Shock suggestions

[jeepguy03]

I recently bought 10 yr old second hand foxes that had no leaks and still had nitrogen in them. Idk why they would get thrown in a pile when they get abused and worn. Every part is rebuildable.

Sounds like the wrong size shocks are being specd or the install fab work is bad

No idea... the 4x4 shops in my area mainly build bro dozers, so not sure I would even want to rely on their opinions. Even if the shocks don't last as long, they still ride well for me and fit the bill since the Jeep is not a high-use vehicle. I only put like 3000 miles on it last year.

 

[Old Jeepin Cowboy]

Picked up my new to me TJ 2 weeks ago. And I noticed all the shocks are leaking. I've looked at everything from ranchos to Bilstein to fox adventure series and can't come to a decision. It's a lot of on road driving with the occasional trip to the trails. Jeep has jku springs for the lift and on 33s. 4.0 5 speed. Also replacing the front bumper (currently a home made stinger from original owner) with a stinger bumper and winch. View attachment 609332

TJs LOVE Rancho. If you are off roading then go with the 9000 XL adjustable. You will love it. I had a shop for about 9 years and I only used Rancho's except for one time. I bought a set of Foxes and good grief, could the ride have been worse. I called fox and they it starts out like that but will soften up. 4 mo later and about 3k miles I called them again and told them they had not got better but worse and I wanted my money back. They refused of course and I gave them away to another Jeeper. I told him they were a hard ride and he agreed and gave them to someone else...

 

[Rickyd]

O.P. if you don't have a roll bar I'd be doing that asap

 

[Painfultruth]

I have quad coil springs and Bilsteins still rode like crap. Are you going to suggest that your springs made it ride good?

I’m not suggesting anything, I simply pointed out my setup and that I don’t have any problems, the ride is fine.

Again I wasn’t making a statement about ride quality, but an observational one about quality of a product and that Fox sucks, unless you are happy with replacing them regularly. If subjective ride quality is the only thing of importance then great.

 

[gno4aro]

O.P. if you don't have a roll bar I'd be doing that asap

It has the roll bar. Just the down bars were removed for the conversion

 

[06lj]

To expand on my previous post. I've run the Rancho 9000xl, Rancho 5000x, and Skyjacker Black Max. Each were good shocks with some being better in certain situations. For strictly on road the 9000xl's were my favorite. They had the quickest response time and felt the most controlled, especially during cornering. For my Jeep I found setting them at level 5 in the front and 2 in the rear was the best. I did find they had the worst ride characteristics. I realize this is a bit subjective but what I witnessed was they did not absorb small bumps well and had a harsh ride. Where I found them to be excellent was with their responsiveness and recovery. On the street I felt the control was worth the harshness but off road I hated them. Washboard and gravel roads felt like the Jeep would shake apart. The 5000x offered a smother ride but gave up a bit in handling. They were a decent all around shock and hard to beat for the price. They absorbed smaller bumps better but did take a bit longer to recover. I felt this resulted in a little less controlled feeling as the dampening was not as good. Body roll was a bit more pronounced than the 9000's. They do offer a bit more trave which worked well with my suspension. Off road they still suffered on gravel and washboard surfaces. Currently I am running the Black Max. They are, by far, the best riding shock of the 3 but do have the worst handling. They are a hydraulic shock and feel like it. They absorb smaller bumps better but have a bit of a floating feeling at times. For both Ranchos my complaints regarding ride quality may have something to do with my Jeep being an LJ. I am not an expert in suspension so have no explanation but for some reason the rear shocks seem to perform differently on the rear axle when compared to a TJ. Others have commented with similar a experience. For a while I ran the 5000x in the front and the Black Max on the rear. This combination actually worked very well. When I changed the front shocks to the BM I was surprised how little of a difference there was compared to when I switched the rears.

 

[Woodrow]

Your TJ looks light in the back so a softer shock like the Black max should do well. I have Bilstein 5100s in the front and Black max in the rear. I picked them more for the sizes they come in than ride concerns but when I switched to the Black max out back the ride became more supple.

I'd also say that all the spirited discussion about which shock "rides" better is a little overblown. There ARE differences but not as much as some say in my experience.