Shock questions

[Bam073]

Good morning everyone. Recently put on 1.5" TF leveling kit. Maintained OEM shocks with no other mods beyond pucks. Not happy with front ride as it feels like every bump is felt. Assume OEM shocks are stretched to capacity hence why the not so good ride.

Question for the experts- have a chance to buy RC N3 shocks that are in a kit for a 2.5" lift. Can I put these on my truck even though my leveling kit only added 1.5"? Assume shocks will compress accordingly? Reached out to RC and they said no problem given it's only an inch.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

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[failsafe306]

Yes, just make sure your bump stops don’t allow the longer shocks to bottom out when fully stuffed.

 

[Bam073]

Yes, just make sure your bump stops don’t allow the longer shocks to bottom out when fully stuffed.

Daily driver and don't think I would ever get to that point/articulation if I understand correctly?

Thanks failsafe...

 

[AcesandEights]

There isn't much stroke on many shocks, so it may be a concern that you bottom out. A shock that has 9" of travel should be riding close to the middle of that at static height, meaning you only have 4.5" or so of up or down (over a speed bumper for example).

I don't know the TF and RC abbreviations. I assume you're looking at TrueForce pucks, which I've never heard of, or maybe switching to Radio Controlled which I think would be awesome, but expensive?

 

[failsafe306]

Daily driver and don't think I would ever get to that point/articulation if I understand correctly?

Thanks failsafe...

It may not be flexing Offroad, it could also be slamming into a bump on the road and it shoving the axle up into the bump stops. In that case if there isn’t enough bump to protect the shock, they could bottom out pretty hard and damage them.

 

[jhackathorne]

There isn't much stroke on many shocks, so it may be a concern that you bottom out. A shock that has 9" of travel should be riding close to the middle of that at static height, meaning you only have 4.5" or so of up or down (over a speed bumper for example).

I don't know the TF and RC abbreviations. I assume you're looking at TrueForce pucks, which I've never heard of, or maybe switching to Radio Controlled which I think would be awesome, but expensive?

I'd assume TF is Teraflex and RC is Rough Country. I'd skip the RC for sure. They are destined to not last long and ride rough. If you want budget AND quality, check out Rancho.

 

[AcesandEights]

BTW, if you just used spacers, the same shocks should be providing the same damping.

 

[DewHawk]

BTW, if you just used spacers, the same shocks should be providing the same damping.

If his kit didn't include shock extension brackets, those shocks are gonna have limited down travel and are essentially riding beyond where they were designed to for compression and rebound to remain the same effective rate.

 

[AcesandEights]

If his kit didn't include shock extension brackets, those shocks are gonna have limited down travel and are essentially riding beyond where they were designed to for compression and rebound to remain the same effective rate.

Per the OP, they didn't.

 

[Bam073]

If his kit didn't include shock extension brackets, those shocks are gonna have limited down travel and are essentially riding beyond where they were designed to for compression and rebound to remain the same effective rate.
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Kit was spacers only, was advised that I did not need shock extenders. Maybe I keep the OEM shocks and just add the extensions? May be more cost effective to just get new shocks at that point.

Thanks Dew.

 

[DewHawk]

It largely depends on what shocks you’re planning to go with. I get sketched out by changing shocks on spacer lifts primarily because getting the right maximum travel measurement of the shocks to match with the springs plus the spacers isn’t always simple. If you go to max down travel with a new shock and it happens to extend beyond what your spring+spacer can handle without getting loose/unseating from the axle/frame, that’s a recipe for disaster and can cause some pretty significant damage if the spring/spacer falls out.
The brackets shouldn’t cost much compared to new shocks and will literally account for the exact amount of lift you added from the spacers. This takes the guesswork out of having to get the measurements dead on for new shocks.

 

[Bam073]

It largely depends on what shocks you’re planning to go with. I get sketched out by changing shocks on spacer lifts primarily because getting the right maximum travel measurement of the shocks to match with the springs plus the spacers isn’t always simple. If you go to max down travel with a new shock and it happens to extend beyond what your spring+spacer can handle without getting loose/unseating from the axle/frame, that’s a recipe for disaster and can cause some pretty significant damage if the spring/spacer falls out.
The brackets shouldn’t cost much compared to new shocks and will literally account for the exact amount of lift you added from the spacers. This takes the guesswork out of having to get the measurements dead on for new shocks.

Really appreciate the advice Dew. Last thought- considering the Rubicon has a slight lift how about going with Rubicon take-off shocks that should account for the small lift I got from the leveling kit?

 

[DewHawk]

Really appreciate the advice Dew. Last thought- considering the Rubicon has a slight lift how about going with Rubicon take-off shocks that should account for the small lift I got from the leveling kit?

The 1.5" lift you have is ideal for factory rubicon rear shocks to be used front and rear. If you use the front rubicon shocks, you might get away with it, but the shock travel is about a 1/2 inch more than the rears so you MIGHT see the coils/pucks come loose up front at full droop. The rubi shocks ride stiffer than what you're used to with the factory sport shocks but should be fine for this application. The coil rates aren't massively different between the sport and the rubicon, the biggest difference is the lengths. You can check the suspension reference chart for more in depth answers on this but my best advice is to test fit them and see if the coils/pucks are easy to move by hand while at full droop. Spreadsheet here. If they get loose, that's a no go.

The easy way to check all of this is to swap the shocks and either put it on a lift (recommended) or jack up the corners individually by the frame and really make sure the shock is at max droop (easiest way to get there is to pull the corner's tire off that you're lifting and see what your down travel looks like).

One last thing. When your suspension goes to full droop (max downward travel) keep an eye on your brake lines, abs wires, and e-brake lines (basically anything thats coming from the Jeep connecting to the axles/hubs/brakes/etc). I'm not super familiar with how much slack the Sport has in these areas when lifts are installed so just be aware that at full droop, you might be stretching brake lines or something else and you'll need to free up some extra slack to keep them from breaking.

 

[Bam073]

The 1.5" lift you have is ideal for factory rubicon rear shocks to be used front and rear. If you use the front rubicon shocks, you might get away with it, but the shock travel is about a 1/2 inch more than the rears so you MIGHT see the coils/pucks come loose up front at full droop. The rubi shocks ride stiffer than what you're used to with the factory sport shocks but should be fine for this application. The coil rates aren't massively different between the sport and the rubicon, the biggest difference is the lengths. You can check the suspension reference chart for more in depth answers on this but my best advice is to test fit them and see if the coils/pucks are easy to move by hand while at full droop. Spreadsheet here. If they get loose, that's a no go.

The easy way to check all of this is to swap the shocks and either put it on a lift (recommended) or jack up the corners individually by the frame and really make sure the shock is at max droop (easiest way to get there is to pull the corner's tire off that you're lifting and see what your down travel looks like).

One last thing. When your suspension goes to full droop (max downward travel) keep an eye on your brake lines, abs wires, and e-brake lines (basically anything thats coming from the Jeep connecting to the axles/hubs/brakes/etc). I'm not super familiar with how much slack the Sport has in these areas when lifts are installed so just be aware that at full droop, you might be stretching brake lines or something else and you'll need to free up some extra slack to keep them from breaking.

Great advice, thank you! Sounds like extensions are the easiest and most logical approach.

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