XJ Suspension question for experienced overlanders

[shauncondit]

I'd like to get opinions from some experienced overlanders...I'm having a bit of a mental crisis trying to figure out the best suspension setup...or at least the best start to the best suspension setup....for expeditions/overlanding as well as being a daily driver.

I've searched other Jeep forums, but I've seen mostly big or semi big setups to crawl the rocks or crawl the mall and I don't need to go with a big kit and big tires because it looks cool, I need what functions the best for the purpose I want to use it....for example, a full TAT expo, hopefully around fall of 2013.

It is a 1992 Jeep XJ limited 4.0, aw4, 242, HP d30 front, D35 rear but most likely upgrading to 29 spline C8.25. It will have a rear tire carrier, winch, RTT, at least a rear locker and all the necessary belly armor...just to give you and idea of weight, cog and basic capability

This is what I'm considering

Stock (or so) height but built heavy duty...hd rear springs, shocks, jks quick discos, etc... with 30" tires (I have them on now with no rubbing)

DPG/OME 2" basic and jks discos and 30" tires

DPG/OME 2.5" Deluxe and 30" to 31" tall tires

RC 4.5" x-series (may or may not need a hack n tap SYE) with 31" to 32" tall tires

In your experienced opinions, what would you recommend for best overall capability and durability? I really just want to spend the money and time once and move on to other things the Jeep will need.

Thanks!

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Ewww, stay away from RC if you want reliability. If I were looking at smaller lifts OME is where I would spend my money.

 

[4xdog]

I put a basic OME kit on my 1988 XJ many years ago and its been perfect -- comfortable (better than stock) on the road, and perfectly capable of getting me to any campsite I wanted. A competent but not terribly aggressive system. Minor tire upsize to 235/75-16.

OME highly recommended.

Don

 

[shauncondit]

Ya, I've heard a lot negative things about RC over the years, but I've also heard they have gotten a lot better recently with redesigned arms, leafs, 2.0 shocks, bushings. With that said, there is no denying the great reputations of ome and jks. And I'm not sure if I want to get into SYE's, pinion angles, gearing......at least not right now.

 

[-XJ-]

I haven't bought my next Jeep yet but if It's a XJ pending I do move west as I plan to, It will be built for overlanding.. OME from DPG is where im heading when the time comes..

 

[Steve F]

I've had my XJ for 10 years now and done lots of overlanding in it, my first trip with 3000km of dirt was with 30's and 2" of lift. It was fine, fairly economical etc and copped with the tracks I wanted to do.

My last trip had around 3000km of dirt also (10,000km all up) with massive corrugations etc. There were 3 of us in the XJ, we had a rooftop tent, winch, tyre carrier, 120lt fuel tank, 40lt water and lots more, so carrying a fair bit of weight. I'm also running 35" tyres. It performed great and ate the corrugations when aired down low.

Both setups worked great but the bigger lift and bigger tyres gave me more options on what tracks to take. Both setups were with quality gear, the original with OME gear and now with RE springs etc and Bilstein 5150 shocks. When it comes down to it if the gear is good gear then just build the XJ to the level you require for the terrain and you'll be happy.

Here's a pic, all loaded up on its first big trip many years ago, sitting pretty low with a months worth of gear and food in it.

And the latest trip 4 months ago, also for a month but with an extra mouth to feed this time.

The main difference was some of the tracks

Cheers
Steve

 

[bob91yj]

You need to figure out what your Jeep doesn't do now that you want it to be able to do in the future and build it accordingly.

A little out of the box thinking, go to jeepspeed.com and check out some of the XJ suspensions there. Obviously a little more overkill than what you are looking for, but by rule, all of the suspensions have to be off the shelf.

 

[lthixson]

I have a 4.5" RC lift on my 98 XJ and haven't had any problems. That being said, it sounds like you won't be needing that big of a lift. I think the 2.5" with 31" tires and 4.10 gears would be best for you. With the 2.5" lift you wont need to worry about a SYE and you'll maintain a relatively low COG. You should have plenty of clearance for the 31" tires. If you use the 4.10 gears with the 31" tires your speedometer will be very near to accurate. Mine shows 72 mph at 70 mph.

 

[shauncondit]

Steve F, that is definitely an evolution, how do you feel about your center of gravity as it sits now?

The other option would be a RC 3" series 2. Looks like a decent way to keep overall cost down and still be capable? See, this is another reason for the mental crisis Value for money. I know ome is top of the food chain as far as quality, but RC isn't bad (anymore) either.

Well, off to work and make some double time.....thank you for all the responses so far

 

[Steve F]

Steve F, that is definitely an evolution, how do you feel about your center of gravity as it sits now?

The other option would be a RC 3" series 2. Looks like a decent way to keep overall cost down and still be capable? See, this is another reason for the mental crisis Value for money. I know ome is top of the food chain as far as quality, but RC isn't bad (anymore) either.

Well, off to work and make some double time.....thank you for all the responses so far

No problem with the center of gravity, sure its a lot higher than it was and the RTT doesn't help but it doesn't fell unstable or handle badly. It's no sports car though and there is some body roll but it's not to the point where it has resticted us or felt unsafe. I've had no issues with this build and wouldn't go back to anything smaller now

Cheers
Steve

 

[AFSOC]

I use my 99 XJ as a DD and for mild trail riding, I'll rack up a few hundred miles at a clip but not "expeditions". My rig has a tire swing on back and a sheetmetal bumper with M8000. I use stock points and geometry. The bumpers, skids, sliders and camping gear increased the rigs weight so I selected OME heavy springs. I am happy with the ride and resistance to lean or body roll, overall it's well mannered on the road. The suspension flexes pretty well though I have been running 31 inch tall tires which necessitates bump stop adjustments, I am sure there's more articulation potential than I am allowing. The OME springs come without bushings, press in OEM style rubber rather than poly to keep from transferring road noise up through the unibody. I also used Rubicon Express adjustable LCAs with rubber bushings to keep things quiet and riding nice.

I don't have experience with other brands of XJ suspension but am very satisfied with the components I selected. Every aspect of my rigs suspension improved over stock with the installation of the OME springs and shocks. I hope my experiences are helpful.

 

[njjeepthing]

I have some experience in this topic! Having had a few XJ's, I would recommend a 3" lift and 31's. Put in a set of selectable lockers or tru-tracs and you will be all set.

This is my 98 Classic with 31's on the Rough Country 3'" kit, with AAL.

Tires clear fine, ride is a bit rough, components seam ok for the $$$.

This is my old 01 XJ with a RE 3.5 kit, full rear spring and 31" Duratrac's with OME shocks.

Ride was great on road and off. Definitely would go this route again if I was building again and the budget allowed!

The RC for the $$ is hard to beat, but I don't know how it will hold up over time and abuse, the Red XJ was good to us, took us everywhere we wanted to go with no issues, except the RE disco's aren't the greatest.

 

[bat]

I would help but I am not an experienced Overlander

 

[briboki]

Stock (or so) height but built heavy duty...hd rear springs, shocks, jks quick discos, etc... with 30" tires (I have them on now with no rubbing)

DPG/OME 2" basic and jks discos and 30" tires

DPG/OME 2.5" Deluxe and 30" to 31" tall tires

RC 4.5" x-series (may or may not need a hack n tap SYE) with 31" to 32" tall tires

In your experienced opinions, what would you recommend for best overall capability and durability? I really just want to spend the money and time once and move on to other things the Jeep will need.

Thanks!

I went with a 2" OME kit from Dirk. I went with OME leafs, coils, and shocks. JKS trackbar, JKS discos, JKS lca's, JKS rear ubolt plates, and JKS front stainless brake lines. Dirk's front bumpstops and disco cables. I ended up needing an SYE with only 2" of lift. I didn't try a tcase drop as I didn't want to sacrifice ground clearance. Before adding the SYE I shimmed the rear axle back to factory angles with no luck. Changed the ujoints with no luck. No problems after the SYE. The Chrysler 8.25 is rumored to be more vibe prone than the D35. I figured if I wanted to go to 3" of lift I could do the OME AAL and 1" coil spacer up front. I had to install a YJ rear brakeline as my stock one was going to rip off if I flexed it. I removed the rear sway bar. I had to source all the bolts/hardware as none of it was included with my lift. The JKS rear ubolt plates allow for fine tuning of the rear bumpstops.

The XJ drives like stock. I have the newer OME nitrocharger sport shocks. They are a little firm for my taste around town, but they soak up big dips and bumps very well. Very comfy at speed. The XJ flexes very well. I wanted to stay under a 31" tire for now because I didn't want to regear right away, and I wanted to fit my full size spare in the stock location (and not buy an expensive bumper with tire carrier).

If I was going to do it over....

If I wanted to run 31" tires right now:

I would look hard at a Rubicon Express 3.5" kit with OME or Bilstein shocks with the trackbar of your choice. If you really are going to load the XJ down with heavy bumpers, a winch, sliders, armor, etc. the RE kit should net you about 3.5". It seems like the people who get more than advertised lift have "light" Jeeps. The RE spring rates are a little higher, but if your jeep is loaded down it should ride just fine. I could have bought a Rubicon Express kit with OME shocks + an SYE kit (with driveshaft) for what I have into my OME lift with JKS goodies.

If I wanted to run a 30" ish tire right now:

I'd keep my OME lift, and look for a deal/sale on a trackbar and control arms. The JKS stuff is very nice and beefy, but pricey. Dirk sells JKS stuff with his kits.

 

[shauncondit]

I think the RE 3.5" superflex with bilstein 5100's would be perfect and I have experience with Bilstein from my old days of living in San Diego and going to Anza Borrego..as hard as I was on those shocks for many many miles, they NEVER failed me .... but unfortunately that puts me a bit over budget, around $1100-$1200 after all is said and done and unfortunately I need to stay around $800 or less for this round because I also have to get a new steering shaft since mine has tons of play form the bushing and I'm thinking of upgrading to the borgeson shaft at a cool $270

The 3" RC series 2 looks like a good option, but there seems to be as much negative feedback as there is positive with quality.

Since I can't swing the RE supeflex and Bilsteins, I am thinking more and more about the DPG OME basic 2" ... even though it is just a front coil spacer ... then add other components (jks or currie) to it as the year goes on. If nothing else, I'll know it's good quality stuff