"Best" shocks for both on/off road

What are the most versatile shocks for a mainly on-road '02 TJ Sport? I'm mainly looking for smooth ride, to keep the wife happy, and for our rough country roads around here. Thanks.

Reply to
Horsedoc
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For all conditions where it can be adjusted from soft to firm, probably either Rancho's 9-way adjustable RS9000x or ProComp's 6-way adjustable MX-6.

Jerry

Horsedoc wrote:

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

I had R9000s on a Suburban tow rig and they worked great, except the little adjuster knobs get stiff and gritty. And they are vulnerable to being knocked off when off-roading.

I really like the Old Man Emus for all-around use. Never tried them on a Wrangler tho.....

John

John Davies TLCA 14732

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'96 Lexus LX450 '00 Audi A4 1.8T quattro Spokane WA USA

Reply to
John Davies

Not if they're installed with the knob for the rear shocks facing into the shock mount as I ran mine. That way, they're totally protected. The knobs on the front shocks aren't vulnerable at all.

Jerry

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

True, but fairly hardcore, although 4WheelParts I think had a sale on the remote control being free for the Rancho's. Some wives like the bricklike control, some might not.

For street and rough roads, I'd check also out the Edelbrock IAS inertials at 4WheelParts or similar.

Jerry Bransford proclaimed:

Reply to
Lon

I've been a fan of the Edelbrock IAS Performers ever since I installed them. Even my wife as a passenger noticed the improvements, both on and off road. Kinda pricey son of a guns though.

Dave

Reply to
David C. Moller

i HAVE HAD THE R9000'S ON MY 00TJ FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS. I ADDED THE CAB CONTROL FEATURE ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND FIND IT VERY CONVENIENT. i HAVE KNOCKED OFF THE FITTING ON THE SHOCK A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT IT IS AN EASY FIX.

Reply to
Dalewhite

PRESSING THE CAPS LOCK BUTTON WILL DO miracles. :-)

Reply to
Eric

The OME shocks on the Wrangler are just great, I tried them for a while. However the adjustability of the Rancho can't be beat.

Also note the the comfort level depends more on the springs rather than the shocks.

A.B. ShortWheelbase.com

Reply to
A.B.

I certainly disagree with that. Shocks have far more impact on ride quality than springs do, within reason.

Jerry

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

Well, I've driven a YJ fitted with Rancho 9000 and the ride was horrible no matter which setting they were on since the YJ also had horrible Procomp leaf springs. Changing the springs to OME made a world of difference still with the same shocks.

Remember the shocks are there just to control the bouncing movement of the springs and nothing else. Take off your shocks and drive around for a while, you'll notice you have the same comfort level as with the shocks fitted. The drive will be very bouncy mind you, which is why the shocks are there in the first place, to control the bounce. If the shocks valving are properly tuned for the weight of the vehicle and the driving style, then the shock will 'let' the springs absorb bumps and articulate well while still controlling spring bounce. If the shock valve setting is too hard the shock will fight the spring and will try to limit its movement and hence the harsh ride. However that doesn?t mean that a properly valved shock gives you a better ride, it means that a properly valved shock will not fight the spring which does almost all the work and will let it absorb bumps while controlling bounce and not hindering articulation.

A.B. ShortWheelbase.com

Reply to
A.B.

I agree, the springs make up the basic suspension dynamics, the shocks simply provide the fine tuning. For example, two years ago I installed a Skyjacker 2.5" kit on my '76 CJ5 restoration project. The vendor only had the "matching" Skyjacker Nitro (gas) shocks for the kit so I opted for them. The ride quality was dreadful. To see what was the basic cauise of the harsh ride I removed the shocks entirely and drove it around. The result was that the springs were far too stiff for the little 6 banger cJ5, the shocks just made the condition worse. The vendor swapped out the Nitros for a set of Hydro (standard) shocks and ther was just a small bit of improvement. After

12k miles the springs have sftened a bit, but still aren't to my liking.
Reply to
SoK66

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