XR observations

[Craigger]

can you send link which spacer you utilized if you don't mind...

1" spacer was perfect for me. It says it's for the ecodiesel but works fine on the 3.6:

https://teraflex.com/jl-jt-ecodiesel-1-coil-spring-spacer-adjustment-kit-front.html

Do a measurement front and back to see how much sag you have in the front and order the appropriate sized spacer from there.

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[BDinTX]

Has anyone confirmed the length of the XR bump stop tubes vs. non-XR? Are they really different from a 392 or 3.0?

I've heard they're around 1" longer than typical JLs, but haven't actually been able to measure any.

My understanding is the added length is 1-3/8”. I measured between our 2.0t and my 3.0. The diesel has the longer ones and that measurement seemed right though I wasn’t going to disassemble to make certain.

I went with an AEV lift and left out their included bump extensions to resolve.

 

[ColoradoMike]

We are going to be there 8/29 - 9/2. I plan to spend 1 day in Arches and 1 day in Canyonlands playing tourist. I am looking to hit Elephant Hill road if I can get one of the daily passes....if you need an excuse to visit before thanksgiving

Tempting! I will keep that in mind.

 

[Slippery Pete]

So, forgive the ignorance here... But are we saying that the gap between the orange/red thing and the black numbered part is the critical thing to look at? This is the bump stop gap? And... if it's less than an inch, which appears to be the case in this photo, then that means you are not going to have any up-travel and you won't get enough flex out of your suspension?
I just picked up my XR, and my shock looks much like this pic. Does that mean that, even though I am now on 35s and a small lift, that this new Rubi XR is going to really not perform much better than my previous JLUR (non-XR) on something like Poison Spider?

My Willys XR has about 1 3/4 on Driver side and 2 1/8 on passenger currently parked in uneven ground.

 

[dcmdon]

The value of the XR is in the case where buying the package gets you the same or similar upgrades that you would have done to a basic Rubicon if it wasn't available.

If you were going to buy wider (cooler looking) wheels and 35" tires and then re-gear to 4.88s, its a no-brainer.

Even if you replace the tires/wheels with something from the aftermarket, XR take offs are selling for $3500. So its starts to look good for just the lift, shocks, gears, and tire carrier.

Of course if you intend to go "beyond" that, then it gets into the same discussion that people have been having for years about Sport S vs Rubicon. It makes no sense to buy a rubicon if you are going to be replacing the axles, gears, wheels, tires, etc.

 

[Ketamingo]

Is your thinking there that, if the springs are stiff enough, you can still get adequate travel even if the bump stop gap is small?

After years of waiting I've finally got my Jeep on order and can't wait to get started so please excuse my ignorance, but this seems to make sense to me does it not? If the added weight is causing the suspension to sag/droop and decrease the bump stop gap wouldn't stiffer springs reduce this?

Now excuse my extreme ignorance, how does a spacer solve this problem?

Also, it seems like adding shorter bumps just risks damaging your fenders, how do air/hydro bumps help this?

I went XR because I don't know the answers to most of these questions and wanted to learn with my Jeep but keep up with some friends from the start. I nearly went JLUR with the Dynatrac 2" lift but the gears, tires and more seemed worth it on the XR. Reading through this thread it seems that nearly every individual aspect of a lift has been described as "the fix" but wouldn't the complete lift really do the trick? It will be my daily so I wanted to maintain stock ride, but if lift is the answer, will the Dynatrac 2" or AEV 2.5" take care of the bump stop issues? I've read and heard that those two lifts maintain the nicest drive.

 

[Craigger]

After years of waiting I've finally got my Jeep on order and can't wait to get started so please excuse my ignorance, but this seems to make sense to me does it not? If the added weight is causing the suspension to sag/droop and decrease the bump stop gap wouldn't stiffer springs reduce this?

Now excuse my extreme ignorance, how does a spacer solve this problem?

Also, it seems like adding shorter bumps just risks damaging your fenders, how do air/hydro bumps help this?

I went XR because I don't know the answers to most of these questions and wanted to learn with my Jeep but keep up with some friends from the start. I nearly went JLUR with the Dynatrac 2" lift but the gears, tires and more seemed worth it on the XR. Reading through this thread it seems that nearly every individual aspect of a lift has been described as "the fix" but wouldn't the complete lift really do the trick? It will be my daily so I wanted to maintain stock ride, but if lift is the answer, will the Dynatrac 2" or AEV 2.5" take care of the bump stop issues? I've read and heard that those two lifts maintain the nicest drive.

The right lift will certainly 'solve' the bump stop problem. The spring has a certain amount of travel and can compress X distance before the bump stop hits the axle. By putting in a spacer of thickness Y, you've increased the distance before hitting the bump stop to X + Y. When Jeep determined the bump stop length I'm sure they wanted to make sure it will never rub at full lock. By putting in hydraulic spacers, you can soften the bottoming out when driving straight but still mitigate rubbing at full lock since it's pretty rare that you'd be at full lock while fully compressing your bump stops. It could happen but I'd be willing to live with that given the pluses.

 

[BDinTX]

I’m not articulate or smart enough to give a great answer but let me give it a shot…

Say you went to the extreme and replaced the front springs with a block of wood. Of course this would be a bad idea and result in an extremely rough ride. Something else less obvious would be that if the suspension extended the blocks would fall out. So at a minimum the springs need enough extension to NOT fall out when the suspension is extended. I think this is a benefit of double and triple rate springs. To have a stiff middle section and more compliant ends to allow them to extend and not fall out.

Next, think of your shocks as limiting straps that will prevent the axle From going down too far and let the springs fall out. But since it’s a metal riod inside a metal tube it has a minimum and maximum length. To avoid bottoming out the shocks you want to hit bump stops first. You also want to hit bump stops before your tire hits the fender OR the axle or differential hits the oil pan.

Adding nothing but a spring spacer will increase the amount of up travel at the expense of reducing down travel because the shock still stops at the same place. This may be an acceptable compromise.

Adding nothing but stiffer springs of the same length will reduce how often you hit the bump stops at the expense of a rougher ride.

You could potentially shorten the jounce tubes and/or install fancy bump stops but there are a lot of things that need clearance checked.

You can install new springs AND shocks to maintain a full range of travel and a great ride.

 

[27352]

I lost 3/4 of an inch when I added my steel bumper and winch. The 1 inch spacer will help by increasing the gap in my bumpstop. The stiffer springs will help compensate for the weight I added which while i have the old springs out anyway to do the spacer will only be a plus. Don't let post like these get you second guessing yourself or the jeep you decided to order. If you spend too much time in these forums you will convince yourself that if you don't have a rubicon with $10'000 worth of mods you are doing it wrong. All jeep models are a blast to drive and extremely capable. Learning your jeep is half the fun. You do you and let others do themselves. You will quickly fiqure out who truly enjoys the hobby and wants to help you learn and who just wants to brag or show off!

 

[Ketamingo]

Thanks for the answers.

This will be my daily, I've got the steel bumpers, will be adding a winch and live in the giant pothole called Baltimore. So the reports of bottoming out around town make me feel like I've already got to modify the suspension from the start.

 

[Craigger]

Thanks for the answers.

This will be my daily, I've got the steel bumpers, will be adding a winch and live in the giant pothole called Baltimore. So the reports of bottoming out around town make me feel like I've already got to modify the suspension from the start.

drive, assess, then modify

 

[zouch]

i've got a set of springs out of my Willys Diesel just holding down a spot on the garage floor if anyone needs them.

I wonder just how much stiffer the springs for the for the steel bumper group are. I had the plastic bumper. My plan is to add a set of the stiffest springs at the same time I add the one inch spacer. I feel like with the kind of wheeling I do I will be golden. If I find out otherwise it will be time for a plan B. I also bought the XR because I didn't want to do anything suspension wise aftermarket.

 

[27352]

i've got a set of springs out of my Willys Diesel just holding down a spot on the garage floor if anyone needs them.

The rate might work out okay. But the lengh wouldn't be tall enough to match up with the xr springs. But the offer is much appreciated! Thanks

 

[XtremeRetard]

The plus side of the long bumps is you can run a 4" lift shock and it won't bottom out and you should gain about 3 inches of droop. Hanging unsupported my front XR suspension is about 30 inches eye to eye on the shock. That's with everything at the limit. Lca's cables, vent, brakes etc. Or at least close to it.

The crusty xr shock from memory is only 26.x inches.

 

[XtremeRetard]

I have the 1" spacer and that works for now. At some point when I upgrade the suspension I'll also upgrade to hydraulic bump stops. I'll probably move up to 37's at the same time which will introduce it's own set of issues

My logic is keep the bump stops and install a lift with larger tires. I think 39s will be about right to justify that longer bump stop..

Then I've kept it "Stock"

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