle and I wanted my VX back asap.Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthJ1
This is the cost from a few years ago-
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/...mg/vx3/cat.gif
Sometimes people just want stuff done now, asap and don't care how much it costs. :cool:
Mark Griffin