Gotta love Currie!

Chris

Administrator
Staff Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
Messages
70,955
Location
Florence, AZ
First off, I will say that along with producing some of the best (if not THE BEST) Jeep suspension and drivetrain parts available, the guys at Currie are also some of the nicest guys out there.

I was speaking with them today about which rear track bar I needed for my TJ and not only did they respond to my email within minutes, they also told me they'd send me some free shirts just because. We had a 10 minute conversation that further established why I love Currie so much.

I realize they are a bit expensive, but I can assure you that it's worth every penny when you see the quality, engineering and craftsmanship that goes into everything they make.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kevin E
I'm glad to hear this. I've been looking at a lot of parts for my TJ recently and it seems that Currie is very highly regarded.
 
I can't say enough good things about Currie. Really nice guys too if you ever get to talk with them.
 
Currie and Savvy (a Currie retailer that also makes their own products) are both highly regarded and, in my opinion, some of the industry leaders for TJ parts. Great people, great customer service, and even better products.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
Currie and Savvy (a Currie retailer that also makes their own products) are both highly regarded and, in my opinion, some of the industry leaders for TJ parts. Great people, great customer service, and even better products.

Yes, Savvy as well! Savvy and Currie collaborate a lot to my understanding. Pretty apparently since Savvy uses the Johnny Joints on their suspension products.

I still find it shocking how people can be content with running brands like Skyjacker and Rough Country when there's so many better options out there.
 
I know what you mean. Those brands are very much a beginner step in my opinion. They're great for someone just starting out. But I would never buy their 4" lifts (let alone the atrocious 6" lifts they sell).

My personal opinion on the subject of brand quality is to first stay open minded, but secondly, if I'm buying it, I'm gonna buy the highest quality part I can afford for what I need. And just like we talked about Chris, it helps to separate needs from wants. If I can avoid impulse buying things I just really want, I'll have the cash to buy top of the line things that I actually need.
 
And the thing with those 'beginner' lifts is that you end up wasting money on them only to realize what most of us have realized at some point: "Why in the hell did I spend money on this part when I should have done my research first?".

It's so hard to convince people who buy those 'beginner' lifts that eventually they'll just want (or need) to upgrade to a better lift and they could just avoid the hassle completely if they researched it in the first place.
 
Preaching to the choir my man. Haha but I agree. Personally, I wouldn't buy more than a BB from them. Most shocks from those companies leave something to be desired. The only other thing I would ever use them for is if they had a spring rate and height I needed - because it's pretty well agreed upon that, with few exceptions, springs are springs. And most of those companies have fixed their problems with springs sagging early.

But as far as other suspension and steering components go such as control arms and track bars, you couldn't pay me to install them onto my jeep. I have an open mind about products and won't discount a company until I've seen that they put out inadequate, or flat out piss poor parts. Because like you said, it's a lot more expensive to buy cheap then buy something from a reputable company, rather than just dishing out the cash the first time. You never know what else those cheap parts will take out with them.
 
Most of their crap is made in China which I don't like. I'm with you on the springs. As far as I understand for the most part springs are springs. The shocks that come with those kits are nothing short of garbage, that's the worst part about it. There's a reason it's called "ROUGH" Country!
 
You got that right about RC! And the fact of the matter is, with the availability of entry level gas shocks like Bilsteins and OME, it is beyond me why you wouldn't just save a little longer to buy the better shock. There's no reason, that I can think of at least, to run hydraulic shocks anymore.
 
You got that right about RC! And the fact of the matter is, with the availability of entry level gas shocks like Bilsteins and OME, it is beyond me why you wouldn't just save a little longer to buy the better shock. There's no reason, that I can think of at least, to run hydraulic shocks anymore.

No kidding. I bought a set of 4 Bilstein 5100 shocks for less than $350 with free shipping. That's pretty friggin' cheap, and they ride like an absolute dream.
 
I bet so. Quick question about the 5100's (sorry for the hijack). What's your opinion of how they handle small road imperfections?
 
I bet so. Quick question about the 5100's (sorry for the hijack). What's your opinion of how they handle small road imperfections?

I've had them for about 1500 miles so far and they perform excellent with small road imperfections. Honestly, for the price these have to be some of the best shocks out there. I was expecting a slightly rougher ride than stock with the lift and the shocks, but that's not so at all. It rides so much smoother than stock even over the potholes and rough terrain.

Well worth the money by far.
 
Gotcha. I like the 5100's because they are offered in such a variety of compressed and extended lengths. But I was hesitant on pulling the trigger on them after hearing some gripe about how they did over small imperfections. I think someone once said something like they'd handle a 4" deep pothole, but hit a dime in the road and you'd be able to tell if it was heads up or down. Either way I don't dislike my OME shocks, but whenever I outboard my rear shocks, Bilsteins as well as Fox will be major competitors. As usual though, the wallet is the limit…not the sky like some people would have you believe haha
 
But I was hesitant on pulling the trigger on them after hearing some gripe about how they did over small imperfections. I think someone once said something like they'd handle a 4" deep pothole, but hit a dime in the road and you'd be able to tell if it was heads up or down.

WTF??? That's not even the slightest bit true in my case. Whoever said that must have some other underlying issue. If you were local I'd take you for a spin in my TJ and you'd see that it rides smooth as hell no matter how big or little the imperfection.

I thought about an external reservoir shock, but that's a waste of money. Unless you do a ton of racing (i.e. Baja racing) where the shocks are under constant stress, an external reservoir shock might look cool, but it's a complete waste of money for what we use our TJs for.
 
WTF??? That's not even the slightest bit true in my case. Whoever said that must have some other underlying issue. If you were local I'd take you for a spin in my TJ and you'd see that it rides smooth as hell no matter how big or little the imperfection.

I thought about an external reservoir shock, but that's a waste of money. Unless you do a ton of racing (i.e. Baja racing) where the shocks are under constant stress, an external reservoir shock might look cool, but it's a complete waste of money for what we use our TJs for.
I have no underlying reason to be annoyed by Bilstein shocks and I've yet to test drive a set and I get to drive a lot of rigs and not be annoyed by their small event harshness. I tend to chalk it up to differences in how we perceive ride quality and some of us are just a bit pickier than others.

Also, I believe once you try a set of nicely tuned reservoir shocks, you'll be converted and wonder what took you so long.
 
I tend to chalk it up to differences in how we perceive ride quality and some of us are just a bit pickier than others.

This is what I was figuring the biggest difference was. Boils down to how picky someone is as well as what other parts they have on the jeep. If you've got CA's with crappy joints in them, differences in shocks aren't gonna be quite as apparent.

you'll be converted and wonder what took you so long.

This can be said for so many products it's not even funny.

As far as the resi shocks go, I have a question if you don't mind me picking your brain for a minute @mrblaine. I understand that they fade slower due to the reservoir. But what else about them makes them work the way they do? I understand gas laws and basic physics, so in that context, what exactly makes them better?
 
I have no underlying reason to be annoyed by Bilstein shocks and I've yet to test drive a set and I get to drive a lot of rigs and not be annoyed by their small event harshness. I tend to chalk it up to differences in how we perceive ride quality and some of us are just a bit pickier than others.

Also, I believe once you try a set of nicely tuned reservoir shocks, you'll be converted and wonder what took you so long.

Interesting. My Bilsteins ride so smooth I don't notice a single thing in the road around town unless it's a huge pothole or something obvious.

As for the reservoir shocks, I was always told they were overkill. Of course now you've got me thinking that maybe one day I'll try a set. Any suggestions on who makes a reasonably priced but high quality reservoir shock?
 
This is what I was figuring the biggest difference was. Boils down to how picky someone is as well as what other parts they have on the jeep. If you've got CA's with crappy joints in them, differences in shocks aren't gonna be quite as apparent.



This can be said for so many products it's not even funny.

As far as the resi shocks go, I have a question if you don't mind me picking your brain for a minute @mrblaine. I understand that they fade slower due to the reservoir. But what else about them makes them work the way they do? I understand gas laws and basic physics, so in that context, what exactly makes them better?

The first thing that happens when a shock cycles is it starts building heat from the friction of the piston moving inside the shock. The second thing is you have to have a way to deal with the variable displacement of the fluid due to one side of the piston having a shaft and the other side not. If you take a shock and fill it completely full of fluid with no room for expansion, the heat from movement and the piston shaft displacement will soon blow fluid out the seals and ruin them. There is also a variable reaction to the valving because you have displacement from the piston shaft and the movement of the piston acting upon the valving. So, you need room for the fluid to expand and the only way to do that is with a high pressure gas charge above the fluid. After a short period of hard work, the charge will get emulsified into the oil which then changes it's density which again acts upon the valving and changes how the shock responds. If you ever watch an emulsion shock on a shock dyno, the response is all over the place and nowhere nearly as predictable as a reservoir shock which has a piston with the oil on one side and the higher pressure gas charge on the other.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PStov98TJ
Interesting. My Bilsteins ride so smooth I don't notice a single thing in the road around town unless it's a huge pothole or something obvious.

They did yesterday, now you'll be looking for it and will wonder why you never noticed it before. ;)

As for the reservoir shocks, I was always told they were overkill. Of course now you've got me thinking that maybe one day I'll try a set. Any suggestions on who makes a reasonably priced but high quality reservoir shock?

Reasonable and quality are too subjective to answer. We use a lot of the Fox steel body stuff. Avoid the aluminum body at any price.

If you watch how it's made, you may have noticed the segment on aluminum cylinders. They are extrude forged and are never perfectly straight which is okay for a high pressure gas cylinder, not so much for a shock body that has a close tolerance piston and seals in it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris