Shock Advice Needed

[Gary]

My 05 Rubicon had a lift on it when Purchased it a few years ago. It's a 4" pro comp short arm lift and I run 33" tires. It had MX6 shocks on it and they had slow leaks in each shock when I purchased the Jeep. They lasted almost 2 years before they leaked out to the point they where completely shot, they did ride good for most of that time. At that time I was short funded and purchased some pro comp ES3000's just to get me by for awhile. They lasted about 4 months and are completely shot.

I run fire roads and easy to moderate trails. I'm thinking I should steer clear of any pro comp shocks at this point? I'm not real sure how long the MX6's were on this jeep though because I purchased it used?

What shocks would you guys reccomend putting on this jeep? Thanks for any advice.

[lakev2]

I have had good luck with bilsteins or shocks made by bilstein(some lift companies rebadge them).

Ran resevoir bilstiens on my last rig and run rebadged standard bilsteins now.


Fox is also a good choice.

[mywifesjeep]

Biilsteins 5100 from shockworks $151.00 shipped to your door. There great and reasonable.

[Toolman]

I was running Rancho RS9000 with the air ride adjust and recently broke one and switched to Billstein 5150.. I found out there are different rates of valving. I put the softer 170/60 on first and they were way too mooshy feeling.. I did some more research and the 255/70 seems to be more appropriate for what I like in a shock...

The softer shocks felt like a boat.. when I took off the rear end squashed and when I hit the brakes the front end dove.. it felt like I was aired down and disconnected on the street..

The 255/70 5150 felt like the TJ before I changed the shocks, so i left them on ... So far I haven't taken them off road but I know I'm going to like it...

My point is .. if you drive it daily you will want a stiffer shock.. If I towed it out the the trails I would have left the 170/60 valve set up, but I don't.

http://www.bilsteinus.com/offroad_5150.php

5100 seem to be very popular in my club, the guys that have them love em and talked me into bilstein shocks.

[brokenujoint]

i couldnt be more pleased with my bilstein 7100 reservoir shocks. One of the best bolt on's i have ever done.
its weird because i think rancho 9000's are much stiffer yet when i had to put my shocks on, There was no way in hell i could collapse them by hand to get them on. I had to bolt them in up top and use a jack to compress them.

when wheeling i almost never get a wheel off the ground because these shocks want to keep my wheels on the ground.
you'd be suprised how well you can wheel with these things. pricey but worth it!

[4xfiend]

My Jeep also used to have a Pro Comp 4" lift on it. I changed out the ES3000's for a set of Skyjacker Hydros. They are cheap and the ride is much better. I purchased these after reading many recommendations for them as good, soft riding cheap shocks. Probably not as nice as the Bilstein's, but a lot easier on the wallet at $35 each.

[Gary]

I really appreciate your opinions. Looking like Bilsteins are the way to go. Before the shock issue I was on a trail every weekend, now I don't even want to drive my jeep down the street. LOL. I'll probably purchase them next week. Thanks again.

Brokenujoint, do you do much street driving with your jeep? If yes how does it ride on the road? And do you remember what these bilstein 7100 reservoir shocks cost? Thanks Gary

[Tumbleweed13]

I'm thinking I should steer clear of any pro comp shocks at this point?

In general I'd stay away from all procomp products. Unless your wheel'n takes place at the mall.

Bilsteins

[brokenujoint]

i drive it all the time. it is just fine. i have alot more going on than shocks and i have alot of mods that screw up comfort so to simply ask if the road ride is good or bad is up for debate.

its not a stock ride...


but for having a winch and heavy bumpers and skids and a detroit in the rear and chunked out 35's and steel wheels.. lol... it runs fine.

cost,, man... it was several yrs ago and im sure that price isnt todays price.... go online and shop around . perhaps something is better than the 7100's from bilstein now .. dunno.

[Gary]

Yeah Tmbleweed13 I agree about the procomp stuff. Not happy with the shocks or tires.

Thanks for getting back to me brokenujoint. And thanks again to everyone else. I'm gonna be dropping some coin on new shocks, tires and wheels in the very near future.

[JeepinLA Eh]

Runnin the bilstien 5100's and they're worth every dollar!!!!

[mJUSTINm]

Another one for Bilstein 5100s. I run them on my LJ with a Currie 4" lift and antirock and it rides great. Just today I was out running some faster desert trails, and my buddy with a pro comp 4" lift and shocks couldn't keep up. His ride was way too harsh over the whoops and washboard roads.

[2blk2drs]

Currently running Bilstein 5100's, like the others said they are a bit stiff, but not a bad thing.
If I had to do it again, I would have gotten a rebuildable shock
(bilstein 7100, fox, etc)

Are you happy with your level of build? Or is there some inchitis still lingering? Keep in mind if you do end up changing shocks later, the high end shocks will still be worth some money, disposable shocks not so much.

[inVERt'D]

Bilstein 5100s may run a bit stiff, which is good for control on smoother surfaces, but after driving for a short time on a rough road they will get warm and soften up.

Glad to see they are catching on. Too often inferior products beat out better ones due to marketing and gimmicks. Then we're all stuck paying for overpriced, inferior junk.

[inVERt'D]

Are you happy with your level of build? Or is there some inchitis still lingering? Keep in mind if you do end up changing shocks later, the high end shocks will still be worth some money, disposable shocks not so much.

Also keep in mind that for the price (or a even fraction) of a single high-end shock, you could have a full set of 5100s. The amount your high-end shocks will have depreciated just from being "used" will probably be a lot more than a full set of 5100s. Plus, you'll have a lot more money tied up until you do sell them.