Hi Chris,
I've been getting a lot of comments from customers and potential customers about some comments in this thread and wanted to offer some additional info.
We've been building TJ's since they came out in '97 and I have sold thousands of suspension packages for the TJ/LJ wranglers. We have built, wheeled and tested many different configurations and heights using Old Man Emu, Currie, Rubicon Express, Fox and more. In the last decade plus, the heaviest emphasis has been on Low COG systems and Old Man Emu. As with much of the internet, there is good and bad. Lot's of good info in this thread, but some I disagree with. I hope I can bring some clarity to a couple of points you made in the original post.
You said that when it come to ride quality, it's 100% about the shocks.
Respectfully, I must disagree!
Obviously, you've ran multiple different shocks on your Jeep, so you really do have a feel for what's best in your situation. It raises a lot of confusion however, as multitudes of people will tell you that their OME kit rides beautifully, while others say their suspension is "stiff." Ride quality is certainly subjective, but there are some points to be made. To say the shocks are 100% the cause in all cases is simply incorrect.
When it come to Old Man Emu, we have literally tested and use 14 different coil rate combo's we can set one of these jeeps up with.
I can tell you with absolute certainty that putting the wrong coils on a TJ will dramatically effect the ride quality! If you run the OME "ZJ/LJ" combo (for example) on a stock or near stock jeep, it will not ride good- no matter what shocks you put on it. It is imperative that the coil rates are matched well to the jeep and the individuals preferences on ride, handling, etc. OME has spring rates ranging from 140lbs to 250lbs for TJ/LJ jeeps. If the coil rates are too stiff for the application, no shock can fix that. If you have a 2.5" lift coil at 140lbs and the same lift coil at 250lbs on the same jeep, the ride will be dramatically different- regardless of the shocks! We pioneered OME/JKS low COG hybrid kits over 15 years ago. Several companies have since emulated these packages, but hands down, coil rates are the biggest variable when it comes to ride quality in these packages. This is why some LOVE the ride with the exact same OME shocks that others find too stiff. Current and future mods also come into play often as well and need to be considered.
From your post, it sounds like you tried multiple shocks with the same coils all the way through, correct?
For your application, you found the best ride quality from the rancho shock. That's great. I don't dispute that.
To assume that everyone else's jeep will respond the same way yours did is where the issue lies. Another persons jeep with different coils, different accessories, etc, will react differently to a different set of shocks than yours did. You can run a firmer coil rate and a softer shock compression valving and get a similar ride to a softer coil rate and a firmer compression dampening. The biggest difference between the 2 will often be handling. That is another important factor to consider in a lifted daily driven jeep.
You also stated that OME shocks are made for heavier vehicles, while the rancho's were valved for a lighter vehicle. like the TJ.
This is incorrect. While some lower end shocks are universal, OME shocks are built, valved and tested specifically for the application. A LOT of testing and tuning goes into the development of these shocks. Anti-dive and anti-squat characteristics under braking and acceleration, handling & cornering and ride quality are all tuned specifically for the TJ/LJ wrangler platforms. I can say from personal experience as well as having built countless jeeps that these shocks are not "stiff", but rather they are excellent! In fact, I have been hard pressed to find anything else out there that offers the combination of ride and handling that we can achieve from OME shocks.
The difference in ride quality then (in these cases) is not from the shocks, but the coils- along with some other parameters.
In your case, with your coils- the ride was best with the rancho shocks. For someone else, the OME's may very well be best. The compression and rebound dampening is different in different shocks and will most definitely respond differently to different spring rates and vehicle loads.
I can build 3 identical TJ's with the exact same OME shocks and produce rides from very plush, through something firmer to a very stiff ride by changing nothing but the coils.
Other factors come into play as well. Tire air pressures, tire load ratings, operating geometry on other suspension components, control arm bushing materials and more all combine with coil rates, vehicle weight and shock valving to determine final ride quality and handling characteristics. Knowing how to optimize all of these factors in a specific application is what determines the final ride, handling and performance of that particular vehicle.
I hope that's OK and certainly don't want to offend. Your experience with your jeep has lead you to the conclusion you're at and I totally respect that. I don't spend much time on forums these days, but having received so many comments about this, I wanted to address it in the hopes of clearing up some of the confusion. The rancho 5000 was long known as a low end shock and I'm glad they have finally improved it! I still don't find that it can outperform an OME shock for all around ride and handling characteristics in a properly tuned OME based package. Of course, YMMV...
Thanks!
Dirk Sanders
DPG Off-Road