CTI scores

[jae]

I recently had my TJ on Metalcloak’s Corner Travel Index trailer. I thought it might be interesting to share scores with suspension mods for comparison. My score was a pitiful 620 haha.
Mods include:
Metalcloak overland fenders
OME 2” lift with nitro charger shocks
1” body lift
35”x10.5 tires
Stock rear sway bar connected
Swayloc front swaybar connected on looser setting.

Let’s hear what others have done.

 

[05 Blue Unlimited]

I recently had my TJ on Metalcloak’s Corner Travel Index trailer. I thought it might be interesting to share scores with suspension mods for comparison. My score was a pitiful 620 haha.
Mods include:
Metalcloak overland fenders
OME 2” lift with nitro charger shocks
1” body lift
35”x10.5 tires
Stock rear sway bar connected
Swayloc front swaybar connected on looser setting.

Let’s hear what others have done.

I don't have anything to compare the score to. I mean is the scale 100 to 10,000?

 

[mrblaine]

I recently had my TJ on Metalcloak’s Corner Travel Index trailer. I thought it might be interesting to share scores with suspension mods for comparison. My score was a pitiful 620 haha.
Mods include:
Metalcloak overland fenders
OME 2” lift with nitro charger shocks
1” body lift
35”x10.5 tires
Stock rear sway bar connected
Swayloc front swaybar connected on looser setting.

Let’s hear what others have done.

Anytime anyone starts comparing or worrying about wheel travel, it reminds me of my friend Cody Waggoner. Cody used to compete in ARCA, WeRock, etc. in the stock mod class with a 76 CJ-5. I drove it one time and it was a handful. Uncomfortable, hard to steer, rough, just a miserable little handful of beast.

He put Ranch 9012's on it one day and after he competed with it, I was looking at the shafts to see how much travel he was using. Best I could tell from the dust and wear on the shafts, he might have been getting 4" per corner and that was being generous. I pointed it out and he turned, looked at me and said, "I'm winning all the events I enter". He was right, he was winning a bunch and was an absolute force to be reckoned with when it came to rock crawling competitions and cone dodging.

Moral being, chasing wheel travel for the sake of wheel travel is a fool's errand. More importantly is balance, clearance, and geometry with lockers. Get that dialed in and the wheel travel won't seem nearly as important.

 

[jae]

I don't have anything to compare the score to. I mean is the scale 100 to 10,000?

I was told stock is around 550-580 as I recall. The high end appears to be above 1,000. I did find the experience enlightening as to some limits of the suspension with uptravel. The front was perfect with about 1/4 inch of clearance when stuffed but the rear was hitting the outer rear fender quite a bit.

 

[jae]

Anytime anyone starts comparing or worrying about wheel travel, it reminds me of my friend Cody Waggoner. Cody used to compete in ARCA, WeRock, etc. in the stock mod class with a 76 CJ-5. I drove it one time and it was a handful. Uncomfortable, hard to steer, rough, just a miserable little handful of beast.

He put Ranch 9012's on it one day and after he competed with it, I was looking at the shafts to see how much travel he was using. Best I could tell from the dust and wear on the shafts, he might have been getting 4" per corner and that was being generous. I pointed it out and he turned, looked at me and said, "I'm winning all the events I enter". He was right, he was winning a bunch and was an absolute force to be reckoned with when it came to rock crawling competitions and cone dodging.

Moral being, chasing wheel travel for the sake of wheel travel is a fool's errand. More importantly is balance, clearance, and geometry with lockers. Get that dialed in and the wheel travel won't seem nearly as important.
View attachment 37738

True words. I am very happy with my 2” suspension performance. It is super easy to drive on anything I have faced so far. Very confidence inspiring.

 

[Jeepaholic]

I used this part of the rubicon trail to check my CTI. Rh rear and lh front are barely touching. Final score-"yep, still goes forward, win." I would like to see what my supposed CTI is one day but it seems to go a lot of places I didn't think it would, with not much struggle.

 

[jae]

I used this part of the rubicon trail to check my CTI. Rh rear and lh front are barely touching. Final score-"yep, still goes forward, win." I would like to see what my supposed CTI is one day but it seems to go a lot of places I didn't think it would, with not much struggle. View attachment 37819 View attachment 37820

My rears actually stuff into the fenders and can stop me at times. I’ve put off cutting sheet metal so I may need do so or lengthen the bump stop which is stock all around for now.

 

[Jeepaholic]

My rears actually stuff into the fenders and can stop me at times. I’ve put off cutting sheet metal so I may need do so or lengthen the bump stop which is stock all around for now.

I have 3" of bumpstop in the rear to stop the 35" tires about 1/2" away from the body in the front of the wheel well

 

[jae]

I have 3" of bumpstop in the rear to stop the 35" tires about 1/2" away from the body in the front of the wheel wellView attachment 37879

Are those springs Metalcloak or RK dual rates and at what lift? Been knocking around the idea of dual rates for more down travel.

 

[Jeepaholic]

Are those springs Metalcloak or RK dual rates and at what lift? Been knocking around the idea of dual rates for more down travel.

Metalcloak 3.5." I really like them.

 

[Mike Jolley]

My buddies TJ on unimog axles maxed out the trailer!

 

[JMT]

More importantly is balance, clearance, and geometry with lockers. Get that dialed in and the wheel travel won't seem nearly as important.
View attachment 37738

This is what I want to understand; balance, clearance, geometry. And what I’m doing is trying to decide which length shocks to go with to maximize travel. If that’s a fools errand I’ll just go with some 2-3” shocks to match my 2.75” lift and bump accordingly, rather than spend gobs of time worrying about it. Am I right?

Also, where can I learn more about the principles of balance, clearance and geometry so I can apply them to my build choices?

 

[Mike_H]

This is what I want to understand; balance, clearance, geometry. And what I’m doing is trying to decide which length shocks to go with to maximize travel. If that’s a fools errand I’ll just go with some 2-3” shocks to match my 2.75” lift and bump accordingly, rather than spend gobs of time worrying about it. Am I right?

Also, where can I learn more about the principles of balance, clearance and geometry so I can apply them to my build choices?

I think trying to maximize what you have is valid, but you need to understand the limitations of the system you're running.

Cycle the suspension. It will tell you what shocks you need. If you wanna start you build over, add control arms and such, then it becomes a bigger discussion.

 

[jae]

My buddies TJ on unimog axles maxed out the trailer!
View attachment 37887 View attachment 37888

Right on!

 

[bobthetj03]

Mine was 720, but I did it just to check my bumps. Other than that, the score means little to me.

 

[JDS123]

I think I got somewhere in the high 700's or low 800's with my currie suspension, 3 inch savvy springs, and my antirock on the loosest setting. The back tire was barely touching the platform so it isn't really useable flex as far as I can tell.

 

[JMT]

I think trying to maximize what you have is valid, but you need to understand the limitations of the system you're running.

Cycle the suspension. It will tell you what shocks you need. If you wanna start you build over, add control arms and such, then it becomes a bigger discussion.

What limitations? I have no limitations! My driving overcomes all that!