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Old 01-16-2021, 11:15 AM   #21
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Figured I'd add on here. Thanks to REDOVAL's posts I decided to change up my rear bump stop configuration with the Daystar bump stops (4.5" versions). The old setup was done by Deaver when I had the entire suspension swapped out and, at the time, I had initially requested they limit up travel so the rear differential cover wouldn't hit my second house battery bracket. Since then I had them put in a new main leaf to move the axle an inch forward which solved the diff cover / battery bracket problem. I never changed the up travel configuration though and when the van is loaded for trips the rear hard hits the bump stops regularly. No bueno!

To use the Daystars I had to make a bracket to drop the bump stop ~3" and weld a landing pad on the axle. I should have about 2" more total up travel now without a hard hit feel. Hopefully I calculated everything correctly and don't run out of shock compression travel! I'll be heading to Baja loaded up next month and I'm hoping that with the new bump stop configuration and new shocks I'll have a much nicer ride off road (and hitting topes!).

First pic is the old configuration (I had already started taking off the Deaver fabricated landing pad before I remembered to take a picture. That's why some nuts are missing before anyone calls it out.).
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Old 01-22-2021, 11:09 AM   #22
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I agree, the stock stops are really harsh, barely better than metal on metal, so I installed the same Energy suspension stops front and rear, but I haven't added a landing pad yet. The rear should hit pretty much centered on the axle tube, but I'm a bit unsure exactly how much the axle will shift it's center line once the springs are fully compressed. Never the less, I'm a lot more conservative in how I drive off road these days, so I've yet to bottom out the rear suspension and there's no evidence of the stops hitting. Hopefully, when I do hit, it will be close enough to center to avoid a large bending moment on the stop. Even if it does hit off center, since it's such a rare occasion I expect it will all be fine. The fronts have only hit once, and it was a pleasure compared to the time I hit a cattle guard at speed but didn't see the huge hole in front of it. That one was bad enough that it compressed my spine enough to require a couple months of chiropractic visits to fix. All in all, I think the bumps are a great upgrade.
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Old 01-23-2021, 08:15 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by arctictraveller View Post
The fronts have only hit once, and it was a pleasure compared to the time I hit a cattle guard at speed but didn't see the huge hole in front of it.
Heh, I know exactly what you mean. I learned the hard way to treat every cattle guard like it's a speed bump.
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Old 01-24-2021, 11:18 AM   #24
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Another option I've heard discussed here are Sumo stops. They're considerably more expensive than some of the other options, but on the bright side they bolt up directly with no welding. The polyurethane foam is progressive in nature and has inherent damping characteristics, both properties that appealed to me.

Part number for the rear of an SMB E-350 is SSR-122-40. I installed them on my Quigley while replacing the rear springs and spacer with new (spacerless) progressive springs from Alcan. It's hard to say how well they're working, as I never had issues with the rear bump stops before or after the swap--but since the original rear springs relied on a landing pad built into the spacer, I had to find a different bump stop solution. The offset mounting block is positioned just right so that the stop hits centered on the axle with no landing pad.



Clearance at ride height is approximately 2", so it seems reasonable to ASSume that the bump stops are engaging at some point but we don't notice it due to the progressive nature.

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Old 01-24-2021, 11:54 AM   #25
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I used to have a pair of tall (5.5", possibly made by Prothane?.. they were yellow) foam bumpstops that looked exactly like the polyurethane ones from Energy Suspension/Daystar/etc, that worked very well... until one tore from its mount. It really felt like the foam type absorbed impacts better and did not rebound as hard as the poly's, either being a HUGE improvement over rubber. I can't even find the ones I had available for purchase anymore, but the Sumo Stops look like a heavier version (since there's no reliefs cut out of them) of the same material.

I like the idea of the Sumo stops, but for me, the reality is that for $100 more, I could buy a pair of Fox 2.0 hydraulic bump stops that would work drastically better at the same job. Obviously, that only makes sense if your use justifies the time/cost of them. I can't recall ever bottoming out the rear of my own van, even when catching a little air, or hauling 3000lbs of rock inside (not driving offroad with that load!), but the front end makes frequent use of the poly bumpstops and I could actually see a benefit to the use of "hydro" bumps up there... still cheaper than the cost of switching to a more appropriately sized 2.5" shock, and addresses the primary concern (bottoming) better.

At roughly the same cost as the Sumo Stops, Daystar makes an adjustable foam bumpstop called the "Stinger" that mimmicks a hydraulic bumpstop and can be adjusted in length and stiffness by adding/removing different foam pucks inside. They mount using the same size cans as a Fox 2.0", so it would be an easy bolt on affair to switch them out at a later date... but the better value would be going straight to a Fox or the like.
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Old 01-24-2021, 12:09 PM   #26
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I looked at hydros as well, but for the type of use I anticipate with our van a "set and forget" solution made more sense. Hydros do require maintenance.

That Stinger option is interesting. I wasn't excited about the price of the Sumo stops, but I needed a quick solution, found a good price, and there was a mail-in rebate available at the time.
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