Observations on OEM shocks

[Uhdinator]

I've owned: 1989 YJ 2 dr, 2003 TJ 2 dr Rubicon, 2018 JL Sport 2 dr, 2020 F250 2 dr, 2025 JLR XR.
All straight axle front suspensions.

1. OEM shocks are the bare minimum. While they are usually gas they are low pressure and have slower rebound. Saving a few bucks per vehicle is the goal.
2. Death wobble can eventually be a problem.
3. Upgrading to a higher pressure aftermarket shock in my experience has always been an improvement.
4. Even a lower priced Rancho RS5000X or RS7MT is an improvement.
5. Upgrading to a better shock and steering stabilizer sooner than later IMO may reduce the onset of death wobble by reducing wear.

I noticed the slight shudder that is common with straight axles when hitting bridge seams, and RR tracks at highway speeds with the JL Sport, new Rubicon, and F250 with the OEM suspension.

I upgraded to RS5000X and a Falcon EF 2.2 adjustable steering stab on the JL Sport. Body roll and the front end shudder was reduced and not a harsh ride. Definitely and improvement.

Upgraded the F250 with 40K on the OEM shocks with RS7MT's. Superduty forums opinions where favorable on the RS7MT's and Bilstein 5100's and consensus was the 5100's were stiffer. F250's are a rough ride to begin with when empty. My 2 Dr is the lightest version but has HD front plow springs and HD rear tow springs. I keep around 500lbs of sand bags in the bed to tame the ride and need the counterweight anyway with the plow on.

The new Rubicon XR 2 dr is the best riding jeep I've ever had. It think the body roll could be improved with a firmer shock. The XR appears to me to be near its limits for lifting and longer shock travel to improve articulation unless other things like sway bar links, brake lines and front drive shaft upgrades are done. The XR has only 1.5" front axle upward travel to mitigate tire rubbing and the shocks limit droop. Likely why I've seen some with the OEM shocks leaking due to being bounced off full extension stops. A firmer shock would keep it off the front bump stops a little with a hard hit and give a little more droop.

So far Ive seen no Aftermarket including a "Rubicon XR" replacement so you basically have to select Rubicon and find the part# for 1.5-2" lift option. Bilstein 5100 has a part# for 0-1.5" lift that appears to be closest to the OEM compressed and Extended length specs. Compressed length is not as critical I would guess as the bump stops will be limiting before the shock hits it stops. I think the 5100's are no more than an inch longer. What Ive seen so far on the RS7MT is that its a bit longer extension than the. Bilstein.

Oh course there are many more expensive options but my point was the basic step up from OEM is still an improvement and all OEMs I've had experience with were not nearly as high pressure as the 5000X, and RS7MT. I know Rancho's rust and look not so great after awhile. A rattle can of clear coat before installing and spraying with WD40 occasionally would help keeping them from getting corroded as quickly.

I'll likely keep my new JLR XR stock except for shocks and steering Stab.

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[azjl#3]

I found long ago, the terraflex 9550 bone basic shock was pretty good for my needs. Although I am not deleting stock rubicon to do that until they show signs of defeat

 

[dstevens]

My XR had 2.875" upward travel on the front - hitting a fairly small bump off road would bottom out the suspension badly. You can get around 4" up travel on the front before the stock shock bottoms out but you'll need to cut the steel jounce tube down. With long stroke shocks and a 1" lift I got 6" of up travel on the front before the factory tires were getting into the fender. Makes a world of difference off road. For the rear the 1" spacer can be removed and the stock tires will not hit the fender, but the stock shock is going to be very close to binding. It seems that Jeep need to leave 1.25" clearance wheel to fender in their design so there is some room for improvement. However I wonder what they were thinking when they installed such small travel shocks on the XR - a longer shock would not have cost them any more.

 

[alphawolff]

I'm a really big fan of the stock Rubicon shocks. Very comfy.

The factory damper is trash, though.

 

[F4Flyer]

The stock X shocks are awful offroad and permit way too much body sway on fast twisty highway sections. I finally got annoyed enough to replace them with similar-size FIOX 2.0 IFPs. The FOX shocks are quite a bit firmer and compress les son dip and turns so have made the ride a lot safer and more controlled. The 2.0 IFPs are the only model that has that 0"-1.5 lift. The others are 2"-3.5" or whatever and their compressed and extended length are way to much more. So I simply went with the 2.0 IFPs instead of the 2.5 HTO or the 2.o reservoirs. Anyway, I am finally enjoying driving this on the highway and offroad, they are just superior in every way.

 

[F4Flyer]

Oh, now I need a steering stabilizer that is a bit firmer but does not push to the driver's side. The FOX ATS is out- they apparently do not fit unless you have a 3" lift.

 

[andy29847]

I'm a really big fan of the stock Rubicon shocks. Very comfy.

The factory damper is trash, though.

I don't believe that shocks have much to do with death wobble. Death wobble generally comes from worn suspension components and/or tire problems. To continue with my contrary opinions , the steering stabilizer has little value as long as your tires are stock or near stock. It maybe that the steering stabilizer helps when owners start putting on tire and wheel combos that are 30-40 pounds heavier than stock.

I also liked the shocks that came on my Wrangler Rubicon. I liked them so much that when one shock started leaking at ~38,000 miles, I found some new take-offs to replace the originals. Having written how much I liked the stock shocks, let me add that the stock Rubicon shocks have a reputation for short life (leaking). I recently replaced my stock Rubicon shocks with FOX shocks as I added a Mopar lift. I judge the ride to be much improved.

 

[azwjowner]

Oh, now I need a steering stabilizer that is a bit firmer but does not push to the driver's side. The FOX ATS is out- they apparently do not fit unless you have a 3" lift.

https://www.aev-conversions.com/product/steering-damper/

 

[F4Flyer]

The AEV one is a rebadged Bilstein 5100. I did use one on my JK and it pushed to the left. That worked so well at the time, since after my lift, the JK pulled to the right.

 

[alphawolff]

I don't believe that shocks have much to do with death wobble. Death wobble generally comes from worn suspension components and/or tire problems. To continue with my contrary opinions , the steering stabilizer has little value as long as your tires are stock or near stock. It maybe that the steering stabilizer helps when owners start putting on tire and wheel combos that are 30-40 pounds heavier than stock.

I also liked the shocks that came on my Wrangler Rubicon. I liked them so much that when one shock started leaking at ~38,000 miles, I found some new take-offs to replace the originals. Having written how much I liked the stock shocks, let me add that the stock Rubicon shocks have a reputation for short life (leaking). I recently replaced my stock Rubicon shocks with FOX shocks as I added a Mopar lift. I judge the ride to be much improved.

Worn shocks can and will cause death wobbles. I've seen it and diagnosed that myself personally on dozens of occasions. They are designed to absorb and dampen the vibrations between the axle assemblies and the body. That's the only reason they exist. The steering damper specifically is designed to prevent left to right shock when hitting imperfections in the road at speed. Otherwise the front axle hits a bump, shocks itself out of alignment of the body, which creates the death wobble concern.

All 4 shocks and the damper work together here. Worn suspension components can create a shock so big that the shocks/damper are no longer able to cope with the hit resulting in the death wobble. Good shocks/steering damper can hide a lot of suspension imperfections.

Shocks also improve ride quality, obviously, but that's not their total purpose with solid axle vehicles.

 

[Uhdinator]

Worn shocks can and will cause death wobbles. I've seen it and diagnosed that myself personally on dozens of occasions. They are designed to absorb and dampen the vibrations between the axle assemblies and the body. That's the only reason they exist. The steering damper specifically is designed to prevent left to right shock when hitting imperfections in the road at speed. Otherwise the front axle hits a bump, shocks itself out of alignment of the body, which creates the death wobble concern.

All 4 shocks and the damper work together here. Worn suspension components can create a shock so big that the shocks/damper are no longer able to cope with the hit resulting in the death wobble. Good shocks/steering damper can hide a lot of suspension imperfections.

Shocks also improve ride quality, obviously, but that's not their total purpose with solid axle vehicles.

Exactly! Nip it in the bud and get better shocks and steering stabilizer on sooner than later! I immediately noticed the reduced shudder when hitting imperfections/RR tracks/bridge seems with inexpensive higher pressure RS5000X's. You'll save some wear and tear and reduce the possibility of the dreaded DW.

 

[andy29847]

Worn shocks can and will cause death wobbles. I've seen it and diagnosed that myself personally on dozens of occasions. They are designed to absorb and dampen the vibrations between the axle assemblies and the body. That's the only reason they exist. The steering damper specifically is designed to prevent left to right shock when hitting imperfections in the road at speed. Otherwise the front axle hits a bump, shocks itself out of alignment of the body, which creates the death wobble concern.

All 4 shocks and the damper work together here. Worn suspension components can create a shock so big that the shocks/damper are no longer able to cope with the hit resulting in the death wobble. Good shocks/steering damper can hide a lot of suspension imperfections.

Shocks also improve ride quality, obviously, but that's not their total purpose with solid axle vehicles.

From the gurus at shock warehouse;

What Is "Death Wobble" And How Do I Fix It?
The "Death Wobble" is a very dangerous vibration that occurs in the front end of a vehicle. When a vehicle experiences death wobble, the entire steering system rapidly turns back and forth, making controlling the vehicle very hard. The only way to stop the death wobble once it starts is to slow the vehicle down until normal steering control is restored. Death wobble is very common on vehicles with a solid front axle and coil spring suspension that utilize a track bar. Most Jeeps, as well as Dodge and Ford trucks have this style suspension and are known to experience death wobble.
Death wobble is often blamed on a failed steering stabilizer or shocks and struts. While death wobble will cause the steering stabilizer to fail, it is not the result of a worn out stabilizer. The death wobble is actually all of the play in the vehicle's steering system added together resulting in very loose steering, which is then set off by a bump while traveling at high speeds and results in the wobble. What this means is that the death wobble is not usually contributed to one single component, is it the total amount of play in all of the steering components combined. Worn tie rods, idler arm, track bar, wheel bearings, pitman arm, steering center link and shaft, ball joints, alignment and even tire pressure can combine to cause the death wobble. This is what makes properly diagnosing the problem difficult and leads inexperienced mechanics to blame the steering stabilizer when no other obvious cause presents itself. Each individual component needs to be inspected for signs of wear. ANY play in ANY component of the steering system warrants replacement.
After replacing any worn suspension parts, the vehicle should be aligned properly to restore the steering to and ensure that your newly replaced suspension components don't wear out quickly.
While the steering stabilizer is not usually the only cause of death wobble, the extreme abuse that the stabilizer and the shocks take during the death wobble causes them to wear out very quickly. If your vehicle suffers from the death wobble, you should replace your steering stabilizer and shocks along with the other necessary repairs.

 

[alphawolff]

Yes, worn suspension components cause death wobble. No, the 100 brand new 4XEs with death wobble concerns I personally see a year aren't caused by worn suspension components.

Do you think stellantis increased the warranty on the steering damper for shits and giggles? Do you think all the 4XEs rolling off the production line have defective ball joints? Do you think all the dealerships nation wide are replacing the damper because they are lazy?

I'd wager 90% of death wobble concerns on the JL platform are purely due to failing steering dampers. The basic one is undersized and fails rapidly from normal vehicle suspension vibrations. As the damper wears it does less and less to prevent vibrations from upsetting the vehicle. On the 4XEs even worn tires is enough to cause a death wobble due to the undersized damper. The rule of thumb is the heavier your vehicle the strong your damper needs to be. A cheap and easy upgrade is installing one off the 392 or JT Mojave.


On the JK platform the normal shocks, especially the rear, can wear out and cause death wobble. Actual loose suspension components is relatively uncommon all things considered.

 

[andy29847]

Yes, worn suspension components cause death wobble. No, the 100 brand new 4XEs with death wobble concerns I personally see a year aren't caused by worn suspension components.

Do you think stellantis increased the warranty on the steering damper for shits and giggles? Do you think all the 4XEs rolling off the production line have defective ball joints? Do you think all the dealerships nation wide are replacing the damper because they are lazy?

I'd wager 90% of death wobble concerns on the JL platform are purely due to failing steering dampers. The basic one is undersized and fails rapidly from normal vehicle suspension vibrations. As the damper wears it does less and less to prevent vibrations from upsetting the vehicle. On the 4XEs even worn tires is enough to cause a death wobble due to the undersized damper. The rule of thumb is the heavier your vehicle the strong your damper needs to be. A cheap and easy upgrade is installing one off the 392 or JT Mojave.


On the JK platform the normal shocks, especially the rear, can wear out and cause death wobble. Actual loose suspension components is relatively uncommon all things considered.

I believe that the death wobble you are talking about (wheel shake) and the death wobble I am talking about (violent front end shaking that requires a vehicle strop) are not the same thing. Your post is the first one I've seen blaming death wobble on the rear shocks.

 

[andy29847]

Do you think stellantis increased the warranty on the steering damper for shits and giggles? Do you think all the 4XEs rolling off the production line have defective ball joints? Do you think all the dealerships nation wide are replacing the damper because they are lazy?

I haven't heard of the 4XE issues before. However, it was easy to fins reports using google. Here is the one I spent the most time browsing.

4xe Death Wobble | Jeep Wrangler 4xe Forum

Strange to me that this seems to be 4XE specific. I don't have an answer for that. Best guess would be that the 4XE runs on a different assembly line and they are screwing something up. One post on the thread I shared above mentioned the 20" wheels on the 4XE. Is the 4xe wheel tire combo heavier than other jeeps?

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