My wife hates how the Jeep rides

Bullitt6283

Bullitt6283

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Jun 7, 2019
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42
Location
Shrewsbury, PA
I recently bought a 2000 Sahara with 55,000 miles, 32" tires at 29 PSI, OME 2" springs, 3/4" front spring shims, transfer case lowered 1", new Rancho RS9000XL adjustable shocks set to full soft, all control arms are stock and in good condition or are new, new front and rear adjustable panhard bars, body re-centered on the suspension, recent wheel balances, front end alignment with caster within spec, stock front antisway bar and links, Helwig rear antisway bar with links in the center hole, no heavy equipment, winch, or bumpers were added.... whew I guess that's it...

Driving down a country two-lane road (we have a lot of them) it feels like the suspension is not very compliant. For example, a dip in the road on one side or the other will cause us to be jostled side-to-side in our seats -quite a lot-. I think it's bothersome, but my wife really hates it.
I would like to know if there is something wrong with my setup or if this is just a Jeep thing. (This is my first Jeep.) I'm thinking I may have too much rear sway bar, or the OME springs are too stiff.....???

.
 
Do you know if you have the heavy or the light OME springs?
Most of what you feel in the Jeep comes from the rear axle. You are practically sitting on top of it. There is no need for a heavier antisway bar in the rear. Try moving the links to the farthest outboard hole. This will be the softest setting. But still probably stiffer than a stock bar. I have read here that the 9000 shocks are firmer on their softest setting than the 5000x springs are. How much up-travel do you have with the shocks. The wrong length shock can cause hard bottoming out even on a paved road.
Are you able to take some pics for us? Get at least all four corners showing the spring and shock at ride height. We should be able to see if something is obviously wrong.
Weight will make the TJ ride better, all things considered. It is like a pickup with no load in back. Add some load and the truck rides a lot smoother.
TJs are never going to be buttery smooth like a Lexus.
If all else fails, there are millions of women that would love to have a Jeep in the family.😁
 
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I clicked this thread based on the title and thinking there would be recommendations for good dating sites. Slightly disappointed...

I have the same issue, actually... Jeep bumps hard over certain dips that don't seem like much until you go over them at 30+ mph. Mildly annoys me, irritates my wife to no end. I'll be following the discussion to see if any suggestions apply to my setup.

In the meantime, could it be an issue with bump stops that need to be shortened or replaced?
 
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BlackJeep said:
I clicked this thread based on the title and thinking there would be recommendations for good dating sites. Slightly disappointed...

I have the same issue, actually... Jeep bumps hard over certain dips that don't seem like much until you go over them at 30+ mph. Mildly annoys me, irritates my wife to no end. I'll be following the discussion to see if any suggestions apply to my setup.

In the meantime, could it be an issue with bump stops that need to be shortened or replaced?
Click to expand...
How much distance do you have between the bumpstop and the pad? How much shock shaft is showing at ride height?
Take photos if you can.

Also, how much are you willing to spend for ride quality? New entry level shocks like the RS5000X would only be about $200, but high end shocks like the Fox would cost around $1000 (or more, depending upon options). The Fox shocks can even be tuned to your vehicle weight for the best possible ride.

(These questions apply to the original poster @Bullitt6283 as well)
 
Last edited:
Bullitt6283 said:
I recently bought a 2000 Sahara with 55,000 miles, 32" tires at 29 PSI, OME 2" springs, 3/4" front spring shims, transfer case lowered 1", new Rancho RS9000XL adjustable shocks set to full soft, all control arms are stock and in good condition or are new, new front and rear adjustable panhard bars, body re-centered on the suspension, recent wheel balances, front end alignment with caster within spec, stock front antisway bar and links, Helwig rear antisway bar with links in the center hole, no heavy equipment, winch, or bumpers were added.... whew I guess that's it...

Driving down a country two-lane road (we have a lot of them) it feels like the suspension is not very compliant. For example, a dip in the road on one side or the other will cause us to be jostled side-to-side in our seats -quite a lot-. I think it's bothersome, but my wife really hates it.
I would like to know if there is something wrong with my setup or if this is just a Jeep thing. (This is my first Jeep.) I'm thinking I may have too much rear sway bar, or the OME springs are too stiff.....???

.
Click to expand...


It looks like you and I have a similar setup and I'm very happy with the way mine rides (and so is the wife). I have the heavy OME springs and RS5000X shocks on 32's. 29 psi seems a little high. I run my 32" cooper stt pros (mud tire) at 26 psi and usually see around 27 psi recommended for 32's so first thing you might do is drop the pressure down 2-3 psi and see what that does. Also, what is the load range on your tires? It should be a C load. D or E is for a heavier vehicle and many here will tell you those stiffer tires translate to a bumpy ride no suspension setup can fully compensate for. You'll get plenty of good advice on here.
 
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Modified TJ's do not need to ride poorly. Ride like a Jeep surely, but my old stock F250 heavy duty has a rougher ride.
 
Can either of you two post up a pic of the pitman arm...see if a drop pitman arm is installed? This can cause bump steer and make it very jittery when going over bumps and dips. Also lower the tire pressure to 26 PSI all around.

This is a dropped one
1574351021679.png

This is a normal one...the one you want
1574351098377.png
 
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I went back to stock suspension and light weight tires. Stock with stock tires is the easiest way to get a great ride plus better fuel economy. With 33s I got a best of 17mpg. With 7.50R16s I now get 22mpg. Thats an extra 100 miles between gas stops.
 
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Goatman said:
Do you know if you have the heavy or the light OME springs?
Most of what you feel in the Jeep comes from the rear axle. You are practically sitting on top of it. There is no need for a heavier antisway bar in the rear. Try moving the links to the farthest outboard hole. This will be the softest setting. But still probably stiffer than a stock bar. I have read here that the 9000 shocks are firmer on their softest setting than the 5000x springs are. How much up-travel do you have with the shocks. The wrong length shock can cause hard bottoming out even on a paved road.
Are you able to take some pics for us? Get at least all four corners showing the spring and shock at ride height. We should be able to see if something is obviously wrong.
Weight will make the TJ ride better, all things considered. It is like a pickup with no load in back. Add some load and the truck rides a lot smoother.
TJs are never going to be buttery smooth like a Lexus.
If all else fails, there are millions of women that would love to have a Jeep in the family.😁
Click to expand...
I do not know which OME springs they are. They were installed by the PO. If there is a way to tell, let me know...
I will try moving the rear swaybar link.
The Rancho shocks were those recommended to me (via email from Rancho) for the lift I have. They are P/N RS999241 for the rear and RS999239 for the front. It does not feel as though I am bottoming out on either the shocks or on the stops, or anything.
I measured the installed height of the springs and I confirm they correspond to 2" lift.
I have attached some pictures.
.IMG_2551.JPGIMG_2552.JPGIMG_2553.JPGIMG_2554.JPGIMG_2556.JPGIMG_2557.JPGIMG_2558.JPGIMG_2559.JPGIMG_2561.JPGIMG_2562.JPGIMG_2564.JPGIMG_2565.JPG
 
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Pull the boot down or off so we can see how much shock shaft is showing. If you remove it completely put a zip tie around the shock shaft and see how far up the shaft it moves during your drive. You may find that you are hitting the bump stops and or bottoming out the shocks. Rancho's run notoriously long and the adjustables are even longer than the 5000x.
 
Steel City 06 said:
How much distance do you have between the bumpstop and the pad? How much shock shaft is showing at ride height?
Take photos if you can.

Also, how much are you willing to spend for ride quality? New entry level shocks like the RS5000X would only be about $200, but high end shocks like the Fox would cost around $1000 (or more, depending upon options). The Fox shocks can even be tuned to your vehicle weight for the best possible ride.

(These questions apply to the original poster @Bullitt6283 as well)
Click to expand...
See the photos above of the bumpstops.

I don't know how if I could get new shocks "approved" 👩‍🦱 since I just bought these.

The ride quality is actually quite good. Out on the interstate it's good.
It's just that on roads with swales in them the wife complains about getting seasick....
 
Also, you might try stiffening the setting of the shocks. It sounds like they aren't damping the movement of the vehicle.

Looking at your bump stops its either of the above. Too long of a shock or not enough damping on the shocks.
 
jbar80 said:
It looks like you and I have a similar setup and I'm very happy with the way mine rides (and so is the wife). I have the heavy OME springs and RS5000X shocks on 32's. 29 psi seems a little high. I run my 32" cooper stt pros (mud tire) at 26 psi and usually see around 27 psi recommended for 32's so first thing you might do is drop the pressure down 2-3 psi and see what that does. Also, what is the load range on your tires? It should be a C load. D or E is for a heavier vehicle and many here will tell you those stiffer tires translate to a bumpy ride no suspension setup can fully compensate for. You'll get plenty of good advice on here.
Click to expand...
I have load range C tires.
I will try reducing the pressure....

I would not characterize my ride as "harsh" or "washboard" in nature. It's actually rather smooth. Except for when the pavement has long dips or swales in it, the side-to-side rock & roll starts.
.
 
xxdabroxx said:
Pull the boot down or off so we can see how much shock shaft is showing. If you remove it completely put a zip tie around the shock shaft and see how far up the shaft it moves during your drive. You may find that you are hitting the bump stops and or bottoming out the shocks. Rancho's run notoriously long and the adjustables are even longer than the 5000x.
Click to expand...
I'll check that. Thanks.
.
 
xxdabroxx said:
Pull the boot down or off so we can see how much shock shaft is showing. If you remove it completely put a zip tie around the shock shaft and see how far up the shaft it moves during your drive. You may find that you are hitting the bump stops and or bottoming out the shocks. Rancho's run notoriously long and the adjustables are even longer than the 5000x.
Click to expand...
X2. Slide those boots down. I suspect the shocks are too long for your lift and are bottoming out before your bump stops. At ride height, the length of exposed shaft MUST exceed the length from the pad on the lower spring perch to the bottom of the steel cup in which the bump stop foam piece sits (ignore the foam). Do you have the part numbers for the shocks you bought?
 
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