The wife drives a '12 Wrangler Unlimited. She loves it but I absolutely hate driving it. It rides so much rougher than my Xterra offroad. What shocks do you guys run to improve the ride? My Xterra has Bilstein's so I'm thinking of going that route but what do you think? I'm not expecting it to be smooth but would hope to get it as good as my Xterra.
need new shocks
- Thread starter Irwinsdad
- Start date
Happy Joe
Apprentice Geezer
I beg to differ; IF someone has installed improper (typically "heavy duty") shocks the ride may become harsh (feeling every pebble on the road) as they may be too "stiff" (too high a damping rate) for the spring rate... I have run into this on every old Jeep and a few pickups that I have owned. (for some unknown reason some people seem to think a Jeep should ride badly, it some times takes quite a bit of work to make them ride, and handle well; or at least as well as possible for a high COG vehicle.
Having already adjusted the tire pressure (per the "chalk test") from 40+psi down to 26 psi (helped Quite a bit but not enough)... It should be noted that excessively stiff tire sidewalls can contribute to less than optimum ride quality.
I am pretty sure that shocks that are too stiff may be what is wrong with my new to me (old) TJ the ride is quite harsh and since it was owned previously by a younger person (because of the stickers, that I have been removing...kids!). I will be replacing the shocks with some medium quality old man shocks (possibly Bilstiens) matched to the factory springs on the vehicle... If that does not solve the issue I will be replacing the factory suspension bushings which may have become hard with age (or may have been replaced with too stiff polyurethane bushings, by the aforementioned PO (previous owner)... some where along the way I will temporarily switch out the noname tres for tires of known ride quality to eliminate this as a possibility.
..If none of this works I will be looking to buy some variable rate springs with a softer initial rate. (then likely matching new shocks (again) to them.
Enjoy!
Having already adjusted the tire pressure (per the "chalk test") from 40+psi down to 26 psi (helped Quite a bit but not enough)... It should be noted that excessively stiff tire sidewalls can contribute to less than optimum ride quality.
I am pretty sure that shocks that are too stiff may be what is wrong with my new to me (old) TJ the ride is quite harsh and since it was owned previously by a younger person (because of the stickers, that I have been removing...kids!). I will be replacing the shocks with some medium quality old man shocks (possibly Bilstiens) matched to the factory springs on the vehicle... If that does not solve the issue I will be replacing the factory suspension bushings which may have become hard with age (or may have been replaced with too stiff polyurethane bushings, by the aforementioned PO (previous owner)... some where along the way I will temporarily switch out the noname tres for tires of known ride quality to eliminate this as a possibility.
..If none of this works I will be looking to buy some variable rate springs with a softer initial rate. (then likely matching new shocks (again) to them.
Enjoy!
Last edited:
I think everyone has a definition of harsh ride. My tires are at 40 psi and the adjustable shocks set at their highest rating while on the pavement and I do not think the ride is harsh. I also have heavy duty springs and a heavy load. I always air down when leaving the pavement.
I would start with the air pressure.
I would start with the air pressure.
Happy Joe
Apprentice Geezer
As noted above try adjusting the tire air pressure first (its cheapest); note the pressure on the tire sidewall is for carrying the maximum load and most folks will reduce this since they never fully loads the tires. You might try contacting the tire maker to see if they can provide a load table of tire pressures vs. load for your tires this would give you additional guidance, if you can get it.
Hopefully no one has put a spring lift on your vehicle (some ride ok but most increase the spring rate thereby increasing ride harshness)... in any case stay away from "Heavy duty" shocks if looking for improved ride. You want a shock that is matched to the spring rate of the vehicle to get the best compromise between a floaty (under damped) ride and one that is too hard (over damped).
If by some chance you have an aftermarket lift installed you may have to contact the lift manufacturer to find out the new spring rate (IF they will even tell you); then contact the shock manufacturer to find the best riding shocks for that rate on your vehicle (the spring rates will normally vary between the front and rear).
Just trying shocks trying to find an acceptable ride, with an unknown spring rate, will likely lead to frustration; a better potential solution would be to try some adjustable shocks and adjust them for the best ride..
Enjoy!
Last edited:
unkamonkey
Explorer
Weeeeel, I broke a shock mount on my old MB. It made absolutely no difference in how it rode. My 3B rides better than my neighbors CJ7. (Tire pressure). I did sneak over while they were gone and dropped each of his tires around 5 PSI. "Hey, this thing rides much better". I never told him. His son drove out to the Moab area in his F350 4X4 and complained about the beating he took on the road. What is the air pressure you are running? "What it says on the side of the tire, 85 PSI". I handed him my gauge and told him to drop them to under 60 PSI at least.
Similar threads
