If you have bump stops even if it’s lowered the dampers can still compress and extend the same as standard.
If you still have FRONT stops it can't be lowered more than an inch or you'd be smacking into them all the time? There's a good reason for cutting them off despite the "wrongness" of doing so. Either that or it's dropped spindles and the front dampers should be stock length, shorter at the rear.
Yes, you want short enough not to bottom out before the tyre inevitably hits the inner arch. At the rear you will still have bump stops but very likely the original 3 blob rubber stop has lost a blob or two or should have if you want suspension, so again you will want shorter shocks.
Shorter dampers at the front to limit the travel implies that the damper has integral bump stops, but not all of them do.
It's not to limit travel, it's to allow travel - the bottom fixing is nearer the top at both ends of it's travel, the damper has to be shorter to accomodate?
The standard damper length has enough travel for the tyre to hit the arch if the bump stops are removed, or if drop spindles are fitted. Shorter dampers will stop the tyre hitting by reducing the travel, but they should have bump stops. EDIT: I mean shorter operating length.
Std shock will hit tub with dropped spindles yes, but will bottom out first if you use adjusters and remove the stops.
Maybe I need to think about it bit more – my first thought is that the distance between the upper damper mount and the arch is the same whether drop spindles or adjusters are used. Doesn’t that mean that standard length dampers will allow the tyre to hit the arch regardless?
Take a standard bay and cut off the bump stops that prevented the dampers bottoming out. Now the damper can compress more and bottom out. By shorter I mean shorter compressed length but to get that, the whole damper must be shorter?
I gave it some thought while mixing some concrete this morning – I agree with you. It won’t help ssg295 but just for info at the front I have 2½” drop spindles with Gaz coil-over dampers so the ride height is 2” lower than standard, bump stops are extended ½”. The rear is lowered 2” on the splines, standard Boge/Sachs dampers, the bump stops have the lower ‘ring’ removed.
