TJ ride quality

[computeruser]

Tire pressure and swaybar disconnects are two cheap ways to help. Assuming you're running an appropriate tire for the vehicle (i.e. not OEM GSAs or the 215/75r15 donuts), air pressure helps a lot. Play around with it and find what works best in your terrain.

Second, disconnecting the swaybar allows the suspension to do its job without transferring everything you're rolling over to the frame. The factory swaybar is very, very effective on road and is so stiff as to be absolutely silly off-road. Skip the BS and the $5.00 modifications and throw a set of the JKS Quicker Disconnects on. You're going to destroy the overpriced OEM swaybar endlinks ($90/each per my dealer!!!) in short order anyway, so you might as well swap over to the rebuildable, greaseable, and more durable JKS ones.

Lastly, you need to have reasonable expectations. A TJ/LJ is not going to have a plush ride. Period. Its ride quality is only marginally better than a lifted YJ or CJ, and is some distance behind almost everything else made anymore.

FatMan: The problem with the $5.00 modification is that by design the upper end of the swaybar endlinks wears out quickly and starts making a popping noise. Eventually it fails, breaks in two, and then you have to either replace 'em with aftermarket, or pay a damned fortune (more than the cost of aftermarket for a pair of OEM, incidentally) for the failure-prone OEM ones just to start the process all over again. If the Jeep never leaves pavement, the stock endlinks will hold up OK - maybe 60-80k miles. But with the slightest off-pavement use the newer design on the TJ/LJ will soon be on its way to failing, so you might as well just bite the bullet and spend a half hour to swap in the superior aftermarket goodies and be done with it.

 

[Wanderlusty]

FatMan: The problem with the $5.00 modification is that by design the upper end of the swaybar endlinks wears out quickly and starts making a popping noise. Eventually it fails, breaks in two, and then you have to either replace 'em with aftermarket, or pay a damned fortune (more than the cost of aftermarket for a pair of OEM, incidentally) for the failure-prone OEM ones just to start the process all over again. If the Jeep never leaves pavement, the stock endlinks will hold up OK - maybe 60-80k miles. But with the slightest off-pavement use the newer design on the TJ/LJ will soon be on its way to failing, so you might as well just bite the bullet and spend a half hour to swap in the superior aftermarket goodies and be done with it.

The JKS ones were the ones I had considered anyway. I am all for a cheap mod, but not if it actually means wearing something out that will cost me more than having done the pricier way to begin with.

I am really excited to see how my Jeep handles disco'd because I have been more than pleased with it's ability as is. Well, I know what to ask for for my birthday!

 

[computeruser]

The JKS ones were the ones I had considered anyway. I am all for a cheap mod, but not if it actually means wearing something out that will cost me more than having done the pricier way to begin with.

I am really excited to see how my Jeep handles disco'd because I have been more than pleased with it's ability as is. Well, I know what to ask for for my birthday!

Good idea for a b'day present. In the meantime, you might as well try the $5.00 modification. No harm in doing it, really, and I don't think it will hasten the decline of the OEM endlinks. They'll wear out all on their own just fine!

 

[Wanderlusty]

Good idea for a b'day present. In the meantime, you might as well try the $5.00 modification. No harm in doing it, really, and I don't think it will hasten the decline of the OEM endlinks. They'll wear out all on their own just fine!

Good idea. My schedule keeps me from making it off road more than once every month or so...I doubt I will wear them out that quicky at that pace...

Definitely want to get the JKS ones on before my trip out west this september, though. That, and some other mods....

 

[SeaRubi]

I know I am just a newb here but this is a topic in which i do have some background. My jeep is long armed with re monotubes and the ride is plush.

which LA kit do you have?

I've been thinking that a long-arm front, and then going with an Nth stinger setup for the rear. this lets you reposition the arms for a little better clearance. The long arm kits for the LJ's are just obscene on the rear lengths. The RE kit in particular looks like it's worthless for anything less than 35" tires in terms of clearance.

 

[SeaRubi]

Gee isaac, I have to ask. Do you air-down when you go rock-crawling? Do you run stock tires and shocks? These things have allot to do with your inquiry. Here's a few options that many of us have added to assit with the rough ride you speak to. .....I'm just curious and so I must ask...Did you TEST DRIVE your Jeep before you bought it? You sound as if you did'nt know what you were purchasing when you bought a Jeep. It's JEEP not a SUV or a car. It has a short-wheelbase and some very unique charartistics.

lol , yeah - i test drove it :bike_rider:

understand, my last trail / adventure rig was a fairly modified range rover with 3" lift, and bilstein 7100's... pure cadillac compared to the rubi! I ran E rated tires on it as well, 255/85's, often at 45PSI to try and gain even 1mpg increase on the road. Typically I would see about 9~10 miles a gallon (uggh)

the rubi's stock tires might as well be run flats i do air them down but found that under 18 psi it doesn't really seem to help that much. there's only so much tread down there to work with.

i'm well aware of what the rubi is - and isn't. was just looking for the basic tips.

A friend of mine has the 5100's on a SWB rubi and a teraflex 3.5" lift. It's a decent setup fer sure. I was just looking for something less involved to get by until i save my pennies for good revamp on the suspension.

I have to say he was feeling kind of duped after following me through a couple trails ... I haven't bothered disconnecting the swaybar mainly to see if the discos were really needed. i'd hit the "panic" button less if they were disco'd, but to date I'm impressed. I ran a good deal of trail in 2-hi, mercilessly beating on 1st and the limited slip to see what it could do ... quite a bit, as it turned out!

on technical trails you don't notice it so much ... but on "overland" style trips with lots of washboard and bumpy dirt roads you start to feel beat up.


... sounds like the swaybar is the biggest culprit, followed by the tires.

i have a 3 gallon air tank to use with an electric compressor. just waiting to accumulate some more parts for the OBA. I don't like the tanks, as it's one more thing to carry inside or outside the vehicle, and I'm already cramped for space! The nice little un-used tray under the hood is going to get the compressor love later in the year, with the 3-gallon tank mounted somewhere under the rig.

ok. that was long and rambling. it must be getting late :1888fbbd:

 

[goodtimes]

The sway bar isn't going to do much for rough, washboard roads. It does make a huge difference once you get into mild to moderate technical terrain though. Personally, I prefer to keep the sway bar connected until I get to the trail itself (not the rough roads leading to the trail). The jeep handles better through the turns at speed and is much more controllable when/if it goes into a slide (which it does on a regular basis)...but I will drop the pressure to 10 - 12 pounds before hitting the rough roads. That will really smooth things out...keep the speed up and washboards virtually disappear.

 

[endo]

which LA kit do you have?

I've been thinking that a long-arm front, and then going with an Nth stinger setup for the rear. this lets you reposition the arms for a little better clearance. The long arm kits for the LJ's are just obscene on the rear lengths. The RE kit in particular looks like it's worthless for anything less than 35" tires in terms of clearance.

I run the RE 5.5 LA kit with 33's and extended flares. I have no rub at full compression. I have room for 35's but with the flares I run it takes up alot of the visual gap.

 

[RunninRubicon]

lol , yeah - i test drove it :bike_rider:

understand, my last trail / adventure rig was a fairly modified range rover with 3" lift, and bilstein 7100's... pure cadillac compared to the rubi! I ran E rated tires on it as well, 255/85's, often at 45PSI to try and gain even 1mpg increase on the road. Typically I would see about 9~10 miles a gallon (uggh)

the rubi's stock tires might as well be run flats i do air them down but found that under 18 psi it doesn't really seem to help that much. there's only so much tread down there to work with.

i'm well aware of what the rubi is - and isn't. was just looking for the basic tips.

A friend of mine has the 5100's on a SWB rubi and a teraflex 3.5" lift. It's a decent setup fer sure. I was just looking for something less involved to get by until i save my pennies for good revamp on the suspension.

I have to say he was feeling kind of duped after following me through a couple trails ... I haven't bothered disconnecting the swaybar mainly to see if the discos were really needed. i'd hit the "panic" button less if they were disco'd, but to date I'm impressed. I ran a good deal of trail in 2-hi, mercilessly beating on 1st and the limited slip to see what it could do ... quite a bit, as it turned out!

on technical trails you don't notice it so much ... but on "overland" style trips with lots of washboard and bumpy dirt roads you start to feel beat up.


... sounds like the swaybar is the biggest culprit, followed by the tires.

i have a 3 gallon air tank to use with an electric compressor. just waiting to accumulate some more parts for the OBA. I don't like the tanks, as it's one more thing to carry inside or outside the vehicle, and I'm already cramped for space! The nice little un-used tray under the hood is going to get the compressor love later in the year, with the 3-gallon tank mounted somewhere under the rig.

ok. that was long and rambling. it must be getting late :1888fbbd:

That combination is a popular one amoung the 25-30 TJ/Rubicons in my club run. That will improve your ride and flexability. Used in combination with the d/c's you recognize now that you'll make it thru the more technical stuff with ease.
Having OBA is a REAL luxury. I found that I use it as much as anything else on off-road adventures. I ran a ViAir 450C compressor under my hood on that little platform under the brake booster. It fit well and I had plenty room to include the Onboard Air hook-up kit that included the regulator, In-cab guage on-off switch, and lines. Made the installation process much easier. 4WD.com offers them (part # 20052) as well as a 2.5gallon air tank (easy to install) (#91025). I'm not trying to sell parts for them mind you but it's easier then reinventing the wheel. Years ago I wrote an article on converting your a/c compressor to an air compressor. It's still on-line in the tech section of AzVJC.org. If that is the direction you might take, let me know and I'll shoot you the article.
There are enough TJ/Rubi owners on this forum to give you some good advice and HOPEFULLY save you some money by steering you in perhaps the best way to go. Best of luck, and enjoy!

 

[nwoods]

I'm a new LJ owner, and I have to agree, the ride is more trampoline like than I envisoned it would be. It flexs good and goes over rocks just fine, but it is extremely stiff on the road, and yet it bottoms out in the rear over very small whoops at very very low speeds.

It has a Currie 4" short arm lift kit, with Rubicon Express 4.5" springs, Rancho shocks, a 1" body lift, Currie Anti-Rock pnuematic disconnects, Currie HD steering damper and tie-rod kit, a Rubicon Express tummy tuck, and it's rolling on 35" ProComp XTerrain's on the stock Rubicon 17" rims. I would describe the ride a "disconcerting" at best, and "trampoline like" normally.

The ride is very stiff and bouncy, but that could just be a Jeep thing, I really don't know. But in cornering on the street, the rear end feels like it's tucking and wallowing. On the trail, the rear end bottom's out on mild woops on sandy trails, at SLOW speeds (10 mph or less). At exactly 50mph, there is a considerable "shimmy" in the truck, with the windsheild giggling side to side several inches, and everything rattles, but only right at 50mph. Above and below, it's pretty smooth if the pavement is smooth.

Anyway, with these problems, I'm really not sure were to start. I am confident this is not "right", but I don't know what I can do to rectify it.

Also, what's the deal with those tie downs in the rear? Can anything actually fit under them?

 

[hrjaw]

I think I am on the other end of the spectrum here... I have the ome on my 97 tj, along with jks adj. front and rear trac bars and jks quick disco's, but I only run 31's (small, i know, but it fits my style). I have been running this about a month or two, and other than trying to work out some small bugs, I love the ride. I think it rides better now than it ever did. now you have to understand, i have 165,000 on the tj, so most of the original parts were a bit worn. I second getting the jks disco's. they are a bit pricey but worth every penny, and if you take the time and look at the jeep Web sites, then you are bound to find a set for sale used.

I also have the ome on my 99 WJ, and again same story. My wj has been on the ome set up for about two years and honestly, I love it. I would never go back to the original set up again.
Roger

 

[Azlugz]

I did not read all the way thru this but the things that improved the ride the best in my 06 LJ were Tire pressure to 10PSI (on 33x12.50's) for offroad, disconnects to let it move freely and then #1 was the Rubicon Express Superflex kit, the springs in the kit are awesome and my rig rides incredible for a jeep

 

[ExpoMike]

I'm a new LJ owner, and I have to agree, the ride is more trampoline like than I envisoned it would be. It flexs good and goes over rocks just fine, but it is extremely stiff on the road, and yet it bottoms out in the rear over very small whoops at very very low speeds.

It has a Currie 4" short arm lift kit, with Rubicon Express 4.5" springs, Rancho shocks, a 1" body lift, Currie Anti-Rock pnuematic disconnects, Currie HD steering damper and tie-rod kit, a Rubicon Express tummy tuck, and it's rolling on 35" ProComp XTerrain's on the stock Rubicon 17" rims. I would describe the ride a "disconcerting" at best, and "trampoline like" normally.

The ride is very stiff and bouncy, but that could just be a Jeep thing, I really don't know. But in cornering on the street, the rear end feels like it's tucking and wallowing. On the trail, the rear end bottom's out on mild woops on sandy trails, at SLOW speeds (10 mph or less). At exactly 50mph, there is a considerable "shimmy" in the truck, with the windsheild giggling side to side several inches, and everything rattles, but only right at 50mph. Above and below, it's pretty smooth if the pavement is smooth.

[\QUOTE] Not sure why the quote tags are not working and why the first tag is lowercase when it shows uppercase in the edit window???

Do yourself a big favor and dump the Rancho shocks and move over to some Bilstein 5150's. If you are bottoming out the rear at that slow of speed, your shocks are not doing their job. Also, the ride quality of being stiff and bouncy is more the function of the shocks then anything else.

My very good friend is the R&D manager at Bilstein and I have been AMAZED at what a proper tuned shock can do to a vehicle that otherwise rides and handles like crap. Shocks are the #1 influence on handling and ride quality. Having used Rancho's in my very early years of the car hobby, they aren't worth the metal they are built out of.

 

[KSJeep]

Searubi,

You may want to look at a set of rRancho 9000 shocks as they ajustable to suit your ride quality both on and off road. I have a set on my 04 TJ with a Rubicon lift. set them low for rough roads and higher for towing and such.

Sway bar disconnects help alot off road also.

Happy wheelin!!!

 

[TCM]

Airing down the tires to 15psi or so will make the biggest difference. The off road ride quality of my old TJ was intolerable at street pressure, but aired down it was perfectly acceptable. Disconnecting the sway bar does help also but not nearly as much as low tire pressure. As an added benefit you get better traction too.