The 2Dr Sport Only Thread

[Gummiente62]

I don't think I've posted in this thread yet, so...

Bought my leftover new 2018 Bright White in June of last year and am having a blast with it. I was initially concerned about running a soft top in a typical Canadian winter, but the heater does a fantastic job of keeping the cold out. Even though it's a bare bones model (no A/C, pwr locks or windows, just the 8sp auto) I really like all the features and thoughtful, well laid out design. I got to use the Jeep tow strap and Jeep gloves a couple weeks ago when I got stuck after pulling over too far when stopping for a pic. Had to call a friend with a Ford F-150 to come pull me out, but at least he agreed that aggressive tires and diff locks probably wouldn't have got me out on my own.

Sponsored

 

[Trill]

Nice work with the build, can definitely respect what you have done.

My Jeep drove amazing with rubi springs/shocks and the molar lca, kinda wish I just slowly upgraded it like you did with shocks. Lower center build is the way to go

Thanks man, going to keep it like this and just do some more minor stuff here and there.

I've done more serious builds in the past but the problem was they made all my local trails completely trivial. I had to drive 3 hours for hard trails (I know that sounds spoiled since some people have to drive that far to do ANY trail), you had a high chance of damaging or breaking something, and you could never go solo or on a whim. So honestly I just stayed home a lot of times instead of taking the jeep out.

With this one I wanted something that wasn't annoying to daily drive, and was still fun to drive on easy trails. And I'm loving all the modern tech, Gaia GPS on apple carplay is awesome, power windows/locks are great, and this 8 speed auto is probably the greatest thing ever put in a Jeep.

 

[blnewt]

and this 8 speed auto is probably the greatest thing ever put in a Jeep.

True story!!!

 

[blnewt]

@Trill
Are you running stock sport springs or Rubi take-offs w/ those new shocks?
Great write-up detaining all those measuring points and nice pics on the trail.
Well done sir!

 

[Trill]

@Trill
Are you running stock sport springs or Rubi take-offs w/ those new shocks?
Great write-up detaining all those measuring points and nice pics on the trail.
Well done sir!

Thanks, those are stock sport springs, so the measurements are valid for anyone with a 2 door sport with a hard top. If you have a soft top you might have to be careful with the rear lengths I gave, if the springs are shorter.

Rubi springs should be a bit longer so my measurements are not valid for those either, but you'll have a tough time finding longer shocks that can still fit with stock bump stops anyway.

And I did try looking for cheaper shocks for the folks not wanting to spend $600, but the lengths are either completely wrong and ridiculous (look at Rancho for example), or the lengths are not published (Teraflex, hello?). I think Fox might be the only company that actually did any homework.

 

[blnewt]

@Trill
You really should make your own thread on what you posted above, this is great stuff and easy to get lost in this long thread "book"

BTW, how is the handling on the road w/ the new shocks, does it seem to be more solid on rough & uneven roads (if you've had much time w/ them that is). And is the overall ride much firmer? I noticed when I swapped the Rubi suspension the ride firmed up a bit but it was marginal to say the least.

Seems like w/ my additional 1.5 to 1.75" lift over stock sport set those Fox shock lengths would still work well, thoughts?

 

[Trill]

@Trill
You really should make your own thread on what you posted above, this is great stuff and easy to get lost in this long thread "book"

BTW, how is the handling on the road w/ the new shocks, does it seem to be more solid on rough & uneven roads (if you've had much time w/ them that is). And is the overall ride much firmer? I noticed when I swapped the Rubi suspension the ride firmed up a bit but it was marginal to say the least.

Seems like w/ my additional 1.5 to 1.75" lift over stock sport set those Fox shock lengths would still work well, thoughts?

Yea the ride is firmer than stock, but not as bad as I was expecting. They don't thump you over bumps in the road like some other shocks I've run on other jeeps, they are just quicker to absorb the bump and move on. The stock shocks had more "follow through" in their motion if that makes any sense, so the ride felt softer. I have not tried rubi shocks so I can't compare. Rubi springs would work great, they are longer and stiffer from what people are saying, so you will have more spring pressure on the axle when it's drooped down. I thought about doing 1/2" spacers to accomplish something similar but decided against it for now.

 

[Trill]

Hopefully all is well with everyone in 2 door sport land! I've been taking advantage of the corona holiday and have been going through my garage. I found a set of brand new rear uppers that I bought over 3 years ago for my JK and totally forgot about since i eventually ended up doing something else.

I just ordered a matching set of rear lowers right now because there are a couple things I wanted to address, but wasn't planning on spending the money on.. until now since I already have half the parts!

First, there is definitely some bind going on in the rear, even though I'm only running 10 inch shocks. I'm losing a couple inches of droop on one side, when the other side gets stuffed up. Once the axle gets to a certain degree of articulation, the drooped side starts lifting up. I'm like 75% sure this is the control arms, because they seem to be pretty maxed out. This is not even at full articulation, this is just as much as I could get before it bound up:

Second, the wheelbase could use some adjusting. Even totally stock, stock control arms, stock bump stops, stock springs, you can see how far forward the wheel is in the wheel well at full bump. So I'm going to push the rear axle back as much as I can. Once the lowers come in, I will document everything, and share my lengths and adjustments with you guys. The front doesn't have any of these problems, the axle position is perfect, and there is no bind. So I will be leaving the front stock until the bushings blow out or the arms get bent or damaged.

 

[beachjeeper]

Enjoying the day...Jensen Beach Florida

 

[Ogre_FL]

The weather has been awesome.
After a very wet and cold winter its been a full week now without the top/doors.

 

[Spdu4ia]

Just picked up this 2dr sport yesterday, parts already on order!

 

[Sharkbite22]

Just swapped the 35's for 37's this week.

 

[JeepersCreepersJL]

I haven't posted in this thread yet, and I just love sharing my Jeep especially with the new Gladiator Overland wheels

 

[Freebooter]

Love our sport!

 

[beachjeeper]

Just swapped the 35's for 37's this week.

SharkBite...37s look awesome!!! How do you like them so far?? You still running stock gears, axles??

Sponsored