A deep dive into a better ride
- Thread starter JeeperSleeper
- Start date
Part and parcel. I don't think specifically outboarding is the end all be all fix. It inherently does a few good things - it changes geometry, increases travel, and allows for longer travel shocks. Indirectly though, those longer travel shocks should also be more tunable. There is only so much tuning can do if you don't have shock travel to start with.
So then I am left were I am. I don't think there is much gain to be had by using other shocks or tuning shocks (ie good enough) unless I make other changes that allow me to start with a longer travel shock first. I can imagine the physics, but the mechanics would cause me to rapidly fall into paroting technobabble I don't understand. What I can do now is reduce noise and heat-which do nothing to change the ride, but should make the environment more pleasant.
So then I am left were I am. I don't think there is much gain to be had by using other shocks or tuning shocks (ie good enough) unless I make other changes that allow me to start with a longer travel shock first. I can imagine the physics, but the mechanics would cause me to rapidly fall into paroting technobabble I don't understand. What I can do now is reduce noise and heat-which do nothing to change the ride, but should make the environment more pleasant.
I would think a C rated tire would be better. Why did you go with E rated? Yikes!
I'd love to do this. In fact I've called rockjock before. I suppose I'll have to get my driveshafts resized and possibly change my rear track bar though. Yes I measure about 5.5". As well as new shocks. Gonna be about $900 but I'm willing to do that for a better ride as I plan on taking this jeep cross country. This would also give it a much better stance.
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I think you're definitely right on this, I've researched this so many times because I have wayy too much lift for my 33.5" tires.
Haha yeah I'll be honest I wasn't aware of the importance of C rating at the time. Next set will definitely be C rated...
What rear track bar are you running? Did you have the front shaft changed? I would not worry about shocks until you have got your desired ride height and see what the travel spit is with the shocks you have.
RE adjustable rear track bar with an RE track bar mount to level it out a bit. I do have an Adam's driveshaft in the front and Tom woods in the rear. (Rear I changed, front came with jeep.)
That stuff will probably still work RE used the same track bar and bracket from 3.5-5.5 inches.
Welcome to the forum. San Diego is a beautiful place.
Two questions for you to ponder about.(and no need to answer immediately, this is just to get you thinking).
How serious are you in your quest for "better ride"? Both time wise and budget wise. Because .. to fully understand, internalize and then finally implement what needs to be done to get the best ride, you have to invest some time wading through the debris field of misinformation online and get to the right information and really understand it. You have a pretty good start in mentioning outboards and tuned shocks, but even within that envelope there is a right way and plenty of ways to get it wrong that will screw up the ride quality.
Second, do you fully and clearly understand that the everything in the Jeep suspension works together as a system? And without properly addressing everything that needs to be addressed, there is always something left behind on the table? There is absolutely nothing wrong in making compromises. But you should know why and where you are making said compromises.
"Best" is never easy, but like has been said, the information and the knowledge is out there if you search for it with the right mindset.
I recently bought a second TJ. It came with E-rated 32” tires. Compared to my LJ driving the short wheelbase, close to stock TJ sucked. Bumpy, darty, etc. I played around with the air pressure all the way down to 20psi. It rode so bad, I gave up and swapped them out for C-rated tires, same brand with similar tread. Made a world of difference. Tires are your first suspension and also the easiest to tune. Get your tires sorted before diving into the rest of the suspension.
Cheers
Steve
Cheers
Steve
I had the same issue. Tried four different shocks but the ride was always poor. Blaine outboarded my shocks and I’m super thankful for the improvement.
It's not just the "C" rating. According to your profile you're running Nitto Trail Grapplers. Having gone through something similar with my TJ, I discovered the the "C" rated MTs I was running made my ride untolerable for daily driving. That said, Nittos are notorious for being stiff and heavy. In my case, I switched to an A/T tire and the noise and ride improved dramatically. That said, tires are more of a factor than most think.
Intolerable
adjective
not tolerable; not capable of being borne or endured
I'm waiting for the day somebody figures out how to swap a TJ body onto a modded UTV. With 24"+ of suspension travel in stock form, surely it could be interesting...
Not to beat a dead horse but E rated will definitely contribute to stiff as a board. I noticed a big (read worse ride quality) difference going from C to D....I couldn't imagine E.
Lots of people including me run E rated tires without having a shitty ride. The load rating may be an an important factor with some specific tires but is way overblown in general.
This is my situation right now, my LJR has e rated tires from 2011 and old man emu shocks. The amount of roughness is just unacceptable to me when going over bumps like railroad tracks, raised indentations, and potholes. It literally feels like a c rated tire would at 38 psi, except I'm using 28. First, I'm getting c rated tires and then if that doesn't do the trick new rancho rs5000x shocks all the way around. And by new I mean the ones that have been sitting on my shelf since the summer of 2020.
They are for 2.5 inches lift and the OME lift I currently have is 2.5 inches, so should be a good fit but I'll find out when I cycle everything.Similar threads
