Softening the ride for daily driving

[aldo98229]

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned: all things being equal, the steel wheels could be contributing to the feeling of a jarring ride due to their added unsprung weight.

The heavier the wheel and tire combo, the harder the suspension has to work to keep everything under control.

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[Jtclayton612]

I went from Rubi red shocks to the JT Gladiator Rubicon oem Fox shocks. The ride is a whole lot softer, maybe even too soft for some.

I know some is due to the wheelbase but the driving experience of a gladiator is so different to a wrangler. My dad and I met up at Windrock but we didn’t wheel his JT and just used it for some runs around town. That thing feels plush.

 

[Steph1]

I know some is due to the wheelbase but the driving experience of a gladiator is so different to a wrangler. My dad and I met up at Windrock but we didn’t wheel his JT and just used it for some runs around town. That thing feels plush.

I think you understood wrong. I installed JT Rubicon FOX shocks on my JL and it rides incredibly soft compared to the Rubicon red shocks.

 

[AcesandEights]

I think you're saying the same thing, the JT is softer (more plush).

 

[Jtclayton612]

I think you understood wrong. I installed JT Rubicon FOX shocks on my JL and it rides incredibly soft compared to the Rubicon red shocks.

No I was agreeing that the JT fox shocks are very soft compared to JL shocks

 

[BIGW0RM]

Dynatrac 2" lift is said to be marshmallow soft.

 

[Carlton]

First step lower the air pressure in your tires to 28-32psi. Start at 32 and lower to liking.

If your tires are above a C load move down to a C load, or better yet, a passenger tire. This will make a considerable difference.

After those have been tried, you can start looking at springs and shocks. Springs will have a larger impact on the ride feeling.

Easy solution would be to switch to a Sahara spring/shock set up.

As others have suggested, adjustable shocks could be beneficial. The most economical are the Rancho 9000. If they salt the roads where you live, I'd avoid them as they tend to rust.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Rancho 5000. Those classic shocks will give a nice ride with adjustments. The 9000s have a knob to adjust them, but if you never use it, it will get stuck in the last position. Pro Comp sells a rebranded version as well.

I like the simplicity of a sealed, non adjustable, non serviceable shock. Fox shocks are all the rage, but need serviced at around every 50k miles. Might as well buy new ones if you don’t have another vehicle to drive while they’re being rebuilt.

Gas charged mono tube shocks will last 100k miles f you don’t bang them up. That’s where Fox shines, you can fix a blown out shock rather than constantly having to replacing them.

 

[Jtphoto]

Here is the deal. Both springs and shocks attribute to a nicer ride. If you have stiff springs shocks aren’t gonna help the ride much. If you have stiff shocks soft springs won’t help much either. It’s a combination of both. The Springs carry the weight, all the shocks do is control the compression and expansion of the springs..

I’ve run Rancho RS9000XL adjustables on 2 Jeeps, great shocks. If you are on a budget and not sure of how soft your springs are these will help you tune in your ride.
My favorite combination over the last 3 Jeeps has come down to Rock Krawler triple rate springs paired with Metal Cloak RockSport shocks.

 

[rizion]

harshness comes from coils. if you have stock coils you aren't going to get much softer if at all.

 

[AnnDee4444]

harshness comes from coils. if you have stock coils you aren't going to get much softer if at all.

I disagree. Stock springs are not the problem. It's the shocks.

 

[roaniecowpony]

For softness I hear great things about the Rancho adjustable shocks. I'd second the recommendation to drop air pressure. If you look up the tire load charts, most of us are way above what's necessary to safely support the weight of a Jeep.

The qualifier for OE pressures is safe handling, as in emergency handling. That's the difficult part about finding a suitable pressure.

 

[rizion]

I disagree. Stock springs are not the problem. It's the shocks.

Coils hold the weight and shocks support the suspension by bringing it back to riding position after any movement, right? I'm not saying swapping out shocks won't change the feel and handling, but it won't affect perceived road harshness in the same manor coils will.

 

[James Cole]

Coming from a JLUR heres what solved this problem for me:

-“P” 285/70R17 wildpeak tires, these are softer and much lighter 30 PSi
-Fox 2.0 Shocks you can move these by hand while the red Rubi shocks you have a hard time

Thats all you need.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Coils hold the weight and shocks support the suspension by bringing it back to riding position after any movement, right?

No... shocks don't have anything to do with ride height.

(unless you're topping/bottoming out of course)

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