A deep dive into a better ride

[JeeperSleeper]

A picture of my dad in my TJ^

Anyways, I've owned my TJ for about four years now. I've been very meticulous with it and one thing I could never get right is the ride. I am currently running around a 4" short arm RE lift with the rancho 5000X shocks. This lift came with the TJ. I have the tires at 27psi. I daily drive my TJ and if I want to keep it for years to come I'd like to address this. My Jeep is light with a soft top and aluminum rear bumper.
Should I outboard and have shocks valved? Should I buy a long arm kit?( Haha kidding) I've followed Nick's yellow jeep build thread and saw Mr Blaine outboarded his shock towers and valved fox shocks. Would that be my best option?

Thank you for reading all of this!

 

[PNW_LJ]

I’m not an expert on ride quality, and I’m sure others will chime in.

Just from what you’ve said, shocks, tire pressure, sounds like you should have a good setup. What’s your frame of reference?
A TJ is never going to ride like a Cadillac, but sure is gonna ride better than a ‘87 Samurai.

 

[KennethS]

I’m going on 20 years of daily driving with an OME lift and 32” tires. What are your concerns with your setup?

I daily drive my TJ and if I want to keep it for years to come

 

[JeeperSleeper]

I’m going on 20 years of daily driving with an OME lift and 32” tires. What are your concerns with your setup?

It's mainly the rear end of the jeep. It has literally caught air slowly going over a speed bump. It's stiff as a board. I assume this is due to not having a lot of weight on the rear.

 

[Irun]

Are you running an "E" rated mud terrain tire?

 

[jjvw]

Getting good shocks with a good tune will transform the way the Jeep behaves.

 

[Brianj5600]

It's mainly the rear end of the jeep. It has literally caught air slowly going over a speed bump. It's stiff as a board. I assume this is due to not having a lot of weight on the rear.

You are lucky to have shock tuners close to you. For me to ship from Tennessee and back was is crazy expensive. I was referred to Alltech, but never sent them to be tweaked.

 

[TheBoogieman]

Are you running an "E" rated mud terrain tire?

E rated AT.

 

[Blackjack]

Do you know which RE lift you have?

 

[JeeperSleeper]

E rated AT.

Yes they are E rated Mats which I understand is overkill.

 

[JeeperSleeper]

Getting good shocks with a good tune will transform the way the Jeep behaves.

Where can I get this done?

Do you know which RE lift you have?

unfortunately I don't, I've tried to find it. Although when I measured my coils it came out to around 5" of actual lift. A little bit of rake in the front but not too much.

 

[Blackjack]

unfortunately I don't, I've tried to find it. Although when I measured my coils it came out to around 5" of actual lift. A little bit of rake in the front but not too much.

My guess is that you have RE1355 front and RE1360 rear and in my experience they typically net 5-5.5 inches of lift and have the rates to match. This is one time I will tell you that changing out springs for something like Rockjock will likely make a difference.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Are your rear shocks the right length for the lift you actually got back there? Does the shaft normally sit at about half of the travel?

If the shocks are too long, they'll fully compress and thump hard as the axle goes up. Too short and they'll fully extend and thump hard as the axle goes down. Your mention of speed bumps brought that to mind.

 

[TheBoogieman]

his is one time I will tell you that changing out springs for something like Rockjock will likely make a difference.

In ride quality or his wallet getting lighter?

 

[Blackjack]

In ride quality or his wallet getting lighter?

Ride quality. That RE lift sucks all the way around. It is 1-1.5 inches taller than 4 inches which is the generally accepted max height for short arms. The front spring rate is 35-40 pounds higher and the rear springs are 10-15 pounds higher than a majority of four inch springs on the market. And if the OP used the Rancho shocks that are typically recommended for four inches of lift the travel bias will be most likely be off as well.

 

[mousehunter]

I want to believe that the best ride would probably be accomplished via outboarding with property tuned shocks. But the real question is your cost/benefit. Sometimes there is a fairly large price difference between best and good enough. Personally I am dealing with other issues first. When I get them fully settled down, I will have to think about it again myself. My Jeep rides "good enough" right now - but I think time/effort on sound and thermal insulation will make the driving experience more enjoyable. Once I have done everything else I want to do, then I can consider outboarding more fully. I am kind of spoiled though - While my LJ can probably do more than my wife's JLURD, Hers is more enjoyable on a 5hr road trip. I want to deal with that next-not to equal it, but just close the gap some. Being able to take out the ear plugs would be nice.

 

[TheBoogieman]

Ride quality. That RE lift sucks all the way around. It is 1-1.5 inches taller than 4 inches which is the generally accepted max height for short arms. The front spring rate is 35-40 pounds higher and the rear springs are 10-15 pounds higher than a majority of four inch springs on the market. And if the OP used the Rancho shocks that are typically recommended for four inches of lift the travel bias will be most likely be off as well.

RE lifts have always sucked. Although 18 years ago people thought they were top of the heap on these forums

 

[TheBoogieman]

While my LJ can probably do more than my wife's JLURD, Hers is more enjoyable on a 5hr road trip.

Nothing is going to change that, short of dropping the LJ off with @mrblaine.

 

[Mike_H]

Nothing is going to change that, short of dropping the LJ off with @mrblaine.

Disagree. His philosophy is on point, and duplicating that is not impossible to do on your own. Few have the stubbornness to follow thru though

 

[Brianj5600]

Nothing is going to change that, short of dropping the LJ off with @mrblaine.

He doesn't tune shocks. I don't think the outboard is the fix, but the shock tuning is the biggest factor.