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Natrodomus

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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.

Jeep Wrangler JL Fox Shocks and Accutune Off Road Review image0


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 3ā€“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."


Jeep Wrangler JL Fox Shocks and Accutune Off Road Review 20230404_143207


"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
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Last edited:

Roky

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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.

Jeep Wrangler JL Fox Shocks and Accutune Off Road Review 20230404_143207


Timeline:

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

Accutune received them on March 23 at 10:06 a.m. (when they were processed at arrival).

Inspection Process: AccuTune reviews and assesses 3ā€“4 business days.



04/06/23: 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."


Jeep Wrangler JL Fox Shocks and Accutune Off Road Review 20230404_143207


"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.)"


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

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
Thank you for thisā€¦.I plan on rebuilding my shocks myself, but in the event that something is wrong or wore out, or broken and I need to send them in, this is hella helpfulā€¦ā€¦. Thanks brotherā€¦. āœŒ
 
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Natrodomus

Natrodomus

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Thank you for thisā€¦.I plan on rebuilding my shocks myself, but in the event that something is wrong or wore out, or broken and I need to send them in, this is hella helpfulā€¦ā€¦. Thanks brotherā€¦. āœŒ
Ive done plenty of MTB versions of these which are not bad but these appeared to be a little tricky. Interestingly enough though they use similar seals or the same.
 

Roky

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Ive done plenty of MTB versions of these which are not bad but these appeared to be a little tricky. Interestingly enough though they use similar seals or the same.
Yeah, copy thatā€¦ā€¦ I want to try it, Iā€™ve already warned Mike at Accutune that I might be shipping them to him in more than one piece, not to hit me to hard on itā€¦ā€¦.šŸ˜‚ ā€¦.. Iā€™ve installed a long arm kit and re-geared my rig, both first time endeavors, both turned out greatā€¦.Hopefully I can get through this tooā€¦ I still have my RK RRD 2.25s that Iā€™ll charge up and throw on so I can still use the Jeep, and I can take my time rebuilding themā€¦..
 
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3TV

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I'm running the Performance Elite series shocks on my Jeep as well. My right front shock started leaking oil while on Steel Bender trail in Moab, and I found that the coupling that connects the reservoir hose to the shock body was loose. I sent the shock to Accu Tune and they rebuilt it for me and shipped it back. It took two weeks to get the shock rebuilt and back to my door, and cost $187. They did not find any damage to the shock and didn't know what had caused the coupling to loosen. I just thought it was nice that the shock could be rebuilt, and I didn't need to buy a new one. I'm happy with the service at Accu Tune so far.
 

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Electrified

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Great information. I have ordered the 2.5 Performance Elite rears but haven't found the right deal on the fronts yet. I didn't go with Accu Tune because I feel like I can get what I want out of the box and I am trying my best to build my Jeep on a budget as much as possible.
 

AccuTunedJL

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@Roky screenshot #2

@Natrodomus Thanks for sharing your experience. I actually recall seeing those shocks in the back. They caught my eye bc of the stickers saying Factory Race Series when they are really an early version of the Performance Elite Series. Some of your concerns have been noted and something we are already working on. Feedback like this will only help us get better.

It is nice that these shocks are rebuildable. Let's be honest, these are off-road vehicles and things happen when we go out to play. For those interested in getting shocks like these, there is more value in going through us than waiting for that next coupon code to pop up. We tune the shocks for free before shipping out, we ship for free, we offer 25% off labor on future service work/rebuilds, we offer a free revalve for the lifetime you own the shocks, even if you cut it to pieces one day and plan to race King of the Hammers with it. :rock:
 

sciotola88

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I've been eyeing these shocks.. but not sure if its a big enough upgrade from the mojave shocks i have currently. I know the 3.0 is a different story..
 

zouch

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interesting; thanks for sharing.

just curious; why did you not send them back to Fox for service?


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.

image0.jpeg


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 3ā€“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."


20230404_143207.jpg


"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
 
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Natrodomus

Natrodomus

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I've been eyeing these shocks.. but not sure if its a big enough upgrade from the mojave shocks i have currently. I know the 3.0 is a different story..
I imagine they are a massive upgrade. Even just getting them rebuilt/tuned over my original set was a huge improvement. Getting them tuned etc is taking a little bit more time, and still working on getting some of the knobs to actually turn.
 

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Natrodomus

Natrodomus

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interesting; thanks for sharing.

just curious; why did you not send them back to Fox for service?
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.
 

stojanowski

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I've been eyeing these shocks.. but not sure if its a big enough upgrade from the mojave shocks i have currently. I know the 3.0 is a different story..
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
 

Electrified

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Question about the pitting in the shafts: why do shocks not come with boots? Seems like protecting the shafts from road grime would help a lot.
 
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Natrodomus

Natrodomus

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Question about the pitting in the shafts: why do shocks not come with boots? Seems like protecting the shafts from road grime would help a lot.
Could, not entirely sure I know from the MTB world the best way to prevent tears in your seals is to constantly keep your bike tidy. So I try and do the same for the stanchions on the these now. Knicks are kinda hard though factoring your wheeling them where rocks abound.
 

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