Rubihara #920

[David Kishpaugh]

budget build in progress.
JeepWest 3 link mid arm front
currie/savvy 3" springs
bilstien 5100's
savvy rear control arms w/geometry correction
Rough country forged track bar.
Currie/savvy steering

 

[DuncLJ]

Sounds like fun. I'll be watching.

 

[David Kishpaugh]

Few more...

 

[bobthetj03]

After today's adventures in my back yard, I'm beginning to understand the Bilstien 5100 choice for that setup. Would an off the shelf Fox be another choice?

 

[psrivats]

budget build in progress.
JeepWest 3 link mid arm front
currie/savvy 3" springs
bilstien 5100's
savvy rear control arms w/geometry correction
Rough country forged track bar.
Currie/savvy steering

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Glad to see you using those 3" springs. They are a very good option at that lift height.

 

[Mike_H]

After today's adventures in my back yard, I'm beginning to understand the Bilstien 5100 choice for that setup. Would an off the shelf Fox be another choice?

care to elaborate?

 

[psrivats]

care to elaborate?

I'm not @bobthetj03 but this is probably why -

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/pacing-myself-build.3910/post-636999

 

[bobthetj03]

care to elaborate?

I felt a lot less control than usual. I have a suspicious feeling my rear shocks are shot, so I can't blame Rancho at this juncture until I investigate. I had the front sway bar disco'd for the trip, and went thru an array of different terrain that day, small rocks, washouts, downed timber, baby powder dust, a couple creek crossings, pretty much the works sans rock crawling. My wife spent a lot of time hanging on to the oh shit handle as the Jeep was throwing us around quite a bit. Maybe it's that I haven't been out in that kind of territory in a while, but both compression and rebound control were lacking. It got me thinking, and I have noticed on normal commuting the past few weeks more sway on corners than usual. I need to pull the rear springs and check bump anyway, so I'll check the shocks.

 

[Mike_H]

I felt a lot less control than usual. I have a suspicious feeling my rear shocks are shot, so I can't blame Rancho at this juncture until I investigate. I had the front sway bar disco'd for the trip, and went thru an array of different terrain that day, small rocks, washouts, downed timber, baby powder dust, a couple creek crossings, pretty much the works sans rock crawling. My wife spent a lot of time hanging on to the oh shit handle as the Jeep was throwing us around quite a bit. Maybe it's that I haven't been out in that kind of territory in a while, but both compression and rebound control were lacking. It got me thinking, and I have noticed on normal commuting the past few weeks more sway on corners than usual. I need to pull the rear springs and check bump anyway, so I'll check the shocks.

Gotcha. I am running the Bilsteins. I'm not super happy with them as they do tend to be a bit harsh on small events (like road chatter, expansion joints, etc). They also allow quite a bit of wheel hop...I've gotten it both front that rear...though the more I learn about geometry, it may be a bit unfair to expect the shocks to control that. Plus, they are the wrong length for my lift, so they are limiting my travel. I need to upgrade...

On the positive side though, they don't rust (stainless steel bodies). They do seem to handle larger events properly (the damping is pretty well balanced and the body is controlled). I can drive faster than a reasonable person should down washboard roads without getting out of shape. I'm running an anti-rock on its loosest setting without feeling like the jeep is going to roll. They have been good for me, and if it weren't for the desire to change my jeep around, fix geometry, and maximize the travel that I can get, I would probably be happy with them.

 

[rasband]

Gotcha. I am running the Bilsteins. I'm not super happy with them as they do tend to be a bit harsh on small events (like road chatter, expansion joints, etc). They also allow quite a bit of wheel hop...I've gotten it both front that rear...though the more I learn about geometry, it may be a bit unfair to expect the shocks to control that. Plus, they are the wrong length for my lift, so they are limiting my travel. I need to upgrade...

On the positive side though, they don't rust (stainless steel bodies). They do seem to handle larger events properly (the damping is pretty well balanced and the body is controlled). I can drive faster than a reasonable person should down washboard roads without getting out of shape. I'm running an anti-rock on its loosest setting without feeling like the jeep is going to roll. They have been good for me, and if it weren't for the desire to change my jeep around, fix geometry, and maximize the travel that I can get, I would probably be happy with them.

It's probably mostly the valving with the Bilsteins. I have a set of FOX's valved for a TJ (front) and find them to be firm but not harsh - they're a very nice upgrade from my previous ranchos.

 

[Lilnuts]

Rubihara #925 here. I put the rancho 9000s on mine. They are a econo shock but being adjustable I can get them close to what I want.

 

[Mike_H]

It's probably mostly the valving with the Bilsteins. I have a set of FOX's valved for a TJ (front) and find them to be firm but not harsh - they're a very nice upgrade from my previous ranchos.

That has been what I've gleaned over the years listening to Blaine bash on the 5100's. Something about the lack of a flutter stack and that a very inexpensive part would fix that shock. So maybe not valving per se, but definitely something in the valving that is missing.