Give me your opinions about bumpstops as pros and cons of both under and over ajusting for a lift. Rule of thumb from what I've read is 1 inch added to bumpstop for every 2 inches added of lift/tire. Can you gain crawling ability by under ajusting allowing for more upward wheel travel without body roll? Or would a longer bumpstop create a bit more downward force on tires allowing for better grip? These are just some thoughts as I sit here.

I think it all depends on how compressed and extended your springs and shocks are when fully flexed. You can't go off a rule of thumb in this instance due to variations in all brands of suspension. IMO, fully flex the rig (preferably on a lift) and take measurements. See how much more extension you have on your shocks before being fully extended. Check how compressed the spring is in relation to the bumpstop hitting the pad. If the shock is not fully compressed nor fully extended, you have a little more room to go and can shorten the bumpstop. If it's fully compressed and/or extended, longer bumpstops may be needed in order to not fatigue the springs/shocks on a shorter period of time.

IMO anyways.

Bump stops are really unrelated to shocks. I make the bumpstop just be right so the tire doesn't start to bend fender/tub metal. Once that is done, measure for shocks. Since shocks are about in the same axle location as the bumpstop, it's simple math for determining shock length. With the truck parked normally, measure two things, the gap between the bumpstop and the axle (B), and the distance between the upper and lower shock mounts (S). The shock to buy then has a COMPRESSED length of S-B-0.5". The extra 1/2" insures the shock won't end up being the bumpstop (bad). The droop ends up being whatever it ends up being. If you want more droop, make the shock mounts further apart (S longer).

Thanks Don and Suffolk JK. This is exactly what I was looking for by posting this question, good technical conversation for the forum.

So then, you knew all this already and were just messin' with us?

No actually it was an honest and valid question from my part plus I was trying to spark up some tech conversation.

The Howler has stock bumpstops, which means they sit 4" away from being effective. After 10+ years of wheeling the rear springs are fatigued, but the fronts are fresh.

My take is that the ability to fight fatigue has more to do with the design of the spring than with the stops.

BTW, old school Skyjacker +4" leaves.