Need help identifying parts on my new Sahara TJ and advice on tires and shocks

Sorry for the noob questions, it's my first Jeep, I bought it a month ago and did some reasearch but still everything is not clear. First thing is that it is registered as a 2000 but the date of mfr in the door is 11-99 and my transmission looks like the AX15?



Second thing is that I want to put bigger tyres and change the shocks because these procomp are terrible and I'm not sure about the length I need, my font springs are 12" with spacers and the rear ones are 10" so it seems like it is a 2 inch lift, I found a tag still hanging in the rust of a front spring, it seems like they are OME but I didn't find anything on google with these numbers




But I also have aftermarket lower control arms, judging by the documentation I received with the car, they are Procomp made for a XJ 3 inch lift (Procomp part# 55590) length is approx. 15.95"



Everything else seems stock at the front except sway bar links



Is there anything wrong with this setup? The reason I ask is because 2 weeks ago I had a death wobble, it happened at 80km/h after hitting a small bump, but despite being small it felt really harsh, as those shocks don't absorb anything. I suspect if they have done their job the death wobble wouldn't have happened because I took this road with a few different cars and this bump never felt so harsh. But there must be something else wrong in my front end to cause a death wobble, right? I tried to look if I find anything loose but I didn't spot anything, bushings don't seem too worn, and when I drive everything is smooth in the steering and it goes straight

At the rear end there is a SYE, and while taking those pics I noticed the rear sway bar was removed.. I felt the rear end wasn't stable on uneven roads, now I understand why. I found it within all the parts I received with the jeep and will put it back asap



I remember the seller told me he had to replace the rear shocks because they failed but didn't know why, after reading this thread https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/shocks-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.8426/page-5
I think they may have hit the spring perches as they aren't modified and the shocks are body down in the stock location, they don't seem to interfere at this height but there isn't a big gap so maybe they did at full droop




So because of the SYE my shock choice is limited as they need to be body up for maximum clearance, and it's even more limited due to where I live. The best deal I've found is on Bilstein 5160, I can have the set for around $600, I also want to put new wheels and bigger tyres ( now it's on small 225/70 r16 winter tyres, I think it doesn't help for the harsh ride) I found some 8x15" -30mm offset locally: https://www.accessoires4x4.ch/fr/ja...p-wrangler-yj-tj-cherokee-grand-cherokee.html
And I have 32/11.5 r15 range C Road Venture tyres laying around, from what I have read, they should fit with 1" bumpstop extensions?

My gearing is 3.07 so I think I'd have to change this to run 32" tyres, I received spare 4.56 gears with the jeep, I didn't ask for quotes yet but I think it will be expensive to do this job here. So my other option is to buy new 31" tyres but would they still be too big for 3.07 ?

I think the rear shock I need is Bilstein part #25-193145 length extended 22", collapsed 13.44"
For the front, I would need part #25-193138 length extended 21.87", collapsed 13.11"
but for some reason they are $40 more expensive each than part# 25-193114 for a 3"lift. length extended 24.7", collapsed 14.53"
Would they fit with 1.5" of bumpstop extensions or are they too long and could cause the spring to unseat? If I already need 1" of bumpstop for the tyres I would only lose 0.5" of up travel, from what I understand.

Sorry for the long post and for my english, thanks in advance for the help

And here is how it looks now

bobthetj03 said:

Just trim the rear lower coil buckets a little and you can fit most shocks.
View attachment 94166

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Thanks, It's when I saw your pic in another thread that I understood exactly what the problem is, but if possible I prefer to avoid trimming anything

Chris said:

I'm not sure what the AX-15 looks like visually compared to a NV3550. However, being as yours is a 2000, it could very well have the AX-15, as that was a split year for a lot of the change over parts (including the two pre-cats in the downpipe for emissions).

It looks like you have a 2.5" lift. If that is the case, you can fit a 32" tire comfortably. A 33" will fit, but it won't leave a ton of room for articulation and up-travel when off-road. The ideal size tire for that amount of lift is a 31" tire in my opinion.

I don't see anything wrong with your setup. Are you sure it was death wobble you experienced and not just a vibration caused from improperly balanced tires? A lot of people like to throw around the term "death wobble" and are just mistaking it for vibrations.

3.07 is the worst possible gear ratio you could have in any TJ with any tire size, period. Yes, 32" tires will work with a 3.07 gear ratio, but you'd be smart to re-gear it sooner rather than later, as that gear ratio is just horrid.

Check out this thread for more info on that:

What gear ratio should I install in my Jeep Wrangler TJ / LJ? (and other re-gearing FAQs)

You may want to break this thread up into a few separate threads. I say that because it's so loaded with questions (and so long) that I sort of got lost in the process of reading it and trying to address all the questions (since there were so many littered throughout). Not trying to be rude, just helpful

I may have missed some questions, but if so, you know why

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You're right, I didn't want to start multiple threads at the same time but I noticed I asked a lot of questions and that it wasn't pleasant to read.

I saw a pic of the AX15 next to a NV3550 on the other side and the "fins" looked more like the AX15 but anyway I asked by curiosity, I don't have any gearing problems

It's reassuring to know that my setup looks alright. it definitely was a death wobble, the steering wheel started to shake violently like everything in the front end, I had to stop on the side of the road for the wobble to stop, then I spent a few minutes inspecting evrything because I was sure something had failed but to my surprise everything looked alright

I read a few threads about gearing and that's whats I was afraid of, so it seems like I need to change the gearing at the same time as the tyres. I already have 32" with a good amount of tread left so I think I will put them and maybe downsize to 31" when they will be worn, so I can save money to change gears and buy new shocks now

Goatman said:

Hate to say it, but your English is far, far, far better than any teenager I know of in the U.S. I for some reason dont get most pictures to show up on my phone so I can't help you much there. Most people claim the Rancho 5000x to be the best (softest) shock for the TJ and I've been happy with them. Jeep is famous for using up whatever spare parts are found in their warehouse so I wouldn't be too concerned whith the build year being off. 3.07 is a poor choice for any size tire. 265/75R16 should fit perfectly with your lift. You want a load range C tire. I'm sure the E.U. has their own spec, but conversion charts should be all over the internet. Good luck. I hear they are rare over in Europe. You have a great group of guys (and ladies) here ready to help you.

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Haha thank you but I have to thank google translate Thanks for the tyres recommendations, seems like diameter is 31.6", As I said above I think I will finish the 32" I have first but it's good to know for later. I have also read lots of good reviews on the Rancho 5000x but I'd need to import them and it would cost more than $400 with shipping and tax, and I would need to trim the spring perches. And you're right, this forum is great, I learned a lot of things the past few weeks but have a lot more to learn

Jerry Bransford said:

That running Emu indicates your lift is an OME aka Old Man Emu, 2" is a common lift height for OME due to Australia's lift height law.

DW is typically caused by a combination of an imperfectly balanced tire together with something loose on the front-end like the track bar. Even if your tires were recently balanced they may not be balanced well enough to prevent one of the front tires from triggering your DW. Not all tire shops are willing to take the time to perfectly balance tires as the type of front-end the Wrangler TJ has requires. What is good enough balance for many cars is not always good enough for a vehicle with a solid-front axle like the TJ has and most trucks have.

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Thanks for the advice, I will ask the shop to balance the tyres as best as they can. My trackbar doesn't seem loose but I will check everything when I change the shocks and wheels

So if the springs are 2", my total lift should be 2.5" with the spacers on top, I measured 12" including the spacer but maybe they sag a bit over time

bromel said:

If that is the original transmission, you should have the NV3550, not the AX-15.

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You're right, I just found this:

http://4x4xplor.com/trannyservice.html
Now there is no doubt it is the NV3550

Goatman said:

I have an OME lift. 2.5 inches. That's around 65mm. If my math is any good. I've not had to trim for shocks. Mine is a Rubicon, dont know if that matters. I know Jeeps have a good following In France. Perhaps a shock recommendation from them may be helpful. Most people are happy with the OME shocks. They are considered to be on the softer side. My lift is currently using stock control arms. Hoping to change that soon. Working on complete replacement of the steering system from the drag link down.

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From what I've read, Rubicons have a stock SYE, so I guess the shock mounts are placed accordingly. Good idea, I didn't search for french forums, I came here assuming it's where I could find most informations but it could be interesting to have some advice from them and know where they order parts. OME shocks would cost the same price as the Bilstein 5160s and I may have to trim, there isn't a lot of reviews about the 5160 on a TJ but the few I found were good. And I think they would suit my usage, no rock crawling but I'd like to be able to go "fast" on dirt roads. I'll order them this week because I want to get rid of thoses Procomp asap but I'm still not sure about length because they have a model for 0-2" and another for 3" of lift and it seems like I'm in the middle