I am cutting it in half....

[JAMAS]

...my bump stops that is. (I like to see if I can get everyone's attention with my thread titles)

Besides seeing if my rear tires rub from the extra 1.5"(estimate) of free play, are there any other areas that I need to double check for clearance?

[ZEUS]

I don't think so... but inquiring minds want to know.. why?
Actually, I do wonder if the shocks would see any extra forces applied to them if they are to act as your new bump stops... they may possibly bottom out from the extra travel. I know people used to do it tho too, so...

[WILLY]

I cut the last section of my bumps off which I think was prolly an inch and a half for a bit smoother ride and it worked well but it gave me a little body roll when cornering which I don't like so I will be putting new ones on and live with the extra rough ride,I got rancho 5000 shocks and stock rear springs and b-4 cutting the bumps they were about a half inch from the axle and so I had almost no body roll.

[VX KAT]

I cut the last section of my bumps off which I think was prolly an inch and a half for a bit smoother ride and it worked well but it gave me a little body roll when cornering which I don't like so I will be putting new ones on and live with the extra rough ride,I got rancho 5000 shocks and stock rear springs and b-4 cutting the bumps they were about a half inch from the axle and so I had almost no body roll.

I'm still really tempted to cut mine in half. Mine also have only about 1/2" clearance and I got the Rancho RS9000XL shocks all around, (set on 5), and it's better but still nasty ride on my rocky/dirt roads. I don't think I'd mind more body roll so maybe I'll go forward with that.

How would it affect off road ride?

I've always been curious why our Fj and 4Runner have like 7-8" of clearance..???? Why would the VX have so little? FJ should be considered in same "category" of off road vehicle as VX, so why the huge difference?

[JAMAS]

I'm still really tempted to cut mine in half. Mine also have only about 1/2" clearance and I got the Rancho RS9000XL shocks all around, (set on 5), and it's better but still nasty ride on my rocky/dirt roads. I don't think I'd mind more body roll so maybe I'll go forward with that.

How would it affect off road ride?

Keep me posted how it goes. I think I will be doing it soon as well.

[ZEUS]

I'm still really tempted to cut mine in half. Mine also have only about 1/2" clearance and I got the Rancho RS9000XL shocks all around, (set on 5), and it's better but still nasty ride on my rocky/dirt roads. I don't think I'd mind more body roll so maybe I'll go forward with that.

How would it affect off road ride?

I've always been curious why our Fj and 4Runner have like 7-8" of clearance..???? Why would the VX have so little? FJ should be considered in same "category" of off road vehicle as VX, so why the huge difference?

The VX sits lower and with smaller tires, it is geared to be a PUV versus an SUV. The VX handles better than most SUVs because of details in the suspension setup = fancy pants shocks, thicker anti-sway bar(s), stouter torsion bars (perhaps), and minimal upward travel "dampened" by the rear bump stops. Some (perhaps most) SUVs have a much shorter bump stop than the VX - like 2" long. Trimming the bump stop should soften the ride on washboard roads and such, but to what degree? As I mentioned somewhere before, the best way to test the effects on ride and handling is just to unbolt the stops from the frame and drive around to get an impression. If it helps where you want it to, trim them; if it creates other problems you can't live with, at least you didn't ruin your bump stops and you can bolt them back up.

[VX KAT]

Thanks Justin- That was a good explanation....I hadn't considered the PUV aspect of our VX. Improved cornering as mentioned above makes sense now, 7 or 8" of clearance probably won't give you tight cornering/less body roll!

[Thmstec]

Question regarding the body roll

So when I'm cornering hard, the only reason the body roll isn't bad is because it being stopped by the bump stops?!?!

[Ldub]

Question regarding the body roll

So when I'm cornering hard, the only reason the body roll isn't bad is because it being stopped by the bump stops?!?!

H-D sway bars play a large part in cornering stability too...