Citizen Kane
Well-Known Member
With my front springs badly corroded I'm considering a new set of parabolic springs all round. I've been advised that a longer stroke set of dampers would increase axle articulation and since I probably need new dampers anyway its probably not a bad idea but I cant quite get my head around how a longer stroke damper can allow an increase in axle articulation.
To my mind a standard damper will be more or less fully compressed when the axle hits the bump stop and at the rear, nearly fully extended when the axle hits the straps. Surely a longer stroke telescopic damper must have a longer overall length when both fully extended and full compressed, so while it may allow more downward travel it will limit the upward travel and potentially bottom out before the axle hits the bump stop.
Am I missing something here, do standard dampers have a short stroke for their length, is it possible to have a longer stroke damper with the same minimum eye to eye length. while I can see that an increase in axle articulation can be achieved through longer stroke dampers it seems a bit strange to do this at the expense of upward axle movement and hence an increase in ride height. Can an increase in axle articulation be achieved while maintaining the full vertical displacement to the bump stops?
To my mind a standard damper will be more or less fully compressed when the axle hits the bump stop and at the rear, nearly fully extended when the axle hits the straps. Surely a longer stroke telescopic damper must have a longer overall length when both fully extended and full compressed, so while it may allow more downward travel it will limit the upward travel and potentially bottom out before the axle hits the bump stop.
Am I missing something here, do standard dampers have a short stroke for their length, is it possible to have a longer stroke damper with the same minimum eye to eye length. while I can see that an increase in axle articulation can be achieved through longer stroke dampers it seems a bit strange to do this at the expense of upward axle movement and hence an increase in ride height. Can an increase in axle articulation be achieved while maintaining the full vertical displacement to the bump stops?