How to increase front suspension travel without a long travel kit?

[Speedhunter]

Hello, I'm in search of some more information on how and what is the best way to increase your front-end wheel travel without increasing the track width. I've heard you can get longer traveling struts like the Gen2's and aftermarket UCA for more travel.

Does anyone have numbers as far as how much travel they gained by going with these options?

What kind of total travel are people seeing in the front?

 

[FP Forged]

You could call KHC and see what their GEN2 conversion offers. That aside there isn't much you can do. You're better off utilizing the travel you have but with better shocks and perhaps a bypass. Rogue (now out of business) had a badass stock width GEN1 that absolutely ripped. They didn't increase travel in the front. Only rear. So depending on your goals you may not need a bigger number. Just better control of the number you have...

 

[MurderedOutSVT]

You should probably do a proper intro in the forums, not a hijacked newbie thread and post pics.

What are you wanting to do with the build and whats your goal and whatcha wanna spend... we need to know more

 

[Speedhunter]

Thanks, FP Forged! That is a good idea to try to get better quality travel out of what is available. That Rouge truck does rip I didn't know a stock front travel truck could move like that.

MurderedOutSVT do you have a format you follow for a proper intro?

As far as what I want to do with it is 1st make the weak points stronger to lessen the likelihood of breaking that part off-road. 2nd I'd like to be able to do small jumps with it. I don't want to spend the money for full-front suspension kits with UCAs, LCAs, and spindles. But I do want to be able to move at higher speeds off-road.

I have an idea of what I want to do for the rear of the truck I'm thinking:

Deavers +3
Drop shackles
SVC bump stop kit
Gen 2 shocks
KHC upper shock mount

Another guy on here gotsboost is running an almost identical setup with Icon RXT leaf springs and is pulling 15" of travel on a budget. https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/how-to-pull-15-inch-of-travel-on-a-budget.89405/

This is why I'm seeking help because I'm not sure what is the best course of action for the front. Ideally, I'm looking for the best bang for your buck for front suspension travel or quality of travel performance increase. I'm looking to spend no more than $4K on the front. I've heard aftermarket UCA's can increase front-end wheel travel but I haven't seen much about that on the forums.

For the front, I want to run the Evil Manufacturing limiting strap kit and a tie rod kit. Other than that I'm not sure.

 

[2012SCSVT]

For the front I managed 13.625" of travel without going wider and maintaining 4x4.

First limit is the shocks.

You will need to bump up to 2g shocks. I found the best set up if you plan to run a secondary shock is to get an oem 2g. It has 8" of travel.

I replaced the 1" OEM internal droop spacer with a 3/8 thick spacer this gave the oem shocks 8-5/8" of total shaft travel which is more than the bolt in aftermarket kings or Fox's. I have my springs mounted coaxial to the shock shaft so I felt that the additional load in full droop from modifying the spacer would be negligible.

You will need to replace shock tower, I used a camberg one and it fit nice.

I also increased the motion ratio slightly by moving the upper shock mout 10mm in board. I did this for slightly better travel as well as spring clearance.

You will need to run 3.75 ID springs. The oem/replacement oem sprigs will bind.

I am using a 650x 16" spring but they are set to the max ride height with out binding Sobieski may step up to a 18" spring.

The upper control arm will bind next. Get one with a 1.5" outter uniball the 1" uniballs will not yield any extra travel. I tried a delta joint and it was on a little more travel.

For the axles just get the trekkmotive extened travel axles off of rockauto. They have a high angle cv and also telescoping shafts and have no issues with the droop I added.

If you run 37s the fenders need to be clearance. I may get the oem width fiber glass fenders but have not given up on trimming the oem ones yet.

 

[2012SCSVT]

More pics

 

[2012SCSVT]

Attached

 

[myersroofer614]

Have you seen the RXT ICON Rear shocks? Eyelet on side for 20pct and 30pct drop n raise

 

[Bishene]

If you're looking to boost your front suspension travel without diving into a long travel kit, you can try a few tricks. First off, consider adjusting the preload on your shocks. Sometimes, tweaking the preload can give you more travel without needing extra parts. Another thing you might want to check is if you can modify the bump stops or limit straps—sometimes, just moving them around can make a difference.
Also, upgrading your shocks to ones with more travel can be a good move if you’re looking for a bit more flex. And don't forget about checking your suspension geometry. Sometimes, changing the angle of your control arms can help you get a bit more out of your current setup. For more detailed advice on this, you might want to learn more.

 

[TomDirt]

What's the preload setting you used on those CAS mounts? I couldn't find a real number (for a Gen 1 application) on the SVC website. I believe there was a recommendation for a G2 with an aftermarket bumper & winch, though.