Hi i'm new to this so please help me understand. How do you messure travel on a sand rail? There is so many manufacturers and so many different numbers of travel is there a universal way to messure? What exactly do you messure to get a accurate travel number?

Compressed to droop.. At the wheel..

Measure the suspension from fully compressed to fully extended, at the wheel, like JD said.

However, you'll have to use a lot of weight or somehow strap the frame down, because the entire rail will rise somewhat as that corner of the suspension is raised.

Travel length is not as important as to how. If you have drastic chamber,toe or caster changes,that would be more imortant than lets say 24" of travel.Its about control....If you can't control it then you can't go fast...

Here is an old thread that should help you out.

Link

Sick dayz hit the nail on the head in that link. You may have 24 inches of "wheel travel" but if you only have 12 inches of ground clearance, the other 12 is useless (unless you are rock crawling) and I dont like to go that slow. Then again I only have 2 positions on my gas peddle... Idle and WFO.

Good thread Sick Dayz

Thanks bud…

A lot of people would be disappointed if they checked

My advice is to measure twice even when you build it yourself. The temptation to exagerate for any builder is fueled by design and marketing objectives measured against what is discovered.

My example: Bought a car advertising 20 and 18. Truth be told the front heims egged at 20 and the rear was no more than 12 and that was with overextended CV's that cliked like crazy.

Then I remade the car front and back. With center pivot A-arms and 6 inches wider track, it really does get 20 and the heims are not getting egged. Out back it has been a challenge. On paper it could get 18 or 20 or more but there are little problems that prevent that from happening. For example you have to have the engine and transaxle (differential) at a certain height. The big limiting factor with my car is rear upper pivot tubing is located such that A-arm movement in compression is limited. That's because tubing had to clear inboard brakes. That's because I dont' run a sprocket. That's because I had miserable experiences with chains. That's because . . . you get the idea.

I've settled for 15+ but I want to tell everyone it is 18! Too bad that my 40* CV's are in never-never land at 18". Guess I'll settle for 15 and be happy. At least it is real.

So as others have said there are numerous factors that go into travel. Travel is meaningless if the design is crap. To know the truth yo must be present and must know something about how suspension will bind or how geometry will cause you endless misery.