A shock absorber assembly comprising; a housing presenting a wall disposed along a center axis and extending between a first end and a second end and defining an inner surface extending about said center axis enclosing a main chamber (V1, V2, V3) between said ends (24, 26) and said inner surface, a piston disposed in said main chamber (V1, V2, V3) and slidably engaging said inner surface, a piston rod attached to said piston and axially movable along said center axis, a hydraulic stop mechanism including a force reducing device disposed in said main chamber (V1, V2, V3) between one of said ends (24, 26) and said piston and attached to said piston rod and defining a first rebound chamber between said one of said ends and said force reducing device and a second rebound chamber between said force reducing device and said piston for providing additional damping force in response to the axial movement of said piston, said force reducing device including a ring guide extending between a lower surface adjacent to said piston and an upper surface spaced from said lower surface, and a ring slidably disposed about said ring guide between said upper surface and said lower surface and in sealing engagement with said inner surface of said wall and movable along said center axis, characterized in that said ring guide defines at least one passage extending axially from said upper surface toward said lower surface and radially through said ring guide and terminating before said lower surface for allowing hydraulic fluid to flow radially through said passage, and said ring is movable along said center axis between an unblocked position and a blocked position with said ring disposed in said unblocked position adjacent to said upper surface to establish fluid communication between said first rebound chamber and said passage and said second rebound chamber and with said ring disposed in said blocked position abutting said lower surface of said ring guide to close the fluid communication between said first rebound chamber and said passage and said second rebound chamber to provide additional damping force, said ring guide further includes a catcher disposed adjacent to said upper surface of said ring guide extending radially outwardly from said ring guide toward said inner surface in a perpendicular relationship with said center axis to limit axial movement of said ring and engage said ring in said unblocked position to establish fluid communication between said first rebound chamber and said passage and said second rebound chamber, said ring guide defines at least one channel circumferentially spaced from and axially overlapping with said passage and extending axially from said lower surface toward said upper surface and radially through said ring guide and the catcher and terminating adjacent to the catcher and before said upper surface in a parallel relationship with the center axis and the passage for allowing additional hydraulic fluid to flow radially through said ring guide with said ring in said unblocked position to reduce hydraulic fluid pressure exerted on said ring guide, wherein said catcher defines at least one window disposed on said catcher and which said window extends from said upper surface toward said lower surface to establish a fluid communication with said channel of said ring guide to allow additional hydraulic fluid flow through said channel and said window, wherein said ring disposed in said blocked position closes the fluid communication between said first rebound chamber, said passage, said at least one channel, said at least one window, and said second rebound chamber to provide additional damping force.