AEV Bilstein Shock Upgrade

[wADVr]

Thread on AEV.. Had to look it up again today after now needing to replace a front shock.

http://forum.aev-conversions.com/showthread.php?t=7975&highlight=shocks

 

[James Pierce]

Which Bilstein's are you running?

Bill I am running the 5100's "unique frequency tuned bla bla bla..." found in the lift here http://www.aev-conversions.com/shop/products/suspension/jk-dualsport-xt-suspension-2-5.

 

[James Pierce]

Thread on AEV.. Had to look it up again today after now needing to replace a front shock.

http://forum.aev-conversions.com/showthread.php?t=7975&highlight=shocks

I can relate to his reference of riding a pogo stick. My guess is AEV designed their lift using the factory weight of the vehicle which works well until it's loaded down. From a marketing standpoint I would bet the majority of lifted Jeep owners do not put their trucks through the abuse we overlanders do and the suspension performs above their expectations which probably fuels AEV's design. In their defense I also realize you cannot design a bolt on suspension that will perform as well when loaded with 500-1000lbs of gear as it does when running empty. This is steering me towards an adjustable shock. I contacted KING a couple of weeks ago and have yet to receive a response. I will give them until after the holidays. I had FOX with remote reservoirs on my D90 in the early 2000's and was very impressed with the performance. I will look into them again and keep you guys posted.

 

[toddz69]

I contacted KING a couple of weeks ago and have yet to receive a response. I will give them until after the holidays. I had FOX with remote reservoirs on my D90 in the early 2000's and was very impressed with the performance. I will look into them again and keep you guys posted.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a response from King. Their poor customer service is legendary. I would highly recommend Fox. Good quality product, good dealer network, well-engineered, and good parts availability when needed.

Todd Z.

 

[RubiconGeoff]

I can relate to his reference of riding a pogo stick. My guess is AEV designed their lift using the factory weight of the vehicle which works well until it's loaded down.

Given the excessive stiffness of the AEV-tuned Bilsteins, as well as AEV's overland-specific marketing, I would say that they've designed these shocks for a heavy load. Those of use who also daily drive our Jeeps wind up with a pretty brutal ride when not loaded down for "overlanding" or rockcrawling trips. Swapping the Bilsteins out for adjustable Rancho RS9000XLs was the best thing I did to improve my Jeep; I can have the shocks firm when needed for heavy loads and for rockcrawling, but I can also have them soft for unladen daily driving or moderate speed desert 2-tracks.