Fox Shocks and Accutune Off Road Review

[sciotola88]

How hard was it to get the Mojave shocks to fit? I see take offs all the time and been wanting to put them on my xtreme recon willys

I had to make some custom sleeves in order to use the JL bolts and i had to make a large rear upper spacer. They ride great, i just wish they had adjustability to them.

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[stojanowski]

I had to make some custom sleeves in order to use the JL bolts and i had to make a large rear upper spacer. They ride great, i just wish they had adjustability to them.

But you probably paid 1200 instead of 3000

 

[zouch]

interesting.

quoted turnaround times from Fox were reasonable when i inquired, and custom tuning was definitely an option.

probably worth another call when i get closer to it.

Fox has fairly long lead times normally, price was about the same and I had the option to "custom tune" which at least from the MTB world makes a huge difference. Jury's still out on that bit, but I have gained ride height in the front. Whether that was due to the service or not hard to say.

 

[AccuTunedJL]

But you probably paid 1200 instead of 3000

I'm sure the price was different, however to be fair its not an apples to apples comparison.

 

[stojanowski]

I'm sure the price was different, however to be fair its not an apples to apples comparison.

I understand I'll probably just get the 2.0 shock package through you guys, Especially since I grew up in the east county.

 

[sciotola88]

But you probably paid 1200 instead of 3000

I paid $150 for my Mojave set. crazy deal.

 

[JMP]

If they can replace the shafts, is it possible to send it 2-3” shocks and have them converted to the 3.5-4” version with longer shafts? Would be pretty sweet for future higher lifts!

 

[AnnDee4444]

If they can replace the shafts, is it possible to send it 2-3” shocks and have them converted to the 3.5-4” version with longer shafts? Would be pretty sweet for future higher lifts!

I'm pretty sure the body is longer on the longer shocks. If so, doing this wouldn't increase travel. It would be effectively the same as shock extensions.

 

[JMP]

You wouldn't be able to increase travel doing this. It's effectively the same as shock extensions.

oh yeah, you are right. I missed that the next size has slightly more travel. Thanks.

 

[AccuTunedJL]

I'm pretty sure the body is longer on the longer shocks. If so, doing this wouldn't increase travel. It would be effectively the same as shock extensions.

x2, cannot convert.

 

[Natrodomus]

Great write up, I chatted with Mike recently on a possible future purchase, he responded with details that were valuable.

1000% Whole team is very helpful with providing information.

 

[Electrified]

Fox Shox 883-26-050 for $988. Price changes quickly on Amazon but for anyone looking......

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QYCCM9V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[tampahoosier]

Disclaimer: This will be a long read. I apologize in advance if you have qualms about formatting or content.​

The purpose of this post is to provide information that I had a hard time finding on the forums or the web and aid owners in future endeavors.

Background: I purchased a lightly used JLU Rubicon with 22k miles. At some point, I had Fox suspension installed, but I'm not sure when exactly since it was a dealer purchase. During the second month of ownership, I realized the passenger front shock was leaking from the bottom. I ended up seeking out the best shop to service locally in Texas but was not able to secure any good options. I settled on AccuTune since I was able to get them rebuilt and "custom tuned" for the vehicle.

Removal: I released all the nitrogen in the shocks, and they came off relatively easily. packaged them up aggressively and sent them off.

Timeline:​

03/31/23 Shocks received at AccuTune (when they arrived)

04/03/23 AccuTune received them on (when they were processed at arrival).

04/06/23 Inspection Process: AccuTune reviews and assesses 3–4 business days.

Pitting on all 4 shafts confirmed. "Whenever we see any kind of damage on shafts, we recommend replacing them. As the shock compresses, those spots will start to damage the wiper seal, which will cause the shocks to leak. The cost of the new shafts and the labor to replace them is $306. I have the rear shafts in stock, but we would need to order the front shafts, which could take about 2-4 weeks."

"For the rebuild kits, I originally quoted you for the Factory Race Series based on the photos you sent, but the shocks you have are actually the Performance Elite Series shocks. For some reason, they have the Factory Race Series decals on them. Unfortunately, I'm backordering the Performance Elite Series rebuild kits, and I won't have them in stock for about 4 weeks as well. The PES rebuild kits cost $20 per kit more than the FRS rebuild kits. Unfortunately, they use different seals, so they are not interchangeable."

"In order to calculate your custom tune, please provide me with the following information:

1) 2 door or 4 door?

2) Engine size?

3) Have you added any additional weight to the Jeep? Things like bumpers, rock sliders, aftermarket skid plates, or anything that may stay in the Jeep full time as well, like recovery gear, dual batteries, or a fridge.

4) How do you use the Jeep? Do you do a lot of on-road driving with it, or is it primarily an off-road vehicle?"

"For these shocks, we can do either the Adventure Tune or the Dual Sport tune. The Adventure Tune will be a lot more comfortable on and off road, and it does still increase the off road performance of the shocks. The Dual Sport tune will ride stiffer on and off road, but it further improves the off road performance of the shocks by giving you even better bottom out resistance and more stability. We recommend the Dual Sport tune only if you're running a 37"+ tire and if on road comfort is not a primary concern of yours, or if you tend to do more high speed off road driving (desert whoops, sand dunes, jumping, etc.)"


04/21/23: Parts arrive for Service

05/03/23 Shocks arrived to wrong address, and signed for by "Amber." I assume this was the Fedex driver.

Reinstall:​

Hardest part was lining up the lower bolts, involved getting very crafted with 3 ton jack, piece of wood, and jack stand.. Best of luck. All of this was done on a garage floor, I imagine with a lift it would of been a tad quicker.


Areas of concern:
Shipped to wrong address and confirmed multiple times. Charged more for the shipping to address, was not credited but small amount. Paid for insurance as well just case.

Limited communication on parts arriving and service starting.

Packaging on Rear shocks, consisted of brown paper and box. Nothing fancy vs Front which has substantially more.

Fedex driver signed for package delivery themselves and let them on doorstep.

Things I wish I knew:

Take pictures of them installed, so you know which way to put them in. Mark them to know which is left vs right. Seems simple but you will second guess.

Expect problems, have anti seize ready, and take your time with the reinstall.

Front shocks are side specific and cannot be installed on the wrong side. The reservoir fittings should point towards the front of the Jeep to locate the reservoir up by the front bumper. The rears are also side specific and the correct orientation will have the reservoirs angled out slightly towards the outside of the Jeep.

The shocks ship out fully open aka the softest setting. This gives you full use of the adjusters to stiffen the shock as needed. Start by adding more low speed compression in by turning the low speed adjuster clockwise. This will help reduce any body sway. 3+ clicks on the low speed adjuster should start to dial it out a fair amount. They are fairly stiff to adjust and over time they may break in a bit. Range Industries actually makes a helper knob for the high speed compression adjuster because it is notoriously stiff.

Test the DSC adjusters before install, mine are still hard to move or not moving at all. I have one LSC and one HSC that will not move so working thru that.

Overall, I am happy they are serviced and not leaking. Still working on adjusting and tuning to decide if the value was worth the pesos. As you notice I did not cover cost since it might vary but mine specifically with the shafts, tune, rebuild, shipping, insurance was $1,355.87

PS: Range Industries has an helper knob for adjuster. Ordered and will report back.

https://range-industries.com/products/fox-dsc-adjustment-helper-knob

I have these 2.5 Performance Elites on my diesel gladiator and I'm curious about this custom tune thing... How does the custom tune work considering you already have a high speed and low speed DSC dial? Did Accutune make any recommendations for what to set the shocks to for off-road and on-road driving? 1.5yrs later I still haven't been able to figure out a good setting for either of them!

 

[AccuTunedJL]

I have these 2.5 Performance Elites on my diesel gladiator and I'm curious about this custom tune thing... How does the custom tune work considering you already have a high speed and low speed DSC dial? Did Accutune make any recommendations for what to set the shocks to for off-road and on-road driving? 1.5yrs later I still haven't been able to figure out a good setting for either of them!

There is valving inside the shocks that provide most of the ride quality you feel while driving. The variety of valving options out there is almost infinite. Fox and other manufactures put together valving they see fit for a stock vehicle. This valving is good enough for mass production. If you want to have an even better ride, or you've added a ton of weight, or like to do high speed off-roading more etc, custom valving inside the shock will help significantly. The main piston valving will make bigger changes that a DSC adjuster can. Once the main valving is good, the DSC adjuster is great to make fine tune adjustments to compensate for added weight for camping, towing, desert smashing etc.

*All the remote reservoir shocks we sell will get custom tuning for no additional cost.

 

[tampahoosier]

There is valving inside the shocks that provide most of the ride quality you feel while driving. The variety of valving options out there is almost infinite. Fox and other manufactures put together valving they see fit for a stock vehicle. This valving is good enough for mass production. If you want to have an even better ride, or you've added a ton of weight, or like to do high speed off-roading more etc, custom valving inside the shock will help significantly. The main piston valving will make bigger changes that a DSC adjuster can. Once the main valving is good, the DSC adjuster is great to make fine tune adjustments to compensate for added weight for camping, towing, desert smashing etc.

*All the remote reservoir shocks we sell will get custom tuning for no additional cost.

Good to know and wish I knew that ahead of time! Do you guys sell the SDI EClik Active, and if so does that mean you custom tune them for free too?

I'm moving to a 3.5" lift and these fox shocks are too short for them so I'll need new shocks anyways and have been considering these heavily.

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