Right, shocks get hot to the point of fade under multiple rapid compressions, as in desert racing. I don’t see our Shocks reaching that while crawling.
All in the name of science
- Thread starter hosejockey61
- Start date
I've had mine to the point of where they were VERY warm to the touch but never where they were so hot I couldn't touch them.
They will all get warm, which is normal, even very warm.
In the name of science... From what I understand, and very well could be misunderstanding, fox IFP shocks are not "tunable". So the ones that Savvy, BDS, JKS sell have a factory tune, and that's it. They're isn't any way to open that shock back up and change the shims. IFP shocks are the single body, non remote reservoir ones.
If you jump up to the performance series, with remote reservoirs, they can be tuned. The shim availability isn't as great and the tools required are fragile and expensive. Most tuners don't want to touch them. I've also heard the aluminum tubes are drawn to size and and don't have as nice of a fit to the piston, so the valving could change through stroke. Again... Hearsay, do your own research.
Once you get to the race series or factory, or however fox labels them, you're well into tunable shocks. The bodies are steel and I assume machined on the ID so the fit of the piston is much more consistent. The tools to rebuild them are easily sourced and not real special. Like if you buy a tank of nitrogen and theshims, it's not hard to take them apart and play with tuning at home (or rebuild them).
I did some research into this at one time, looking to source some used performance series RR shocks. They are always for sale around me but they are generally for JKU's or diesel pickups. The valving would be way off... So I would need to rebuild and tune them myself. Not a turnoff by itself, but I didn't think the aluminum bodies would be worth it in the long run.
If you jump up to the performance series, with remote reservoirs, they can be tuned. The shim availability isn't as great and the tools required are fragile and expensive. Most tuners don't want to touch them. I've also heard the aluminum tubes are drawn to size and and don't have as nice of a fit to the piston, so the valving could change through stroke. Again... Hearsay, do your own research.
Once you get to the race series or factory, or however fox labels them, you're well into tunable shocks. The bodies are steel and I assume machined on the ID so the fit of the piston is much more consistent. The tools to rebuild them are easily sourced and not real special. Like if you buy a tank of nitrogen and theshims, it's not hard to take them apart and play with tuning at home (or rebuild them).
I did some research into this at one time, looking to source some used performance series RR shocks. They are always for sale around me but they are generally for JKU's or diesel pickups. The valving would be way off... So I would need to rebuild and tune them myself. Not a turnoff by itself, but I didn't think the aluminum bodies would be worth it in the long run.
Last edited:
I’m not 100% sure either, however going off accutune it seems like IFP are.
This is really good info. So while it appears the performance 2.0 IFP are tunable, it sounds like its really a pain to do it and most people don't want to mess with it.
This also explains why Accutune doesn't tune the IFP. I called them at one time and they will only tune the Resi shocks.
@Lou - what was your experience with Accutune. Why such displeasure with them. They seem to be well respected on other Jeep (JK&JL) forums.
Accutune says on their “tuning options” page that they do not tune IFP shocks
They say this on the IFP page
"Our Jeep TJ, LJ and XJ shocks feature special AccuTune Valving that delivers a super smooth ride and still allows you to play in the whoops. These shocks will transform your ride into a confidence inspiring offroad machine. Not all IFP shocks are available with AccuTune Valving, call to learn more."
Yes, it does not appear they "Tune" them they buy them with certain valving.
They weighed my jeep, put together a tune, and when i wasnt super thrilled about my shocks, they didnt want to go for a ride in my jeep to see what i was talking about. They told me "they should be great", yet i wasnt very satisfied. The shocks felt very "loose" and they were not doing a good job at soaking up the small stuff on the road.
Are we making assumptions or did they tell you they special order IFP shocks to their spec?
It's an assumption but it seems clear with what they wrote they don't tune them especially when combined with what Starkey posted above.
I have no dog in this hunt.
Thanks @starkey480 and @Apparition - I wasn't sure since they're kind of talking both sides of this. I don't mind my FOX in the factory location, but I know they could be better 
.
.
I haven't seen any, and the ones that I thought could be aren't. IMO by time you spend the money there you're probably pretty close to an outboard anyway though.
I don't think finding the shock is the problem. Finding the tuner is the problem. I'm pretty sure Savvy was having Wayne tune their Fox IFP before they were having Fox do it. Comments earlier in this thread also lead me to believe that Full Stack Motorsports said they can be tuned but they don't do it because of the cost of tools and the difficulty in doing it.
Also, I know that Bilstien makes a retrofit kit so that 5160s can be rebuilt. If it can be rebuilt it can be re-tuned. But you have to find the guy to do it. I think most people looking at custom tunes start with a better shock so they can get a better tune.
For me, as much as I dream about a custom tune, I doubt it will ever happen. I'm very happy with the tune on the Bilstein 5100s I just installed. For me they are almost perfect. My only complaint is that the rear is just a tad too soft. Yes, you read that correct. Its too soft. I know the common knowledge on the forum is you can tell if a coin is heads or tails, but thats not my experience. Your mileage may vary.
Yes, or there used to be. I've installed many of them in off the shelf and tuned versions.
OP
That was my experience with Bilstein. I did not experience the heads or tails anaolgy. I thought it rode pretty damn good and did well off road. But my Jeep was heavier then. Now with it lighter, they do feel a bit more stiff even though they are old.
Its not that the IFP shocks are not tunable. its just there is a small profit margin. The 2.0 fox shocks all use the same shims, but the piston is different. Extra labor is involved because (at least on the new version) you have to have a special tool that's hard to come by to recharge the shocks. Without that tool you can drill and tap a schrader fill valve, but again, lots more time and labor.
You can see the shock shaft and piston on my work bench. (Ignore the rest of the stuff, I was showing a friend how to use a FID) Changing the shims will tune the shock like any other, but its my understanding, that most of the tune in these shocks comes from the piston itself and changing shims will have less effect. The piston could be replaced with a standard 2.0 but again, more cost and labor... before long, its more cost effective to just upgrade to 2.0 smoothie with reservoir.
You can see the shock shaft and piston on my work bench. (Ignore the rest of the stuff, I was showing a friend how to use a FID) Changing the shims will tune the shock like any other, but its my understanding, that most of the tune in these shocks comes from the piston itself and changing shims will have less effect. The piston could be replaced with a standard 2.0 but again, more cost and labor... before long, its more cost effective to just upgrade to 2.0 smoothie with reservoir.