Hi all,

I am new to Jeeps in general, and especially suspension kits. I have just purchased my first Jeep ever; the previous owner lifted it 3" and placed Rough Country 2.0 shocks on it. I am feeling every single bump on the road, and have already contacted RC to see of any possible fixes. I have the fixed control arms on the front, but it still seems incredibly harsh going over any type of bumps in the road. I've been researching, and narrowed it down to the shocks. I found that Bilsteins are pretty hyped up, but don't know much about them. Looking for some more experienced opinions, and even help in getting this ride issue fixed. I don't mind putting the extra money into a pair of shocks that will provide a smoother ride at the end of the day, if in fact this is what is thought to be the problem. I know Jeeps aren't going to ride like import cars, but I know there is far better..

Any help, suggestions, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Just keep in mind that I am totally inexperienced as of now, so if you mention something, break it down for me!

-Matt

 

First things first...welcome to the forum...and the jeep sickness in general.

Second things second, you're driving a lifted jeep. Don't expect a Cadillac pudding-in-a-cloud ride...yes, you can improve the ride quality, but it will cost you. When you modify something, you need to modify several other things to get it as close to stock ride quality as possible.

Bilsteins are hyped up for a reason. They're a proven performer. From a reputable company. I am currently upgrading many things on my jeep, shocks being one of them. I'll be going with Bilsteins 7100 series eventually, but in the interest of getting back on the road after 6 months of mods, I'll be getting a set of 5100's in the meantime.

What's the difference, you ask?

Well the 5100's will cost me about $350 for all four. The 7100's will be more like $350 a piece.

You need to ask yourself what you want from your jeep. Daily driver with a mild lift, that sees occasional off roading, the 5100's will be fine.

Fox 2.0 are also a good choice. My suggestion to you is see what kind of feedback you get in this thread, and search others as well, read up on it, be informed, and make a decision. You're starting out fine. Ask questions, we are here to help, but start reading here as well. There's a wealth of information here.

I would recommend Bilsteins personally. Have never heard anything bad about them.

 

I actually did this exact swap.

I didn't feel a damn difference.

But I know Bilsteins are a better quality shock than Rough Country's imports. You can also better customize your travel with Bilstein, while Rough Country's are made specifically for their kits and will limit travel if you modify your lift at all.

Plus... who doesn't love some eye candy? Bilsteins are just sweet looking.

 

Do you know how many miles are on the RC shocks?

I've got the same shocks and had the same problem up to about 1k miles ago.

Every crack in the road felt like hopping a curb at 50. It was nuts.

I did some jeepspeed style driving on some dirt roads and just generally beat the crap out of the suspension any chance I got, and also put 5k miles on 'em on ordinary street driving. Now the thing is pretty pleasant to drive.

 

I'd spend the money on the Bilstien's. Worth every penny. I went from twin tube Rubicon Express shocks to 5100s, paired them with RE rear springs and 250lb front coils and the faster I go over speed bumps, the smoother it is. Very strange.

 

The 5100's are a definite upgrade but if you have a complete RC lift on your Jeep there may be more problems with the ride quality, shackle angle with their leafs.

 

Most of the harshness you're feeling is in the suspension, not the shocks. Sure, shocks play a roll in compression and rebound but these aren't desert trucks. Quality springs and better suspension angles will offer improved ride characteristics than simply swapping shocks. That's part of the reason long arm lifts are popular. The ride difference from short arm to long arm is night and day. Moving that pivot point back offers a smoother path for your axle to travel/articulate. A good shackle angle will allow the leaf springs to work smoother as well. But there's simply no fix for low quality parts and springs besides replacing them with better stuff.

BTW, My jeep rides great and I'm using plain jane white body skyjacker nitro shocks. But I'm also on a LA system. In comparison, my brothers xj has a 4.5 rubicon express short arm with their shocks and his is much harsher. He may have less lift, but his suspension angles are steeper which translates into a rougher ride.

 

I have the RC N2O on my MJ and yes, they are firm. That's great for a truck but you will definately want something softer for a passenger type vehicle like the XJ.

 

I have Bilstein shocks on my MJ. I slam it across rail road tracks without issue and they generally ride comfortably.

 

3" lift here on an 88. Don't know whose kit it is.

Did the JK Rubicon shock swap from those "whitey" shocks and difference was night and day.

I wonder sometimes if folks install the lift kits and tighten all the bolts with the vehicle on a hoist.

I always leave the bolts slightly loose and set it on the floor before tightening all the bolts.

 

Always a good piece of advice right there. Suspension hardware should be tightened when vehicle is sitting on its own weight at ride height, especially control arms and leaf springs.

 

Last part is the same for me probably beats the hell out of it tho