Mid-level shocks

[m3reno]

The new Rs 7MT are supposed to be much better than the older version.

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[bd100]

"stiff" shocks can be useful for towing, switchbacks at speed, emergency evasive maneuvers, and controlling top-heavy expedition rigs. I have Bilstein 5100. Good handling but not exactly a comfy ride. Not horrible, but not floaty-boaty either.

 

[cheapjeepJL]

I have a set of Fox 2.0 that came off a 3.5” lifted JLUR that I would sell for $500 plus shipping costs. They have 1,000 miles on them.
They were a touch soft for me. I went with stiffer falcon sp2 3.3.

 

[JL 2D]

I had a 2-door lifted 2.5-3” on 35s. Fox 2.0 shocks were an excellent blend of comfortable but responsive on road with solid off-road capability. A heavier jeep would likely find them too soft.

 

[Poseidon20]

I am eliminating Bilsteins from my list. Too many people saying "ride a little stiff, but still like it". Considering they are on 4drs and I have 2drs, I imagine it would be even stiffer for me.

Current front runners:
Rancho 9000xl
Rancho RS7MT
old man emu nitrocharger plus (researching how good they are at rock crawling)
Metalcloak Rocksport Red
Fox 2.0 (If I can justify $900, twice the price of 9000xl not being twice as good)
?? Missing any others

 

[jadmt]

Falcon shocks.....check out FB market place Wenatchee Wa and see if they will ship...screaming deal...I personally love my Bilsteins but was thinking of shooting a low ball offer on these. I loved my Falcons on my JK's.

 

[embedded rock]

Dobinsons makes some nice shocks. Don't hear much about them in this forum.

https://exitoffroad.com/product-category/jeep/jl-wrangler-2018/shocks-jl-wrangler/

Watch for Black Friday Sales at Exit Off-Road.

 

[TravelerTheJLU]

Need some new shocks for the Jeep. 2dr currently have a 3in lift. This is a weekend vehicle and we go wheeling about 1 every other month on average. I also plan to sell the Jeep in ~3 years so don’t want anything too expensive. I’m looking to keep it at $600-700 for all 4 shocks. Maybe $800 if it’s considerably better.

My favorite at the moment is Rancho 9000xl. I love the adjustability of it. I’ve heard Fox, Bilstein and Falcons are all too stiff. I’m looking for more comfort but capable when we go off road. Let me know if I’m wrong about those 3 or any other suggestions welcome. Thanks.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but I have heard the 9000xl are not overly adjustable meaning the ride difference between soft and firm is not noticeable, and they do lose the adjustability over time. I would encourage to look at other reviews on line because I could be wrong. I had the RS7MT and really liked them I feel they had a balanced ride that wasn't overly stiff or soft, plus a nice bonus is they are cheaper then other options. Right now I have the Mopar Bilstiens and really like them however it seems they may be out of the budget at 1000-1200.

 

[stretch-bsn]

I am eliminating Bilsteins from my list. Too many people saying "ride a little stiff, but still like it". Considering they are on 4drs and I have 2drs, I imagine it would be even stiffer for me.

Current front runners:
Rancho 9000xl
Rancho RS7MT
old man emu nitrocharger plus (researching how good they are at rock crawling)
Metalcloak Rocksport Red
Fox 2.0 (If I can justify $900, twice the price of 9000xl not being twice as good)
?? Missing any others

I’ve got some skyjacker m95’s. I like them. I, like you initially thought I wanted softer but these are pretty similar to rubicon shocks imo. I e had them for less than a year so I can’t say anything about longevity but I’ve but probably 10-15k miles on them and wheel AOAA to Moab and I felt the preformed really well. I know some say no to skyjacker but if these last I’m a fan!

 

[Poseidon20]

I’ve got some skyjacker m95’s. I like them. I, like you initially thought I wanted softer but these are pretty similar to rubicon shocks imo. I e had them for less than a year so I can’t say anything about longevity but I’ve but probably 10-15k miles on them and wheel AOAA to Moab and I felt the preformed really well. I know some say no to skyjacker but if these last I’m a fan!

I remember you were about to get the Rancho RS7MT, any reason you didnt and went with Skyjacker instead?

 

[Poseidon20]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but I have heard the 9000xl are not overly adjustable meaning the ride difference between soft and firm is not noticeable, and they do lose the adjustability over time. I would encourage to look at other reviews on line because I could be wrong. I had the RS7MT and really liked them I feel they had a balanced ride that wasn't overly stiff or soft, plus a nice bonus is they are cheaper then other options. Right now I have the Mopar Bilstiens and really like them however it seems they may be out of the budget at 1000-1200.

Curios about this too. @wibornz , I know you've always loved your 9000xl, any info on this? Also, are you currently running them still? why/why not?

 

[TravelerTheJLU]

Curios about this too. @wibornz , I know you've always loved your 9000xl, any info on this? Also, are you currently running them still? why/why not?

I could be wrong about the 9000xl I cannot speak to them personally, but I think I read about it when I was looking at buying shocks.

I believe the next cheapest adjustable shock is the Falcon sp2 3.1 which are about 1500-1600. At that price you could also look at AccuTune and (I believe) they can custom valve shocks to your rig's weight.

 

[stretch-bsn]

I remember you were about to get the Rancho RS7MT, any reason you didnt and went with Skyjacker instead?

I was upsold lol

Talked with the guys at shock surplus. They were saying the RS7MT were on back order without a ship date in site and that the m95’s were a step higher than the RS7MT’s. They said to me Rancho has really gone down in recent years and they get a lot of returns of Rancho shocks due to failure but they haven’t had any of the Skyjacker shocks. So they said better shock and at the time I got them there was a mail in rebate for like $55 so going with the Skyjacker vs Rancho ended up being like a $35 difference. Personally I like the look of the RS7MT’s more but after the guy mentioned they get warranty returns frequently due to failure I decided to steer clear. No idea of the validity of that but that’s what I was told. I’ve honestly read horrible things about both Racho and Skyjacker from some and others I’ve read where they have like 100k on them and loved them. I will say the Skyjackers are not adjustable. That’s okay for me but I get the appeal of adjustable.

 

[stretch-bsn]

I’ll say this too…we’re close enough man…if you want to come up and drive my jeep let me know. At least then you can feel the shocks and make your own decision.

 

[wibornz]

Curios about this too. @wibornz , I know you've always loved your 9000xl, any info on this? Also, are you currently running them still? why/why not?

I am still running them, but will be changing them out to a longer shock the next time as I have put on a bigger lift and the 60 axles. I still think that they are great shocks and I am still running them. The adjustment are noticeably to me. I can certainly tell the difference between the soft settings and the firmest settings. The dial to adjust the shocks can get sticky and hard to move if they are left is the same position all the time. I change mine often as we wheel a lot. You can pull the dial off and clean the area and re-grease them so they turn easier and work better.

It is not that you can't buy better shocks than the Rancho XL9000. Obviously you can. It is that they are $125 per shock on Amazon and they bat way higher than their price point. They have a limited lifetime warranty and Rancho will replace them if they fail. Rancho has been very easy to deal with with replacement shocks. If you expect them to perform like a $800 shock, well then I would expect someone to be disappointed. For the most part they are a great shock and are excellent for most people that off road. I have never felt like people are waiting on me because I can't keep up when wheeling in group settings. I can not say that about other peoples set ups. When we wheel in a group, I will often look to see what they are running and make a mental note, don't buy those kind of note. One of my wheeling buds pulled off the rancho lift and put on the Teraflex lift with their basic shock package. His Jeep is so rough that after a couple days of wheeling, they go to the chiropractor and get massages because they are so sore of getting beat up in their Jeep. Note, I have wheeled with thousands+ other Jeeps over the last 6 or so years.

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