Collection: Bump Stops

What bump stops do

A bump stop is the last thing between your suspension and a hard metal-to-metal hit. When the wheel moves up near the end of its travel, the bump stop compresses, slows the suspension down and keeps the shock from bottoming out. Modern foam and polyurethane stops are shaped to firm up gradually, so they also add a bit of spring rate right at the end of travel. On strut cars that can even help limit body roll.

Because they sit at the limit of travel, bump stops matter most when you change ride height. Lower a car and the stops come into play much sooner. Lift a truck and the factory stops may no longer reach the axle or control arm before something else does.

Bump stops for lowered cars

Lowering a car takes away compression travel. Balance Motorsport gives an example of a 50 mm drop on a damper with 100 mm of travel: the split goes from about 60 percent compression and 40 percent rebound to about 10 percent and 90 percent. The car then rides on the bump stops over normal bumps, which feels stiff and jiggly and can upset the handling.

The fixes are, in order:

• Keep the drop modest if you run factory dampers. Mild lowering springs are designed to work with the stock stops.
• Use shorter dampers or coilovers for bigger drops. Coilovers keep more usable travel at a low ride height.
• Fit a shorter or different bump stop made for the lowered height. Trimming the factory stop is possible, but it changes how the stop firms up, and a stop cut too short can wear out the damper early.

For lowered trucks and SUVs, Belltech sells replacement bump stop kits, such as a rear foam stop for 2000-2017 GM SUVs listed at 2.75 inches tall and 3.31 inches across.

Bump stops for lifted trucks

A lift moves the frame away from the axle, so the factory bump stop has further to travel before it touches. Bump stop drops or spacers move the stop down to match the lift, so the suspension still stops before the shock, axle or driveshaft hits its limit. Carli sells bump stop drops matched to 2.5 inch and 4.5 inch lifts on Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks.

Off-road trucks that see big hits often move to hydraulic bump stops. These are small oil and nitrogen dampers that absorb far more energy than rubber or foam. Timbren puts the average cost at $700 to $1,000 per pair, in 2.0 and 2.5 inch cylinder sizes. On our store, the Fox 2.0 Factory Race Series IFP bump stop is $464.99 and Carli's hydro-pneumatic front bump stops for 2003-2012 Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks with a 3 inch lift are $1,358.63.

Bump stop types compared

Most of the collection sits between $14 and $55, so the stop itself is rarely the expensive part of the job.

Fitment by vehicle

Many bump stops are vehicle-specific; others are universal and sold by size. For universal stops, measure the height, the base diameter and the mounting style (stud, pull-through or bolt-in) of the stop you are replacing. Shop by vehicle:

• Jeep: Wrangler and Gladiator lift kits
• Toyota: Tacoma and 4Runner suspension
• Ford: Super Duty lift and leveling kits
• GM: Silverado and Sierra lowering kits, C10 lowering kits
• Ram: Ram 1500 lowering kits

Signs your bump stops are worn or wrong

• A hard bang or crash over big bumps or dips.
• Cracked, flattened or missing stops when you look in the wheel well.
• A stiff, choppy ride right after lowering, a sign the car is sitting on its stops.
• Shocks that fail early on a lowered or lifted vehicle.

Install notes

Most bump stops press in, pull through a hole or bolt on with a single stud, so they are a simple home job once the wheel is off. Strut-mounted stops and dust boots go on during a strut or coilover install, so replace them at the same time. Bump stop drops on trucks bolt between the frame and the stop. Work on one side at a time and keep the vehicle on jack stands.

What else you'll need

• For lowered cars: lowering springs or coilovers, plus an alignment.
• For lifted trucks: the lift itself, from lift and leveling kits, and longer shocks if the kit calls for them.
• For lowered trucks: a C-notch on big rear drops, so the axle doesn't hit the frame.

Popular picks

• Belltech rear bump stop kit, GM SUVs, $41.04. A foam rear stop listed for GM SUVs such as the Suburban, Avalanche and Escalade.
• Whiteline front bump stop kit, 2005-2020 Tacoma, $37.69. For worn or lifted Tacomas.
• Whiteline front bump stops, 1997-2006 Wrangler TJ, $39.88. A direct replacement for the TJ.
• Skyjacker polyurethane bump stops BP45, $127.99. 4.5 inch tall stops for lifted 1980-1991 GM trucks.
• Carli front bump stop drop, 2017-2023 F-250/F-350, $218.50. Matches a 2.5 inch lift.
• Fox 2.0 Factory Race Series IFP bump stop, $464.99. A hydraulic stop for off-road builds.

Related guides

• Coilovers vs lowering springs
• Leveling kit vs lift kit
• Ram 1500 lift kits, 2 to 8 inches

Sources

• Balance Motorsport: Bump stops, should you cut them when lowering?
• Timbren: A guide to bump stops for off-road suspensions