JKU spring and shock help

[X-Defector]

Forgive an old rock crawler who is still learning a bit about overlanding builds.

I have a 2014 JKU Sport with a hard top that is in need of replacement springs and shocks. Above the stock weight, I am +180 lbs in the front (ARB bar, winch, skids), +60 lbs in the rear (ARB bar), and +100 neutral (sliders) with no gear. Included gear will typically be minimal to the point of adding relatively insignificant weight, maybe 50 pounds or so. According to the Jeep site I am currently about 120 pounds heavier than a stock Rubi, so not a bad starting point.

The stock suspension - particularly the front - is none too happy about the weight increase and newly found F/R imbalance. I'm looking for springs and shocks to help compensate for this, and add a bit of belly clearance. I will not go larger that 33" tires or equivalent. I have great things about OME and AEV in particular, and we are also lucky enough to have Rock Krawler and Metalcloak enter the mix with their 1.5 springs. I want to attain 2-2.5 inches over stock and no more.

OME seems like a great bet, with their differing spring rates available. The problem I run into is with my F/R imbalance. A spring set that nets me 2" in the front seems likely to net me much more in the rear, especially since it is a canted load. I think I may have to mix and match. Ideas, recommendations?

Also, given the weights above, what are the default go-to shock options? Again I hear only positives about Nitrochargers. Ranchos and the AEV-specd 5100s also seem to be great choices from the reading on this site. Any experience with off-the-shelf 5100s and how they are?

Thanks for all the help and humoring.

 

[taz223]

I'll throw in my $0.02 for input on springs and shocks. My JK is an 07 model, front ARB full bumper w/ 10K winch (synthetic line), dual batts, + the usual junk. In the rear, I've got a cargo slide out, interior storage rack, rear carrier with 35" spare + wheel, hi-lift, 10 gal AEV fuel tank, pull-pal, fridge, recovery gear, blah blah blah (in other words, a lot of weight in the rear).

I started out with an OME Heavy Lift. Kit came with OME619 2" coils for the front, and OME618 2.25" coils for the rear. In the front, I left in some Teraflex 1.5" spacers that were already there. Shocks were the correct NitroChargers at all 4 corners. With the 618 coils in the rear (330LB add'l load capacity) the ride was absolutely horrid, and the rear of the JK squatted quite a bit compared to the front. I installed the 618s in the rear before adding a lot of the interior storage components, hi-lift, etc. to the rear bumper, so it was kind of expected that they were overloaded. I changed the rear a few months ago to OME620 springs (660LB add'l load capacity) and everything is much much better. Jeep sits level, even when fully loaded, ride is much better loaded or unloaded with gear, etc. I've been extremely happy with the OME quality on the coils, good ride, great weight capacity, very little body roll, and still good articulation. Comparing this to one of my employee's JK 4 DR on a Teraflex 4", it feels MUCH more comfortable to drive on the highway. His Teraflex kit has quite a bit of boogie in it, lots of body roll, etc.

On the shocks, I've been pleased with the OMEs, we recently changed employee's JK to Bilsteins all the way around and they have been much better than the Teraflex that were on it. Kind of hard to compare the OME to the Bilstein in those applications because of the difference between his & my suspension.

I attached a pic to show the stance of the Jeep. It pretty much stays loaded 24/7 with the exception of soft gear and foods, so that gives you some idea on that particular spring combination. Be happy to help if you have any other specific questions about that setup.


Matt

 

[X-Defector]

Thanks for the feedback Matt. That picture is +1.5 spacers in the front, then? I really like the idea of OME the best. Looks like my biggest challenge with OME is going to be limiting actual lift to the neighborhood of 2.5" - they seem to run pretty 'strong'. Have you done anything with the rear track bar mount by chance? I think I can get away with stock mounts but will be burning on some reinforcement to the axle side.

Interesting that OME offers differing spring rates but only one part number for shocks with those springs - apparently those shocks have enough mustard to deal with pretty serious loading.

 

[luk4mud]

I have run OME, Bilstein, Terafelx, Doetsch, OEM, Rubicon Express, Rancho shocks on various rigs over the years. The Teraflex are too soft for my tastes but seem to be ok shocks otherwise. I like the stiffness and responsiveness on the Bilsteins but they have worn out too fast in my opinion. Doetsch are crap. Ome makes a great shock- nice ride and long lasting. Right now I have Ranchos and really like the adjustment feature. Ride is great- it can be whatever you want it to be, and you can adjust F/R and side to side for different loads. Time will tell how they hold up. HTH

 

[taz223]

Thanks for the feedback Matt. That picture is +1.5 spacers in the front, then? I really like the idea of OME the best. Looks like my biggest challenge with OME is going to be limiting actual lift to the neighborhood of 2.5" - they seem to run pretty 'strong'. Have you done anything with the rear track bar mount by chance? I think I can get away with stock mounts but will be burning on some reinforcement to the axle side.

Interesting that OME offers differing spring rates but only one part number for shocks with those springs - apparently those shocks have enough mustard to deal with pretty serious loading.

The picture is +1.5" spacers, correct. I neglected to measure actual lift before and after, but if memory serves correctly the original springs (330lbs) netted around 2.5" front & rear. Changing to the 660LB springs probably gained another good 1". The rear track bar hasn't been touched, with the exception of the reinforcement you mentioned when I changed my gears. The shocks are definitely stout, stout enough that you will have a hard time compressing them for install. The thing that appeals to me about the OME setup is that you can A) fine tune for your particular rig, and B) truly piece together your own suspension, if you so choose. There are of course complete kits available for OME just like the other lifts, but you can also easily source just the springs you want and use different shocks, etc. I will run the OME shocks until they wear out, and most likely exchange them for Fox air shocks, just to try them out.

Let me know if I can help with anything else!

 

[e-jeep]

JMO …I've been running Rock Krawler springs for a long time and have no complaints. On a 4 door you get the advertised lift height. I think you'd be fine running an RK Stock Mod set-up and add control arms if/when you can swing it.

 

[swift7777]

Another vote for OME's - I currently just have the long travel nitro shocks all around but plan on swapping out my coils ( JKU 18's & 60's ) for OME Heavy this summer.

 

[kojackJKU]

hey swift, how are the 60s in the rear? Im planning on keeping my stock bumpers etc, but carrying some weight in the back. Im on 58's in the rear now...

 

[swift7777]

No sagging, but the ride is really harsh - bone jarring on the trail, thats why I'm switching to the progressive OME's.

 

[Weeds]

I have the OME heavy and they ride nice. They have not settled in 3 years. The OME shocks lasted just past the warranty. Two of the four failed. I have also switched to the Rancho 9000 adjustable. I stiffen the shocks for the highway and when I air down I adjust the shocks to a softer setting. Rancho has a life time warranty and made in USA. You do not read many complaints about the Rancho shocks.

 

[dstock]

I have the AEV 2.5" dualsport lift and I am running pretty much the same setup as you describe (see signature). The ride is better than stock and stays very similar even when loaded down with camping gear due to the progressive springs. My JK is my DD so handling is important to me as well and with the addition of the lower control arm geometry brackets, cornering is much improved over stock. It also works very well offroad. This is my second JK and I moved the lift from one to the other because I was so pleased with it. It does have a slight cant towards the front, probably because I am not running a heavy tire carrier in addition to the ARB rear bumper. Doesn't bother me, as when it's loaded down it doesn't sag in the rear (pet peeve of mine). AEV has done a really nice job with this lift.

You will get a million opinions on here (and elsewhere) regarding lifts but at the end of the day it's what works for you and your needs. Good luck with your decision!

 

[kojackJKU]

No sagging, but the ride is really harsh - bone jarring on the trail, thats why I'm switching to the progressive OME's.

Im wondering if the heavier weight of my unlimited will help with that.

 

[swift7777]

I would think it should as my 2 door is really light, my aftermarket bumpers are pretty close to stock weight & I have nothing else bolted on to the jeep - trying to keep the MPG's up. I got a 2 inch lift when I swapped them in.

 

[SoCal Tom]

I'm running the teraflex performance leveling kit with Bilstien shocks. Stock suspension was bottoming out, and really rough because of it. The Teraflex springs are firmer, and they work nicely with the Bilstiens. They are the HD Bilstiens, there is more body roll than the stock shocks, but much smoother on rough roads. There is still only a few inches of wheel travel, but it's rides pretty well on washboard roads with the tires aired down.
Tom


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[JIMBO]

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:sombrero: I'vve been running RC 2.5" spacers and RS9000XL (adj) shocks now for over 3 year