After looking around some more, Ive seen suggestions that a Bar pin eliminator kit helps to reduce noise. I know JKS has a kit made for the WJ, but I'm curious about rough country. They dont have a kit made for the WJ but only for the TJ and XJ. Has anyone attempted to use these on the WJ?

http://www.roughcountry.com/jeep_xtras_barpin-eliminator.html

 

Rather than the BPE's, you can press the mounting sleeves out of the stock shock bushings, and press them into whichever new shocks you get. That will eliminate the possibility of rear clunking that often occurs with aftermarket shocks.

As far as which shocks to get, you will get the best ride quality out of a monotube shock, but they can be pricey.

 

swaybar end links aren't needed for a 2" lift...and according to Kolak on here, one of the guys that knows the most about these things, they aren't really needed for a 3" lift. Something has to be loose.

 

I know I've read rear extended links aren't "needed", otherwise I'm sure most lift kits would supply them. But after reading many stickies out there about the WJ, I thought an attempt to return the rear sway bar back to the suggested 0 degree angle would help on imporiving ride quality. With my current lift, its at a 35-45 degree angle which can't be good.

I'm fairly certain everything is tight after a quick visual inspection after the thought of something was loose, but tomorrow I'll be certain to torque everything down just for the hell of it.

As far as the BPE's, the rear is fine, being that they have the standard bolt through the shock eye loop. It's the front lower. I do understand the concept of pressing it out and reusing the OEM bushing... but I tossed those old abused things out right after the kit was installed.

Still? Does anyone know if the front rough country BPE's for an XJ or TJ are usable on a WJ... or am i gonna have to spend the 20-30$ more for the JKS BPE's that say they can be used with all of them.

 

...And I forgot....

Which monotube shock rides the smoothest....?

 

I'm not positive, but i would think the fronts would be the same from a TJ or XJ. I believe that part of the D30 is the same between these jeeps

 

Old Man Emu has some of the best shocks out there...just be prepared to drop some $$$$$$$

 

Or Bilsteins. Kolak has a great price on the Bilstein 5100s, about $100 more than the standard Bilstein HDs. The 5100s are valved specifically for lifted trucks. I have the HDs on my ZJ and the 5100s in the mail for the WJ.

 

agree billzcat, have heard nothing but good about the Bilsteins..just bought a set of 5100s and waiting for them in the mail. from your profile, it says you have upcountry suspension and no lift. Any worries about the shocks being too long? you going to extend your bumpstops?

 

Or Bilsteins. Kolak has a great price on the Bilstein 5100s,

In just installed the 5100s on my Wj...

Which monotube shock rides the smoothest.

If you're looking for stock ride, the 5100 are not for you...

Great shock, like them in the city, but very different ride then stock on highway, just my opinion...

If they don't soften up a bit I will be replacing them...

 

Hey guys,

Yes i know this topic comes up often, and have looked it up before when I first was looking up which lift I should get before I purchased a BDS 2" Lift kit.

But seriously?! Which set of shocks will give my WJ the smoothest ride possible?

I have had my 2" BDS Spring Lift kit on for roughly 3+ months and as the winter goes on, and especially after putting on a nice new set of hankook 245/75/16 tires, I find myself with more of a klunky unsatisfied ride (which sucks, for this is my daily driver). I have most of the recommended parts (JKS trackbar and Zone front extended sway bar end links) but I'm missing the rear extended sway links of which are in the mail in hopes of curing the rougher ride due to incorrect geometry of the rear sway bar. Is there anything else I'm missing?

I'm trying my hardest not to bash BDS, for the reason why I got this lift is because I've read alot of positive reviews saying that it was a great ride. And for the price campared to other springs lifts, it was the way I had to go.

So I leave with the questions again for all WJ owners, which shock has been the smoothest ride for you or am I doing something all wrong?

did you ever resolve the issue? im wanting to lift 2" but i wont untill i find a oem riding shock for my wj

 

I just installed the Bilstein 5100s and I think they are great. I drove 2 hours on the interstate right after installing them, and they seemed fine to me. I've not had a chance to do too much city driving yet, but I expect them to be excellent. Granted, the previous shocks I had were broken, so it wouldn't take much to improve the ride, but I'm really happy with my choice.

 

cool... imma wait for a month before i click buy on some. if you have a chance to do some stop and go city crawling, with all the city pot holes and speed bumps, let me know how you like them afterwords!!! i hope its satisfactory to be under a wj. that would end my relentless search for the smoothest, most reliable shock. opCorn:

 

I'm not well versed in how a good suspension feels, but after a few days on the streets I can say that the Bilsteins are probably not the smoothest shock. I don't get jerked around, but I think the ride is more truck-like than car-like. Maybe they still need to be broken in a bit - it's not even been a week yet - so we'll see if they soften up a bit.

I am still happy with my choice; I am sure they are a better quality shock than whatever the shop would have installed and at a better price. I just wouldn't call them terribly smooth. I guess I have gotten over the euphoria of having new stuff.

 

You're in a solid axle vehicle, it's not going to be buttery smooth no matter what you get. Bilsteins are the cat's meow. I've got 5100s from Kolak and all the incredible things you've read are true. I've tried 5 different shocks since I've had this thing and finally stopped messing around and wasting money on cheaper stuff. Too stiff? No way. In fact, I wouldn't mind at times if they were just a little bit stiffer, but I like to toss it in the corners.

 

rancho 5000s are pretty streetable
pm kolak and see what he says 5100 billisten are the best though

Sent from my LS670 using JeepForum

 

I'll let you know in a couple weeks. I ordered 5100s from Kolak because he had the best price and customer service. Also you should check out billzkat's thread to see how to smooth out your ride. I'm installing extended rear links and a JKS track bar at the same time as the shocks so we'll see what kind of improvement there is.

You may want to check your front sway bar and make sure it's not also binding up. It may need new bushings or grease. That and the rear sway geometry have huge affects on the ride.

My old ZJ with a 2" lift and Black Diamond twin tube shocks rode like a pogo stick compared to the WJ on BDS with Monroe Reflex shocks. Hopefully the 5100s will even be an improvement on that.

 

My old ZJ with a 2" lift and Black Diamond twin tube shocks rode like a pogo stick compared to the WJ on BDS with Monroe Reflex shocks. Hopefully the 5100s will even be an improvement on that.

Oh yeah, Black Diamond shocks are absolute garbage. I have a set on my ZJ and can't stand them.

I'll suffer with them though, I just can't stand sinking any more $$ into this thing.

I ran OME shocks years ago, those were very nice, prob the best shocks I've ever run. Even at 4.5" of lift on stock arms I thought it rode great.

 

I vote for the Pro Comp MX6 shocks. Email Kolak. Just dial in the desired valve rate. Stay away from the 2008 hype of Black Diamonds. :rofl:

 

Yeah, gotta remember there's more to the ride than shocks. Now that you mention it, my front sway bar did seem to be stuck - I guess I have some more things to sort out.

 

Try greasing it first. It's not a permanent solution but at least you'd see how a new set of non-sticky bushings would improve things. Plus it'll cost your time and $0.05 in grease.

 

Monroe reflex has a 100% bolt on shock from a ZJ. Monotube, with boot. Perfect size

 

just to make sure I'm understanding... Reflex monotubes from a ZJ work on a 2" lifted WJ?

Are they for a stock height ZJ or lifted ZJ?

Looking at Monroe's website...

a stock front Reflex Monotube for a ZJ (911524) is slightly longer than a WJ with a compressed length of 13.375" and extended of 21" , for the WJ (911522) it's 13.25" and 20.5"

The rears are different though. The ZJ (911525) is compressed of 13.875" and extended of 21.5" while the WJ (911523) is longer at 14.125" and 21.75".

How was the ride? Wouldn't you want shocks that with a compressed and extended length closer to 2" higher than stock if you have a 2" lift?

 

Also JK Rubicon front 14.02collapsed, 21.93 entended. Rear 14.69 collapsed, 22.56 extended

 

If you'd like my Monroe Reflex shocks for cheap I'll sell them. I prefer the Bilsteins so I ordered a set to replace the Monroes that were installed not too long ago. It would give you the chance to try them out without spending a lot of cash.

 

I'm curious about something, there seems to be a lot of weird cross referencing b/t part numbers/applications for shocks

For example, Rancho says they do not have a 7000 series (new monotube that looks like Bilstein's) available for a lifted 2004 wj yet (they do list a rear for stock height but no stock front)

See if you can follow me and let me know if I'm nuts... (and yes I have a lot of time on my hands today... haha)

On Bilstein's website, for a 2004 WJ front with 1.5"-2" of lift, the part number for the 5100 is "24-185622"

Search Summit with that part number and it lists applications only for a 1984-2000 XJ with 2"-3" of lift. (no mention of it fitting a WJ)

Back to Rancho's website, search shocks for a 1998 XJ (since it looks like front shocks are a cross-reference)and they list part numbers for a 7000 shock that works... RS7239 for front and RS7129 for rear.

If you search Jegs for RS7239, they list it as a 97-06 TJ with 3.5"-4" lift... and if you use the search for vehicle function, it won't even list that shock as available for an XJ even though Rancho's website clearly lists that part number...

So what's going on here?

 

I'm curious about something, there seems to be a lot of weird cross referencing b/t part numbers/applications for shocks

For example, Rancho says they do not have a 7000 series (new monotube that looks like Bilstein's) available for a lifted 2004 wj yet (they do list a rear for stock height but no stock front)

See if you can follow me and let me know if I'm nuts... (and yes I have a lot of time on my hands today... haha)

On Bilstein's website, for a 2004 WJ front with 1.5"-2" of lift, the part number for the 5100 is "24-185622"

Search Summit with that part number and it lists applications only for a 1984-2000 XJ with 2"-3" of lift. (no mention of it fitting a WJ)

Back to Rancho's website, search shocks for a 1998 XJ (since it looks like front shocks are a cross-reference)and they list part numbers for a 7000 shock that works... RS7239 for front and RS7129 for rear.

If you search Jegs for RS7239, they list it as a 97-06 TJ with 3.5"-4" lift... and if you use the search for vehicle function, it won't even list that shock as available for an XJ even though Rancho's website clearly lists that part number...

So what's going on here?

hummm interesting i see that....

 

Just did the BDS 2" lift myself, I simply put in the BDS springs, new spring isolators, BDS shocks, and JKS track (waiting for upgraded stabilizer) and its worlds better than it was stock. If you want to spend a little more money on better shocks, you can, but just having new ones is a plus. The new isolators really help with the road noise too.

 

"kolak" this is the
man around these parts pm him and he will get you taken care of great prices to.

Sent from my droid using jeep forum