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Evo front bolt on coil overs

Neohiofan

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vavaroutsos

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I have a 2019 JL Rubicon. It is set up with
Dynatrac 2” lift
Steersmarts trackbar, tie rod
Falcon steering stabilizer
Rockslide engineering steps and skid
37” nitto Ridge Grapplers
KMC machete beadlocks

I seen evo mfg front bolt on coil over kit with shocks. Is it worth it? What else would I have to upgrade as soon as I installed the front?
https://www.quadratec.com/p/evo-manufacturing/front-bolt-coilover-kit-shocks-jeep-wrangler-jl
Not worth it. Yes, they use a 14" shock, but if you do the math you will see with where the shock is mounted you either have no up travel, or you have a 6" lift. IMHO, it's not worth the cost to do a coilover for anything less than a 14" shock as you can get over 11" with a Fox reservoir shock on the factory mounts. To fit a 14" coilover shock and keep a low center of gravity requires moving components in the engine bay to make room for taller shock towers.

The Evo kit uses 2.5 shocks, which are nice, but also expensive. Most people don't need them unless they like going fast in the desert. I good set of 2.0 remote reservoir shocks are much cheaper. Towers are available from Barnes 4x4, RuffStuff, etc. for around $120 a pair. If you decide to invest in coilovers I feel it's best to do it right. Coilovers let you dial in ride height, spring rates, valving etc. but you need to spend time and money getting this right to see the benefits. The average guy is better off with a set of long travel springs (like Metalcloak) and a custom tuned shock from guys like Accutune or Filthy Motorsports.

ORI struts offer much of the benefits of coilovers with easier tuning. They also have some additional benefits like built in bump stops, no need for limit straps, and very little push off. They are very reliable, but I don't know if they are DOT approved being an air spring. Overall, they come out cheaper than 2.5 coilovers, air bumps, and limit straps and are easier to package.

With any long travel shock you will need to upgrade a few things. Control arms with Johhny joints (or some other high mis-alignment bushing) will be required. The factory Clevite bushing are bonded in. High flex will tear them up since they can't rotate and get twisted. Their mis-alignment is low and they will restrict flex. You will also need new drive shafts as the factory CV joints can't handle the extreme angles. The factory shafts are also larger diameter and cause interference with high flex. Most people will also upgrade to air bumps at this level, though it's not required, although some type of bump stop extension will be.
 

scrape

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Not worth it. Yes, they use a 14" shock, but if you do the math you will see with where the shock is mounted you either have no up travel, or you have a 6" lift. IMHO, it's not worth the cost to do a coilover for anything less than a 14" shock as you can get over 11" with a Fox reservoir shock on the factory mounts. To fit a 14" coilover shock and keep a low center of gravity requires moving components in the engine bay to make room for taller shock towers.

The Evo kit uses 2.5 shocks, which are nice, but also expensive. Most people don't need them unless they like going fast in the desert. I good set of 2.0 remote reservoir shocks are much cheaper. Towers are available from Barnes 4x4, RuffStuff, etc. for around $120 a pair. If you decide to invest in coilovers I feel it's best to do it right. Coilovers let you dial in ride height, spring rates, valving etc. but you need to spend time and money getting this right to see the benefits. The average guy is better off with a set of long travel springs (like Metalcloak) and a custom tuned shock from guys like Accutune or Filthy Motorsports.

ORI struts offer much of the benefits of coilovers with easier tuning. They also have some additional benefits like built in bump stops, no need for limit straps, and very little push off. They are very reliable, but I don't know if they are DOT approved being an air spring. Overall, they come out cheaper than 2.5 coilovers, air bumps, and limit straps and are easier to package.

With any long travel shock you will need to upgrade a few things. Control arms with Johhny joints (or some other high mis-alignment bushing) will be required. The factory Clevite bushing are bonded in. High flex will tear them up since they can't rotate and get twisted. Their mis-alignment is low and they will restrict flex. You will also need new drive shafts as the factory CV joints can't handle the extreme angles. The factory shafts are also larger diameter and cause interference with high flex. Most people will also upgrade to air bumps at this level, though it's not required, although some type of bump stop extension will be.
This is all great info, good to see on this forum.

Just to add some more info, King offers two types of 14" shocks/coilovers. They have a standard and a shorty. The standard has a 23.25" compressed length, the shorty has a 21.75" compressed length. For comparison, their 12" coilovers have a 20.65" compressed length. I would assume that evo mfg is using the shorty version in their kit. But with that said, 21.75" compressed is still extremely long and will require a ton of bump stop like @vavaroutsos said. And I would never recommend adding bump stop for the sole purpose of fitting longer shocks. The correct way to fit longer shocks is to raise the upper shock mounts, like previously stated. This will usually involve going up into the engine bay in the front, and up into the tub in the back. Not many people have the stomach for that.

Going to agree with vava again and re-iterate the amount of work involved to get them set up properly for them to not be a waste of money. Remember, a coilover will not inherently increase wheel travel or give you more suspension articulation. Most builders use coilovers to solve packaging constraints and simplify a build. Setting them up to perform is not something that most people take seriously outside of the desert racing scene. Picking the right combo of spring rates, getting the right preload, the right stop ring setting, and getting the valving to work together with the whole package is a time consuming art form. And anyone who will sell you a "kit" that says it is sprung and valved for a JL is lying to you, since all vehicles will have different sprung and unsprung weights, and different use cases. Sure, they will be "good enough", but I wouldn't pay $5-6k for something that's "good enough" especially when I can get better performance for half the price using a traditional spring with a high end shock that's set up for my vehicle.

ORI struts are great but they don't fail safe, so I wouldn't run them on the street, but many do. Just personal preference. They are really easy to set-up though.

What I do when I build a suspension for myself or someone else, I will throw the wheels and tires on the jeep (and anything else that will affect up-travel, like larger axles and high steer) and get it bumped out. Once I know how much bump I need then I can figure out my shock lengths. Once I have my shock lengths I know how long my springs needs to be. Often times spacers with the stock springs will suffice, especially if you're running 35s/37s with stock axles, stock steering geometry, and fender mods. Other times you will need a "dual rate" aftermarket spring. Then once I have my lengths and wheel travel all figured out I can check for any interference or binding issues with the suspension links or driveline, and address those as needed. Once everything is together we will valve the shocks based on feedback and preference from the owner of the vehicle. Every jeep that leaves my garage has a suspension that's tailored to that specific vehicle. You can do the same thing at home, it just takes time and most people just want to throw on an off-the-shelf kit and be done with it. There's nothing wrong with that, when we're talking about $1000 lift kits. But when we're talking 5,6,10k coilover kits... that's not something I would ever do or recommend to anyone, unless they just want them for looks/bling.

To sum up this rambling, do it right or don't do it, that's my advice.
 

Call911man

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I have a 2019 JL Rubicon. It is set up with
Dynatrac 2” lift
Steersmarts trackbar, tie rod
Falcon steering stabilizer
Rockslide engineering steps and skid
37” nitto Ridge Grapplers
KMC machete beadlocks

I seen evo mfg front bolt on coil over kit with shocks. Is it worth it? What else would I have to upgrade as soon as I installed the front?
https://www.quadratec.com/p/evo-manufacturing/front-bolt-coilover-kit-shocks-jeep-wrangler-jl
Here is my perspective, given I've been through the transition from stock to Long Arm, Full Coilovers . I have a 2019 JLUR. I purchased the EVO High clearance long arm kit first with 3.5" Evo springs and shock extensions so I could run the stock shocks for a short time while I saved for the coilovers front and rear. I installed the long arm myself and was pleased with the way it improved the way the jeep handled rough terrain like the rutted deep snow. It was pretty amazing, even with the factory shocks. It also drove better than stock on the road. Now, I have completed the installation of the EVO bolt-on coilovers front and rear. I included the front King bumps as well. I highly recommend anybody that expects to use all of their up-travel, to look into adding air bumps in the front at least.
Here is what I have learned so far.
1) I love coilovers! If you are able, pretty sure you will too.
2) The two springs on each shock combine to provide a lower spring rate until the slider between the two springs, contacts the stop nuts, transitioning to the stiffer lower spring rate.
Front - 200 over 250
Rear - 200 over 200
3) Ride height is adjustable at each corner by adjusting preload nut at top of shock. The jeep is heavy passenger. I run 3/4 to 1" more preload on passenger side to compensate
4) The Jeep is very stable on the road
5) Stable off road with sway disconnected
6) Completely gutted the fenders, 38s don't rub but come close
7) I measured it, 15" of travel.
8) Between the uptravel and droop, the jeep body doesn't roll much during crazy articulation. Watch some videos on YouTube.
9) Built to crawl rocks but it's a blast driving fast. I drive away from my buddies through whoops and the rough stuff without trying
10) I am no expert but I think 2.5 shocks are warranted on such a heavy vehicle. The shocks get very hot when running the rough stuff fast
11) Coilovers make pops and creaks sometimes. I spray them with Dupont Teflon spray which helps a great deal.
12) There isn't much room for a 2.5 coilover on the JL, I thought I might build my own brackets but I am happy I bought them from EVO
13) I am very happy with the spring rates and valving that shipped with the kit
14) The Kings have adjusters, I run them at 0 (Wide Open) except when I go fast, it helps (10 clicks +)
15) Air bumps are a must in my opinion. I would have to stiffen the compression valving if I was running stock bumps.
16) If i was going to start over, I might consider Rock Krawler's JLU 3.5 Adventure-X Long Arm Systems over the EVO but definitely believe EVO has the best bolt on coilover kit for the JL. Long Arms either way for sure.
17) Experimenting with preload, stop nut transition, nitrogen pressures in the shocks and bumps is a lot of fun. It just keeps getting better. If you are the set it and forget it person, or want a shop to make the adjustments all the time, you may not get as much out of Coilovers
18) Watch lots of YouTube, you can see JLs that have their coilovers set up right and lots that do not.
19) Never worry about droopping your coil springs out of the buckets
20) To answer your question, yes, absolutely worth it. And I agree that the front is the best place to start, I did my fronts about 3 months ahead of the back. Without long arms, you won't get all of the benefits but many. Without long arms, you will need limit straps.

Good luck, hope this helps someone thinking about it.
 

Glamisfan

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LOT of good info here! Thanks!
 

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Moto_21

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If anyones curious stock valving front and rear non resi versions are 10 stack comp 15 stack rebound and 2 bleed holes open.
 

moodywizard

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Better question is, what did you change in the shim stack and what changes did that correlate to the handling characteristics?
 

Moto_21

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I opened up the 3 bleed holes front and rear changed rebound to 12 stacks, changed fronts to fluttered 10s with the last 3 shims to 15s rear end same but last 2 are 15s rest are 10s. When I open them again i will probably add a couple 10s in the rebound.

as i have them right now all the small annoying shit is tamed down and since i dont have as much up travel till im in the bump stops the 15s help slow it down further. Its way more controlled over bumps now. And honestly it feels better than most cars on the highway. The 15s they have in rebound were too much for me the ass endkept packing up i drive too fast over stuff

@moodywizard
 

moodywizard

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I opened up the 3 bleed holes front and rear changed rebound to 12 stacks, changed fronts to fluttered 10s with the last 3 shims to 15s rear end same but last 2 are 15s rest are 10s. When I open them again i will probably add a couple 10s in the rebound.

as i have them right now all the small annoying shit is tamed down and since i dont have as much up travel till im in the bump stops the 15s help slow it down further. Its way more controlled over bumps now. And honestly it feels better than most cars on the highway. The 15s they have in rebound were too much for me the ass endkept packing up i drive too fast over stuff

@moodywizard
nice! Sounds like you know your shock valving stuff. I’ve rebuilt a few before but never went into shims and all what they do etc.

I really wanted coilovers and long arm but it’s still a daily driver. Plus not sure I want to make make long term commitment by cutting off mounts etc. I just got the metal cloak 6 pak shocks, installing this weekend. They offered more travel up/down than king/fox. Whether the performance is the same.... idk for the wheeling I’ll be doing in the near future yeah. The faster you want to go the more it costs both money and material haha
 

MalteeseJLU

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nice! Sounds like you know your shock valving stuff. I’ve rebuilt a few before but never went into shims and all what they do etc.

I really wanted coilovers and long arm but it’s still a daily driver. Plus not sure I want to make make long term commitment by cutting off mounts etc. I just got the metal cloak 6 pak shocks, installing this weekend. They offered more travel up/down than king/fox. Whether the performance is the same.... idk for the wheeling I’ll be doing in the near future yeah. The faster you want to go the more it costs both money and material haha
Please give an update when you get those sixers installed, I'm leaning heavily towards the game changer and looking at either Accutune fox 2.5 adjustables or the six packs i think I change my mind daily and kinda wanna just pull my hair out
 

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moodywizard

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Please give an update when you get those sixers installed, I'm leaning heavily towards the game changer and looking at either Accutune fox 2.5 adjustables or the six packs i think I change my mind daily and kinda wanna just pull my hair out
I was looking at accutune but still the 6 pak offers more travel. I’ll be utilizing it by already having AAL trimmed fenders and king bumps going in at same time to get max up travel. Plus they are valved to their spring.

Ive wheeled with someone that’s runnings them and his Jeep always looks smooth in the rough stuff. My current setup feels like everything is going to fall apart haha
 

MalteeseJLU

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I was looking at accutune but still the 6 pak offers more travel. I’ll be utilizing it by already having AAL trimmed fenders and king bumps going in at same time to get max up travel. Plus they are valved to their spring.

Ive wheeled with someone that’s runnings them and his Jeep always looks smooth in the rough stuff. My current setup feels like everything is going to fall apart haha
It's a nightmare for me... constant battle! Going to 37's have high clearance fenders and liners going in. So... 2.5 or 3.5, six pack or custom tuned adjustables, Accutune I'm positive would get fox's tuned perfectly for the game changer springs and then you have the benefit of adjustability which I really like. But from what I hear with the newer custom parts specifically made for the sixers they are really really good.

ETA: Sorry OP no thread hijack intended But I will say this if I'd go coilovers which I thought about at one point, I'd go the full monty with the Evo long arm relocation kit and the big boy kings, and at that point you may as well go with new axles bc they gotta weld on new brackets for the shock mounts, and its just too new to justify that for me
 

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I was looking at accutune but still the 6 pak offers more travel. I’ll be utilizing it by already having AAL trimmed fenders and king bumps going in at same time to get max up travel. Plus they are valved to their spring.

Ive wheeled with someone that’s runnings them and his Jeep always looks smooth in the rough stuff. My current setup feels like everything is going to fall apart haha
I went wheeling with a guy with the six pack set up on 40s. His rig flexed and rode very well, its an impressive set up. He came in second to me with flex out of the group. Was only a couple inches different in terms of flex height. Its a very well set up system in my opinion
 

Moto_21

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Ive revalved the shocks two more times since my last post, current set up i just got done with a week in ocotillo wells. I was able to keep up with our can am for the most part, the bigger stuff was bottoming it out too much for my liking though so im going to throw another round of at it and see if i like it any better. Or i might end up changing it back, it rides very nice as it is but I feel it can be better. The tuning is turning into an addiction haha. Currently they are valved at a 15 flutter with .08 face shims. And an all .08 stack on compression. Still have the 3 bleed hoes open, i like barely feeling the small bumps too much to give up the bleed, however it could probably help my compression a tiny bit more with less. Whatever still new at it fun learning it and trying new stuff!
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