Ads Shocks Feedback - 2 Door?

[telenerd]

Howdy,

Still in the process of weighing my options on shocks. Anyone have ADS on their 2 door? Just looking for feedback regarding ride quality on and off-road. If the resi clear the the stock Sas wheels without wheel spacers.

Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[SoCalBronco77]

I went from the HOSS 2.0 to ADS coilovers. I prefer the linear valving to the digressive stock valving. Front spring rate went from 360 to 450 in the front, but it still feels softer over bumps, and the road feels smoother, because the shock isn't trying to aggressively damp every tiny bump.

I've done a few thousand miles on-road, and 200 or so offroad. Offroad, they are great. I did slow stuff and 70 mph stuff in Ocatillo, and it handled everything, smooth over washboard, great articulation.

It has the best rear setup of any brand, IMO, a 10" dual spring shock. Radflo has a dual spring rear coilover, but it doesn't have 10" of travel. A dual spring gives you a plush ride, then stiffens up when compressed. The crossover to the stiffer ride is adjustable, so if you tow, you can make the rear stiff at ride height. If you want max articulation, you move the crossover up. You can swap out one or both springs, much more tuneable.

I've talked to ADS a few times with questions about the install. I got connected to their shock techs a few times and got very specific questions answered. Their customer service is great. They build the shocks to order, it's basically a custom race shock. The Bronco front coilover is their 7" stroke (18"-25") race shock with a 1/2" thicker interior bump stop to limit the extended length to 24.5" from 25". I have plans to do a diff drop and swap to the original bump stop so I can use the full 7" stroke.

Here's a pic of the front reservoir, I'm running the stock SAS tires on a +12 wheel, which sticks out more than the stock SAS tires, and have no clearance issues.

I initially installed it in this orientation, but wanted to rotate the hose up to get it more tucked in. ADS walked me through adjusting the hose on the phone. Again, good customer service. . .

If you have the Modular bumper, it sits further forward, so you would have even more clearance.

 

[telenerd]

Ah thanks for the feedback! For the adjusters do you feel like there is enough adjustment to dial in the shocks how you want them or you stuck at one end the spectrum wanting more adjustments?

Other than that they look like great USA made shocks!

 

[SoCalBronco77]

My 2 door SAS is just under 5k lbs. I run at 1 out of 20 on the street because I like a plush ride. I had them up to 3/20 on the trail, they firmed up nicely. 4 or 5 got a bit stiff for my liking, so I backed down. I think you will have as much adjustment as you want. If you are at 15 or 20, you are probably using a 700 lb spring and taking a 7k lb rig over jumps. Once I install my LT kit, I'm guessing I'll be in the 8-12 range on the front. I think they have plenty of adjustment for a wide range of vehicle weights and spring rates.

If you're referring to the single adjuster vs a high and low speed adjuster that a lot of other coilovers have, I don't think it matters as much as people think. If you have a linear damping curve, and increase your low speed damping, only, you are basically creating a digressive damping curve. If you increase high speed damping, only, you are creating a progressive curve. I don't like digressive shocks (Bilstein, Eibach, Icon), and I don't think any manufacturer sells an off the shelf progressive shock.

If you want a linear shock, (ADS, Fox, King, Ride, Dobinsons) you should only need a single adjuster to evenly raise or lower the entire damping curve and preserve its linear character.

Accutune has a ton of good info on their site e.g.:
https://accutuneoffroad.com/articles/digressive-vs-linear-vs-progressive-pistons-shock-valving/

 

[telenerd]

Would you be able to post some shots of the rear shocks and clearance between tires on the resi?

Thanks a ton.

Sponsored