Another JK 2-door stock-height overland suspension advice thread

[jacobconroy]

It's time to get serious about my 2-door JK overland build and I need advice from those who are knowledgable or have pertinent experience. Nearly all my "camping" items have finally been paid for, (fridge, RTT, power, etc) and it's time for me to get serious about the suspension issues (which I consider to be "no-darned-fun"). The JK is now VERY top heavy due to 250 lbs of rack & Rtt on the top and it's scary to drive. Gotta fix it.

I'd like to; keep stock suspension height, get better & wider 33 inch tires, replace the fenders to create more wheel clearance, support ~350 lbs of gear in the back + 250 on the roof, and make my poor 'ole Jeep safe again. I also plan to buy LOD Destroyer front and rear bumpers with a complete Metalcloak fender/rail/panel setup to move the center of gravity down.

I'm not particularly concerned with how "cool" stuff looks (but hey, it's gotta be at least a little-bit cool). I am NOT going to do any rock crawling. I'm only concerned with having a non-spooky highway drive to the logging roads and occasionally overcoming what I consider to be "medium" obstacles while "semi" off-road, like small logs, trees, bad ruts, mud, etc.

She is an 07 that currently has Rubicon shocks (over 50,000 miles old). Pretty sure I need shocks, springs (plus support for more weight in the rear), and I dunno...maybe new leaf springs (due to a bad habit of driving through deep puddles at 40 miles an hour).

No interest here about lifting the 'ole girl. But, if you can convince me that a 2.5 OME or such will solve some of my problems I might rethink that.

So, please, please, please give me some ideas yall. If you were planning to do what I've described above, what would you spend money on and in what order would you go about the purchasing/installation? What, if anything, have you done and wish you hadn't?

About a year ago I posted a similar thread and had a bad experience with a very rude person. Please, constructive advice only. Antagonistic and/or belligerent comments will be ignored.

Thanks.

 

[Sisyphus]

250 lbs on the roof of a SWB, mildly narrow track width vehicle seems quite dangerous to me and is probably your number one culprit. I'd try going w/o the tent or consider upgrading to a much lighter version if yours is a heavier model.

Good luck.

 

[jacobconroy]

250 lbs on the roof of a SWB, mildly narrow track width vehicle seems quite dangerous to me and is probably your number one culprit. I'd try going w/o the tent or consider upgrading to a much lighter version if yours is a heavier model.

Good luck.

Hi,
I agree. The problem is that this is all paid for. I moved the tent to an Outback for 6 months and it was very tolerable. Road driving was awesome, but on a week-long trip I couldn't get into a couple of camp sites and it turned the whole trip into a bummer. My co-camper had a full-sized Ford and though he didn't say so, he was disappointed that we had to adjust our destination to accommodate the Suby.

Perhaps I need to make peace with the Subaru/RTT combo and accept that I can only camp where I can go. This is a semi-desperate attempt to see if I might be able to make the Jeep option work while spending less than buying yet another rig.

I have a Slimeline II roof rack because I though it would be SOOO convenient to mount their camp table underneath the rack and be able to remove the top while still using the rack. I've been kicking the idea around of selling the FrontRunner and finding a lighter, lower roof bar option for the tent. My tent is said to be about 130 empty and I'm guessing it's 150 when ready to camp.

 

[lowmpgcj5]

I'm in the same boat as you. 07 2 door with bumpers and rack, soon to be rtt. Right now i'm on rubicon springs that gave me right at 1.3 lift and 33s. I've been looking for stiffer springs in stock height but no luck. I feel like the only safe way is to go with OME lift or AEV 2.5. Both lifts are made for the added weight of all the offroad goodies. The factory springs or even the 59 and 19 rubicon springs just cant take that kind of weight and make the jeep skate when you hit bumps. I have 3 sets of brand new rubicon shocks and taller springs if you need them. Also could you post some pictures of your jeep? I'm very interested in seeing another 2 door.

Tyler

 

[jacobconroy]

I'm in the same boat as you. 07 2 door with bumpers and rack, soon to be rtt. Right now i'm on rubicon springs that gave me right at 1.3 lift and 33s. I've been looking for stiffer springs in stock height but no luck. I feel like the only safe way is to go with OME lift or AEV 2.5. Both lifts are made for the added weight of all the offroad goodies. The factory springs or even the 59 and 19 rubicon springs just cant take that kind of weight and make the jeep skate when you hit bumps. I have 3 sets of brand new rubicon shocks and taller springs if you need them. Also could you post some pictures of your jeep? I'm very interested in seeing another 2 door.

Tyler

Hi, here are a few pics:




Sorry about the sideways pics, I tried to upload a few different ways but couldn't fix it. I really want this to work, but at this point I may have to switch back to the Subaru. Not sure I want to invenst another 5 grand into lifts, wheels, tires, etc. just to learn that it's still dangerous to drive. I'm also considering an offroad trailer/RTT option.

Thanks for the offer for shocks and springs, but I'm leaning towards the 2.5 OME "Overland" kit. But, I have a hard time believing that raising the COG even more is the answer.

 

[Cascade Wanderer]

I'm not particularly concerned with how "cool" stuff looks (but hey, it's gotta be at least a little-bit cool). I am NOT going to do any rock crawling. I'm only concerned with having a non-spooky highway drive to the logging roads and occasionally overcoming what I consider to be "medium" obstacles while "semi" off-road, like small logs, trees, bad ruts, mud, etc.

She is an 07 that currently has Rubicon shocks (over 50,000 miles old). Pretty sure I need shocks, springs (plus support for more weight in the rear), and I dunno...maybe new leaf springs (due to a bad habit of driving through deep puddles at 40 miles an hour).

No interest here about lifting the 'ole girl. But, if you can convince me that a 2.5 OME or such will solve some of my problems I might rethink that.

So, please, please, please give me some ideas yall. If you were planning to do what I've described above, what would you spend money on and in what order would you go about the purchasing/installation? What, if anything, have you done and wish you hadn't?

About a year ago I posted a similar thread and had a bad experience with a very rude person. Please, constructive advice only. Antagonistic and/or belligerent comments will be ignored.

Thanks.

You mention "new leaf springs" - and I'm thinking that's just a typo?

Here's what I did with my 2-door JK, and it's been a very successful "overlander."

Avoided the whole roof-rack & roof-top-tent thing. Didn't want to add weight up high, so I didn't. Saved a lot of money that way too. I camp in a ground tent, it weighs all of six pounds, sets up in a couple of minutes and is thoroughly weather proof in snow, wind & rain.

After adding steel front & rear bumpers, and steel rocksliders, and a winch... She was sitting kinda low. So... A 1.5" Teraflex leveling kit (the one with four springs, not blocks), Fox shocks, and, very importantly, a pair of Air Lift rear air bags inside the rear springs. I can run around at 5 psi with a normal load, or pump them up to 20 or 25 psi to carry a heavy load, like I might want for a week long trip. The Jeep now sits level and just a bit higher than stock.

I went with 285/16/75 Toyo tires on 16x9" rims. That's about the equal of a 33x11.50 tire. E-rated, heavy duty tires. Heavy combo, and I have re-thought that a couple of times, but all in all it works well on and off-pavement. The rims and wider tires give the Jeep a wider stance, which I believe offsets to some degree the slightly taller ride height.

Recently, contemplating some longer excursions, I treated myself to a nice used trailer, but honestly, I've done some pretty extensive trips with just the 2-door Jeep and no RTT. A few photos:

Northface Talus backpacking tent, rainy/snowy camp in Yellowstone, Oct 2016. Nice and snug in the tent. No problem. Ya, I'm 60 and still sleep on the ground. Use a good sleeping pad and a decent bag.


My good old Mountain Hardware tent on one of it's last trips, about a year ago. It had seen 15 seasons and was due for replacement. Good tent though:


Lack of a roof-top-tent is also nice in heavily wooded areas like here in the Northwest where low-hanging branches and fallen trees are routine obstacles:


Air lift bag inside the rear coil spring. This works great for helping carry heavier loads, keeping the Jeep level!


Routed the air lines to the rear bumper, makes inflating/deflating the bags convenient:


Nice wide stance, good and stable:


Typical campsite for me. This was last summer in the Sierras on a week-plus road trip & camping journey:


So ya, I think that for one or two people, who pack light, the two door Jeep can work just fine - and a roof-top-tent is certainly not required for comfortable camping. Been camping in "ground tents" (we use to just call them tents) for most of my life now, six decades worth of camping. Bigger tents can be much more comfortable, and even have room for a lightweight cot or two! Most tents are less expensive, and lighter than the roof-top designs and are Very Capable of handling the weather. I think often better, since they can be set up low to the ground, or even using the vehicle as a wind break. When people look at a lightweight nylon tent and think it can't handle the weather, they're probably not thinking of the quality of tent that serious backpackers and mountaineers use. Figure on spending a few hundred bucks for a good tent that will handle the wind, rain & snow.

Also, in anticipation of having to move quite a bit more "stuff" sometimes (ya, I miss my pickup) I recently got a trailer, but it's not necessary for most of what I do:


Regards, Guy

 

[jacobconroy]

Cascade Wanderer, thanks for the detailed info. I really like the stance of your JK and very might well try your approach to leveling it out. Another, somewhat radical option I'm thinking about is to remove the top and rack. Yakima (I believe) makes a set of cross bars that will attach to the roll bars on the Jeep and should work very well with the RTT. With this setup the RTT should ride lower and I'll lose about 100 lbs of Rack + maybe 70 lbs of hardtop. From my plates it's easy to tell that I really like to ride "topliss" and miss it. If this works out I guess I'll need to change my plates to "sideless", lol.

I very much like the RTT because I need body pillows to sleep. Without the storage up top the pillows alone would fill up the entire back of the Jeep. I went through a "backpacking" phase for a couple of years and have a pile of nice gear (tents, hammocks, etc.) left over from that. The hammock was much better than the ground tents...but I love the RTT.

This morning I spent two hours taking the back end of the Subaru apart in an effort to decide how best to build a new platform back there (to support the JeepKitchen and still allow access to the spare tire). It isn't going to be a little project. Another guy on the forum stripped the back of a '15 Outback to build his own platform and it turned out to be very cool. I'm a little hesitant to significantly alter a one-year-old car though. If only I'd bought a four door JK.

Love the ideas. Keep 'em coming please!

 

[PhulesAU]

TMS , that's the problem.

 

[Ugwpn]

I've been where you're at.

After 30 years of minimal backpacking gear, decided to go RTT. Researched all the external racks, etc. Spoke with a number of folks with RTT's.

The reoccurring negatives I heard from folks with external racks and vehicle mounted RTT's were:

* Have to set-up/tear down camp every time use the vehicle.
* Top heavy/vehicle control on and especially off road. Side winds at highway speeds/passing trucks.
* Height/ability to access home garage/parking garages.
* MPG

In the end, I went with small, light trailer. Simply addresses all of the above. Slight decrease in MPG.

You can go as crazy on a trailer as your budget allows. Could have assembled mine for as little as $2,500 and it would be just as functional. Additional benefits are the RV jack system eliminates any suspension movement when in the tent and trailer nearly doubles storage of a 2 dr. I have no regrets.

 

[Septu]

Hi,
I agree. The problem is that this is all paid for. I moved the tent to an Outback for 6 months and it was very tolerable. Road driving was awesome, but on a week-long trip I couldn't get into a couple of camp sites and it turned the whole trip into a bummer. My co-camper had a full-sized Ford and though he didn't say so, he was disappointed that we had to adjust our destination to accommodate the Suby.

Perhaps I need to make peace with the Subaru/RTT combo and accept that I can only camp where I can go. This is a semi-desperate attempt to see if I might be able to make the Jeep option work while spending less than buying yet another rig.

I have a Slimeline II roof rack because I though it would be SOOO convenient to mount their camp table underneath the rack and be able to remove the top while still using the rack. I've been kicking the idea around of selling the FrontRunner and finding a lighter, lower roof bar option for the tent. My tent is said to be about 130 empty and I'm guessing it's 150 when ready to camp.

I don't think you'll find one that is low enough to make enough of a difference to be worth the price you'll pay to make the change.

A better suspension will make a difference. Whether it's enough of one for you I do not know.

I've been where you're at.

After 30 years of minimal backpacking gear, decided to go RTT. Researched all the external racks, etc. Spoke with a number of folks with RTT's.

The reoccurring negatives I heard from folks with external racks and vehicle mounted RTT's were:

* Have to set-up/tear down camp every time use the vehicle.
* Top heavy/vehicle control on and especially off road. Side winds at highway speeds/passing trucks.
* Height/ability to access home garage/parking garages.
* MPG

In the end, I went with small, light trailer. Simply addresses all of the above. Slight decrease in MPG.

You can go as crazy on a trailer as your budget allows. Could have assembled mine for as little as $2,500 and it would be just as functional. Additional benefits are the RV jack system eliminates any suspension movement when in the tent and trailer nearly doubles storage of a 2 dr. I have no regrets.

The first 2 were the biggest issues for me. My MPG already sucks so I'm not sure it could get much worse lol. But I wheel mine enough in the summer that I wouldn't want to be constantly taking the RTT on/off and I wouldn't want the weight there when it's on. And I hate the idea of having to "pack up camp" to go exploring.

The good news about a trailer is it doesn't take much to be able to "make it follow the jeep". Give it a half decent suspension and frame and you can pretty much drag it anywhere the jeep can go.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Really like the input from C-W, Billum and Septu. :beer:
This is what I would do if I had a two door.

I just picked up an old used flat 4x8 trailer for $275. Rated for 3,500lbs with 14" tires, It's basically a blank slate for what ever build.
Took a while of searching to find, but well worth it.
My thought is dual purpose. Utility trailer for dump runs, home projects. Camp trailer-box similar to the trailers above, with quick release camping jacks.
I "think" a 5x8 may be better. I have a welder and lots of steel to make that happen if need be.

Good luck with your choice.

Just for reference. I get better mileage pulling a low profile trailer at 55mph, than i do running 70mph with no trailer. Something about the aerodynamics of a box. :elkgrin:

 

[jacobconroy]

Well, the wife wants me to leave the Subaru alone and told me to buy a new rig, Ha! But I can't bring myself to do it. Been eyeing the AT Overland Chaser or Horizon. Anyone have experience with either of them on a 2 door JK? As I said, I don't do any rock crawling. Just exploring and driving up rough old logging roads (the kind that cost you paint). Might be the solution here. Lotsa learning to do.

After reading about 4 door JKs, 4Runners, Tacomas....I think I'd rather tow a trailer than make payments on another rig that MIGHT not handle the RTT comfortably.

 

[AgentOrange76]

Car payments blow. And there's something special about a 2 door Jeep. I know the 4 doors are better for this kind of stuff and drive better and all that, but Jeeps are supposed to only have 2 doors.....Its all the "bad" qualities that make them so loveable.

 

[jacobconroy]

Well, an update: I am buying an AT Chaser from another forum member. Get to pick it up a week from today and am pretty excited. So, though it may be possible to setup a 2-door JK with an RTT....I wouldn't advise doing so. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[kojackJKU]

Yeah, that's the smart thing to do. Trailer, set of bags in the rear of the jeep and your good to go! Just buy two sets of bags incase of a blow out. For the low cost, and small amount of space they take up, its a good insurance policy. Good luck.