How much travel should there be with the book suspension arms etc.

With dampers fitted or without?

Without.....just checkin before i fit the shox

balljoints can bind easily, slight differences in angles etc can make a big difference in total travel. As little as 3" can be made to work. What is important is that you dont bend stuff by letting it run into the limits.

yeah, i know its the bj's that limit the travel , just looking for a measurement to get me started. Would 2" upward travel with the car on the ground be enough do you think.

hard to call really, its borderline ok. You would go in knowing you have 2" to play with, pick a spring, then work out which bumps to avoid or slowdown for. 2" should be just fine to manage bumpy roads, however a pothole or raised manhole might bottom you out. Engine weight is also important.

I would balance it up against how hard it would be to modify to get more travel.

Anything will bottom out somewhere! Ive had my van hit the bumpstops!

[Edited on 28/4/07 by JoelP]

I thought if i went by the book there should be a definate measurement thats common to all....the only mods i've made is im using sierra uprights.

If you don't mount the springs I noticed the upper ball-joint is the limit.

You don't want a broken ball-joint, so mount your coil as limiter.