Arghhh! front shocks

[dumprat]

Ok folks I have an 05 LJ with a 4.5" lift and 35s on it. My current front shocks are too short (they don't bottom) and don't ride that great.(Rough countrys left over from the 2.5" lift) I do realize that this is a lot of lift andfor this type of use(Overlanding) and yes it is still short arm. I have a long arm in the works.

I tried Bilstiens and didn't like them. The seemed to pump up on washboard and were very rough. This was with a previous 4" lift. A friend is running them now on his Tj and likes them(with yet a different lift). I drove his jeep and they rode the same as in mine(His is long armed)

So what are people running for front shocks? I am not expectin miracles but rough is rough.

I have a winch on the front, I run 24psi in the front tires, cooper STT, I have 4.5" fulltraction springs in the front.

I use the jeep for everything,rockcrawling,daily driving,etc.

 

[redveloce]

I've heard nothing but bad about the ride quality of the RC shocks. You might want to take a look at the hydro shocks from Zone Off road. I bought a set for my RC 2.5" lift after seeing so many great reviews for them on the Jeep forum. I commute in my Jeep and was really worried about the ride quality; the roads on my commute are horrible and I have some back problems. It turns out that the ride is amazing! I can't even feel a lot of the bumps that would spill my coffee before, and I can take the big 'speed humps' they put in some neighborhoods at 25mph without any drama if I choose to do so... Don't get me wrong, I'm not into abusing my Jeep, but I am still truly amazed that it can soak up bumps as well is it does now!

It's good that you're already realistically not expecting miracles though. With 4.5" your control arms are at a pretty steep angle, and also the STTs are very stiff tires... Check out the Zone shocks, they're a great shock, and you can't beat the price. Also check out the Jeep forum for a TON of info that will help you get your setup tuned properly.

http://zoneoffroad.com/prod-display?ca=33&ma=6&mo=56&ye=2005&pa=2
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/

 

[Overlandexpeditionspecial]

I have a winch on the front, I run 24psi in the front tires, cooper STT, I have 4.5" fulltraction springs in the front.

I use the jeep for everything,rockcrawling,daily driving,etc.

Fox Shox for sure! And I had Old Man Emu before, and really liked them, but we don't have too many paved roads up here so I went to Fox for the ability to rebuild them in the future but the ride quality is great. Offroad warehouse usually has them at a good price, I'm running the 2.0 remote reservoir in the rears and regular 2.0 in the front on my TJ with maybe more armor than you, but the nice thing is the Fox guy told me if you get them and the ride isn't right for you, send them back and they will adjust the rate for you.

*Also running them on the rear of the JK which they are softer than I wanted with my rack, Fox guy told me Garvin had the same problem, so anyone else not happy with the 2.0 on their JK, send them back and they will revalve them to a stiffer rate for free, just allow about a week of downtime, which I haven't had. *

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I run Teraflex JK shocks and they work well for the money, they match the weight of my Jeep nicely.

 

[Toolman]

I like the bilstein 5150. I think the real problem is that you aren't airing down enough. I run 9-13 psi depending on terrain. On my TJ I run 28 psi fully loaded and towing an off road trailer. Don't be afraid of tire squash.

 

[dumprat]

Sorry toolman. I don't air down on logging roads. Especially the ones around here. They are blasted rock. Air down with a load on equals shreded tires.
On the trail I run 10-12 psi
I had the bilstiens and they were nasty rough, even around town.

 

[Rancho]

Take a look at the RS9000XL's too. Adjustable from a soft ride to a firm ride, but if you are on logging roads a lot, look to a monotube, but it seems like you aren't a fan of the "firmer" ride. Good luck.

 

[dumprat]

Are the 9000xl adjusting compression or rebound? I need to control the rebound. My springs are stiff enough to control the weight. That is the trouble I have had with rancho's before. They tend to be valved to "crutch" a spring rate that is too light.

 

[Timgco]

yep, Rancho 9000XL's would be my next try in your case. The Long Arm Kit will improve your ride on that wheelbase, platform. I have run Rancho 9000's for years. When the 9000XL's came out, I was running them on my H2's and H3's. Having the adjustability was nice. on and offroad these shocks do quite well. They are no super expensive like some of their competitors and is a nice "medium" shock for price and performance.

As every lift height is differrent from one truck to the next, I would measure out and see what compressed and extended length is required on your platform. If this is a bandaid fix until your long arm, a cheaper shock would be better as you more than likely will require a different length shock setup on your next phase/ build. When you do switch out to your longarm I would look towards a reliable shock that has a good warranty and a local supplier to you that will stand behind their product line.

Rancho, Terraflex, Fox, King, Bilstein, Elka or all great shocks and the manufacts all stand behind them!!

 

[Logans91XJ]

Bilstein 7100's with Res's and they are rebuildable and about 180$ a shock

 

[dumprat]

I didn't care for the bilstiens I had. They were the 5100s. And $180 per shock? That is over the budget of a guy with two kids and a stay home wife.

 

[Fargo]

Are the 9000xl adjusting compression or rebound? I need to control the rebound. My springs are stiff enough to control the weight. That is the trouble I have had with rancho's before. They tend to be valved to "crutch" a spring rate that is too light.

I'm probably too late, but I'll post anyway. I have the Rancho 9000XLs on my LJ and I don't them. They are exactly as you said, a 'crutch' for too soft of a spring and they offer no rebound resistance. I wish I would have returned them during their 90 day warranty period. I thought about it, but thought I just had to get the adjsutmetns set right. Two years later I still feel the same. You can adjust compression but the rebound is terrible and doesn't control a 33" tire. Now some guys are running 9000s for heavier application in their TJs and having good luck with them. But I am running the stock 9000s for a 2-3" lift and they are not good. I know you didn't like your BIlstiens but that is the direction I am looking. At least they can be revalved to meet my needs if I have to. I'd probably wear my Ranchos a little longer, but if your still looking for shocks look for a revalvable unit is all I can say.

 

[dumprat]

I have decided to just buy another set of rough country 2.2s The ones I have are working fine, they are just too short. They ride fairly well and are quite cheap to replace if I hammer one.

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: Sorry you've had trouble with your RS9000XLs--I've had mine on for almost 3 years and they've been SPECTACULAR-

I tow an off-road trailer and I can adjust the shocks for freeway comfort and then when I get to off-road, I can dial the shocks for exactly what I want, however

My jeep weighs 5150 lbs, before I pack for trips, so the shocks are a little more prevalent and I have HD Rubi coils (2.5" lift)-

Good luck

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO