Build A Faster Car - helping drivers engineer

One of the most important criteria for both good handling and ride quality is having sufficient suspension travel. Suspension travel is what allows your suspension to do its job, and without enough, you'll find the ride jarring and your tires will feel equally overworked. This is a rare case of too little travel hurting both the car's comfort and its grip, so its importance cannot be underestimated regardless of the vehicle's intended purpose.

Unfortunately, the issue of suspension travel is very frequently overlooked by aftermarket suspension manufacturers- especially those making lowering springs. Many products do not or cannot properly address the issue of suspension travel, and owners may attribute the associated loss of handling and comfort to be a byproduct of stiffer springs. Often, this changes made by lowering springs are primarily made by the new ride height, not the spring rate change. Even many premium coilover sets have very limited suspension travel, which limits their usefulness except on smooth race tracks.

This series of articles will discuss how to measure your suspension travel, how it is used, and why having sufficient travel is so important.