Best shocks?

[stumblinhorse]

First part was more of a joke targeted at Los Angeles being a dumpster fire. I do drive it on dunes and some rough rocky trails at speed, but due to the price I think I'll stick with the 2.5s. Full set of 2.5s seems to be just under 1,000, and a full set of fox with reservoir would be 1.5k for 2.0s to 3/4k for 3.0s correct?

So asking best shocks is like asking best mattress. It is up to you what you like. Some firm some soft. You say rocky trails at speed. Most think ”at speed“ is what they are doing. Take that speed and double or triple it. Reservoir shocks would help you if your are running those rocky trails at speeds like you don’t care how much damage you are doing to your jeep. Which 99% of us are not running trails at speeds like we have a sponsor to pay for fixes.

Reservoir shock are cool looking and are needed on high speed off road vehicles and vehicles that have 20 miles of gravel wash board road at 40-60 mph to get to civilization. But for most people they just add cool.

Important aspects of shocks is quality of build, leaks, exterior finish and ride characteristics. I would recommend stainless steel if you are a 1 and done buyer. They look better longer. Painted will rust. But are cheaper if you want to try different ones for a short time. Adjustable is not much of a factor as most will not adjust them after the newness wears off… Rebuildable is good if again you are a 1 and done buyer.

shocks over $1k for a set is likely overkill. 2.0-2.5” mono tubes are really good for 99.9% of jeeps out there. Figure out what kind of ride you like.

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[Old Jeeper]

Travel is terrible with Rancho shocks.

Front Shock	Compressed	Extended	Travel
Rancho RS9000XL for 2" lift	18.16"	25.21"	7.05"
Mopar 2" lift shocks (what the OP has)	17.5"	26.25"	8.75"
Stock Rubicon with 2" shock extensions	17.75"	25.63"	7.88"

What version of Jeep is that, JK, JL?

Here is a couple of pics of my TJ. I ran Currie Anti Rocks, (I think now they have a different name Rock bottoms or ????). Unlike most that Bolt them on and go I actually dial them in. In doing I go for MAX stuff, in fact I rub and build the rub in purpose, its not much, it barely touches, but what it tells me is that I am at max stuff and if I have that then I know I can also attain my max droop.

It may be that the Ranchos had far more travel for a TJ...These pics were taken about 2003 and that is Rancho RS9000 XL.

First pic is to show near full stuff, looking at I prob have about 2 more in to before I tube fender..

The next pic is the install of a AEV 3.5 in lift kit SPRING only (I don't do kits I do compenents) I put the spring in there fully extended, no compression and did not remove the shock to do it.

One has to be careful in that you can lose a spring by having to much droop. This is where you adjust the Anti Rock to make sure you have max droop but not so much as to have the spring fall out and I have seen plenty of fall outs on the trail.

The problem with big shops, and in fact MOST shops is the lift kit is never dialed in. When I built a Jeep for a client, i never called and said: OK Jeep is built come get it. Instead, I spend about 3 days dialing it in. The client does not know how to do it or he would have installed his own kit.

Take away: Never an issue with stuff or droop...

 

[AnnDee4444]

What version of Jeep is that, JK, JL?

What I posted is all JL/JT specific. Specifically those Ranchos are the RS999065 https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/rancho-rs9000xl-shock-absorber-rs999065/_/R-BCKM-RS999065

I don't have any numbers for other Jeeps.

 

[Carlton]

I'd stick with the Fox Mopar iteration as they pair perfectly with the mopar springs.

 

[TeraFlex]

The reservoir is all about heat dissipation. If you think you'll be spending long hours on rough or wash boarded dirt roads, or want to bomb through the desert at high speeds, your shocks will be working overtime and you want the extra heat dissipation to help prolong the life of the shock. For rock crawling and any slow speed stuff, the reservoir adds no benefit. That is when you want to look for the collapsed and extended stroke lengths and match it to the flex you're looking for.

It is true that having a shock piggyback or reservoir does help with cooling and heat dissipation, there's another large, overlooked benefit to running a piggyback or reservoir.

I'll explain. Assuming that most performance aftermarket shocks are a monotube, you'll have everything in the same shock body. Oil separated from the nitrogen charge by a IFP (internal floating piston). Simple and works well, except the fact that you are limited on usable shaft length by the IFP. Too long of a shaft and the piston can strike the IFP and cause damage.

However with a piggyback like our Falcon 3.1/3.3/3.5, Fox 2.0 piggybacks, and many others, the IFP and nitrogen charge is moved into the reservoir, and as a result the effective shock shaft length can increase greatly; thus adding travel potential to the shock without increasing the main body length. Because of this a piggyback shock will have often 1-2 inches extra on the fully extended length compared to a same length body monotube.

Here's a crude image from google that shows what I am referring to.

 

[sgterik]

SDI E-CLICK PRO

 

[Mocopo]

@TeraFlex Thanks for the info and keeping me honest! Love learning new things!

 

[firedude]

For me it came down to actual use. I do faster desert and heat is a huge deal. Reservoir makes a big difference. I am not a dedicated rock crawler by any means. I do some crawling but only a few times a year. Most is desert with lots of washboard, whoops and rock washes. Seems a lot of folks are not realistic about how they are going to use their rig most. I do not hold anything against those that do things for looks either. Many of those around here. What ever puts a smile on your face.
We ran Rancho's back in the day when they came out. Everybody had them. They would be about last on my list today.

 

[Joaquim]

It is true that having a shock piggyback or reservoir does help with cooling and heat dissipation, there's another large, overlooked benefit to running a piggyback or reservoir.

I'll explain. Assuming that most performance aftermarket shocks are a monotube, you'll have everything in the same shock body. Oil separated from the nitrogen charge by a IFP (internal floating piston). Simple and works well, except the fact that you are limited on usable shaft length by the IFP. Too long of a shaft and the piston can strike the IFP and cause damage.

However with a piggyback like our Falcon 3.1/3.3/3.5, Fox 2.0 piggybacks, and many others, the IFP and nitrogen charge is moved into the reservoir, and as a result the effective shock shaft length can increase greatly; thus adding travel potential to the shock without increasing the main body length. Because of this a piggyback shock will have often 1-2 inches extra on the fully extended length compared to a same length body monotube.

Here's a crude image from google that shows what I am referring to.

And because of this extra up travel the bypass ones on the right are able to deal with bigger impacts without bottoming out? (Jumps etc.?)

 

[Joaquim]

So asking best shocks is like asking best mattress. It is up to you what you like. Some firm some soft. You say rocky trails at speed. Most think ”at speed“ is what they are doing. Take that speed and double or triple it. Reservoir shocks would help you if your are running those rocky trails at speeds like you don’t care how much damage you are doing to your jeep. Which 99% of us are not running trails at speeds like we have a sponsor to pay for fixes.

Reservoir shock are cool looking and are needed on high speed off road vehicles and vehicles that have 20 miles of gravel wash board road at 40-60 mph to get to civilization. But for most people they just add cool.

Important aspects of shocks is quality of build, leaks, exterior finish and ride characteristics. I would recommend stainless steel if you are a 1 and done buyer. They look better longer. Painted will rust. But are cheaper if you want to try different ones for a short time. Adjustable is not much of a factor as most will not adjust them after the newness wears off… Rebuildable is good if again you are a 1 and done buyer.

shocks over $1k for a set is likely overkill. 2.0-2.5” mono tubes are really good for 99.9% of jeeps out there. Figure out what kind of ride you like.

I’m more so now trying to figure out whether I should use another brands equivalent of the 2.5 fox ones I’m replacing g

 

[XtremeRetard]

I thought the mopar kit came with fox 2.0 IFP shocks..!?

 

[Beachcomber72]

I thought the mopar kit came with fox 2.0 IFP shocks..!?

You are correct sir.

 

[Roky]

I thought the mopar kit came with fox 2.0 IFP shocks..!?

Mopar lift comes with 2.5 Fox shocks , exclusive to the kit. You can’t purchase them off the shelf. However JKS has a new 2.5 Fox shock out now but it has a different tune……

 

[GATORB8]

And because of this extra up travel the bypass ones on the right are able to deal with bigger impacts without bottoming out? (Jumps etc.?)

That’s more about suspension setup. Once you use up uptravel, you should hit bump stop before bottoming out the shock.

 

[Bill_P]

Reservoir, NO, Rancho RS 9000 XL ADJUSTABLE shocks, no gimmicks just performance, been running them on F 450s and Jeeps since 2002

^This. I have the Rancho RS9000XLs and they are sweet. Super easy adjustment and a really good ride. I don't wheel as much as I'd like to, but @wibornz runs the same shocks, I believe, and he wheels the hell out of his rig.

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