Long travel VS. Standard

[jsracing2]

Ive never ran long travel. I know how much of a difference going to a full set of suspension changes the ride, but how much different is it going to long travel from standard travel with a set of aftermarket shocks. Is it worth the money?

[Scro]

If you don't know how to tune shocks, then it's probably not worth it to buy long travel. The greatest advantage long travel has over standard travel is the extra shaft travel in the shock, which makes the compression and rebound adjustments more precise. You can get the same amount of travel out of a standard setup as you can a long travel setup.

[jsracing2]

That answers my question. Thanks. I know you can magically make more travel. Your frame will drag at the same point...No stranger to tuning, been racing dirt cars for a few years. Some of my testing is done on the quad. I was looking into long travel because a kid I ride with said it was a lot smoother than standard with shocks.

[number52]

Originally posted by Scro
If you don't know how to tune shocks, then it's probably not worth it to buy long travel. The greatest advantage long travel has over standard travel is the extra shaft travel in the shock, which makes the compression and rebound adjustments more precise. You can get the same amount of travel out of a standard setup as you can a long travel setup.

So you're saying that a long travel has more shaft travel but they both have the same amount of wheel travel? That doesn't make sense unless the long travel shock has a lower leverage ratio A-Arm attached to it :) Please explain if I'm wrong here.

[Scro]

They can have the same amount of travel, but not necessarily in every setup. The shock mounts on a long travel setup are generally farther out, and lower on the arm compared to standard travel. This allows for longer shocks, and more shaft travel. The limiting factor of travel in most setups are the balljoints, not the shocks.