How to make the best on-road TJ/LJ

Fire814 said:
Is there a link on how to take a console out of a 2006 with auto trans? I am going to do the sound proofing also.
Any tricks to getting the seats out?
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The front half of the console is held on by two bolts. One in the front cup holder, under the rubber insert, the other under the transmission bezel cover, which lifts out. The back half of the console has a bolt on the backside in that cup holder, and inside the console, I believe.

The seats are held in with four bolts on each front seat, and the rear seat by a quick release bracket in the rear. Piece of cake.
 
I just drove 280 miles in my '03 manual Rubicon with hard doors and soft top, after working 10 hours wide open .

Drove 65-70 with one hand around big trucks , at night . It tracks like it's on rails.

Here's my set up-

Ranchos
Ko2 a/t with 26 psi
Rough country long arm
4" lift
Spicer u -joints front to rear
Bead lock rims
Adjustable track bars for and aft
Fresh sway bar link bushings
4:56 gears

So , what really makes it drive well...the odometer is a lot of it ..26,900 miles.

And grease...all over .

Also avoiding deep mud and not slamming into things.

These things can drive great , and more sound deadening will definitely help .

Ever notice when you drive your jeep with the top off the wild noises you occasionally hear from other cars that the drivers seem oblivious to? That's sound deadening.

A lot of threads on here about strange noise problems are probably not as much
Issues as they are the fact the driver can hear the drivetrain so well.

At least with a Jeep...you know if something has gone bezerk fast.

They will never be Suv quiet and smooth ,in my opinion, due to design and purpose.
 
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Fire814 said:
Is there a link on how to take a console out of a 2006 with auto trans? I am going to do the sound proofing also.
Any tricks to getting the seats out?
Click to expand...

You’ll have to remove the auto shift handle and the plastic gear indicator. To remove the handle you just pull up on it. Surprisingly simple technique, but it can take some force.

Be very careful when removing the plastic gear indicator. Pry gently so that it doesn’t break. Mine was very brittle and did not survive.
 
jchadscud said:
You’ll have to remove the auto shift handle and the plastic gear indicator. To remove the handle you just pull up on it. Surprisingly simple technique, but it can take some force.

Be very careful when removing the plastic gear indicator. Pry gently so that it doesn’t break. Mine was very brittle and did not survive.
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Ouch, were you able to repair it?
How would you pry it off without breaking it? Is there one side or corner to start on?
 
My wrangler, with 136,000 miles on her, broken down drivers seat and factory stereo is fine for long trips (and I have an Audi Q5 to compare it to, so yes, I do know what a "nice" car is like). I have spent 10 hours behind the wheel at a clip. No biggie. In fact, I was less fatigued in my wrangler than I was in my F150 with all the nice stuff. Granted, I have A/C and Cruise, full carpet, and a nice, tight hardtop. Yes, more sound damping would be nice, and if it were my daily, I would add it. The big thing to to make it solid...try to get rid of squeaks and rattles. Make sure you don't feel resonance or extra vibrations after a bump. Pay attention to up travel. Good tires, Good Shocks, and make sure your pivot points are not worn out. Keep it Tight...

A stop every couple hours for stretching goes a LONG way toward making long car trips manageable too.
 
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Ranger_b0b said:
My wrangler, with 136,000 miles on her, broken down drivers seat and factory stereo is fine for long trips (and I have an Audi Q5 to compare it to, so yes, I do know what a "nice" car is like). I have spent 10 hours behind the wheel at a clip. No biggie. In fact, I was less fatigued in my wrangler than I was in my F150 with all the nice stuff. Granted, I have A/C and Cruise, full carpet, and a nice, tight hardtop. Yes, more sound damping would be nice, and if it were my daily, I would add it. The big thing to to make it solid...try to get rid of squeaks and rattles. Make sure you don't feel resonance or extra vibrations after a bump. Pay attention to up travel. Good tires, Good Shocks, and make sure your pivot points are not worn out. Keep it Tight...

A stop every couple hours for stretching goes a LONG way toward making long car trips manageable too.
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Good points.

Does anyone have experience with reservoir shocks and or outboarding? Do these changes (although pricey) make a noticeable difference to drive comfort? Are adjustable shocks beneficial in that manner? I get how everything is a cost benefit analysis and the ranchos give a great ride for the cost and I'm happy with mine, but I'm curious with changing some things around can we go from a rides good to a rides great.
 
tomtaylz said:
...Does anyone have experience with reservoir shocks and or outboarding? Do these changes (although pricey) make a noticeable difference to drive comfort?...
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Post #36. Yes, there is an off-the-shelf reservoir shock that provides a noticeable difference in comfort and road performance.​
 
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So I talked to Blaine for long term goals for myself, he said first it's important to dial in everything you have. Things like we talk about a lot and I mentioned in the first post: making sure all the steering components are tight and working, having the right load tires, good shocks. And then I was picking his brain about getting the "best", what they use to really dial in on-road performance is outboarding the shocks and then they use 12" fox shocks with remote reservoir (not sure the exact model) and tune it to get it where they want it.

I asked about his Mid-Arm for road performance (note: theres a lot of things the mid-arm gives you for off-road use) and he said that most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference on-road between the Mid-Arm and a short arm
 
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Suspension seat came up by one poster at least, that’s what I was wondering about. Does anyone have any experience with suspension seat improving on road drivability over long distances?

I’m also thinking about the sound dampening material. If anyone has any good suggestions on what really works well please post!

TJ feels nice and tight after last years modifications to my steering components and shocks. I’m very pleased. I wish I had cruise control. I wish it wasn’t so hard to get up into the jeep.
 
I’ve been doing research to justify putting a long arm kit on my tj since it spends more time on the street than it does on the dirt once I get there. Everything I’ve seen or heard has said ride quality is greatly improved because of better geometry. I watch any 4x4 tv show I can too. Ian Johnson was on Extream 4x4 and one of his favorite things is a suspension seat to cut down on bouncing around in the seat. I agree with the sound deadening stuff not necessarily for the noise but it helps reduce the amount of heat getting into the Jeep from exuast, catalytic converter, and muffler. Heat equals fatigue. Of course all of the before mentioning of tire and shock combos.
 
twp1963 said:
I’ve been doing research to justify putting a long arm kit on my tj since it spends more time on the street than it does on the dirt once I get there. Everything I’ve seen or heard has said ride quality is greatly improved because of better geometry. ...
Click to expand...

Don't be misled by the marketing. Long arm kits in and of themselves do not improve anything. The geometry they advertise is not the geometry that matters, and the geometry they do have is not good geometry.
 
I love driving my TJ on the highways. I used to commute 80 miles daily and I actually enjoyed the ride. A few years ago I had a Suzuki Samurai that I also took on long trips. The worst was a trip from Austin Texas to Chicago in the winter. We got caught in a storm with high winds and the vehicle would oscillate any time I went over 50 mph. It was rough to say the least. The Jeep rides like a Cadillac in comparison.
 
JMT said:
Suspension seat came up by one poster at least, that’s what I was wondering about. Does anyone have any experience with suspension seat improving on road drivability over long distances?

I’m also thinking about the sound dampening material. If anyone has any good suggestions on what really works well please post!

TJ feels nice and tight after last years modifications to my steering components and shocks. I’m very pleased. I wish I had cruise control. I wish it wasn’t so hard to get up into the jeep.
Click to expand...

I think what I’m going to try and do for sound dampening when the time comes is dynamat on tub and in the doors, and then bed rug on top of that. And I have what looks like sort of a home made headliner on my hardtop but I want to put some more material around the windows so there’s no white showing. Not sure how the bed rug will do on top of dynamat bug I’ll see.
 
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tomtaylz said:
I think what I’m going to try and do for sound dampening when the time comes is dynamat on tub and in the doors, and then bed rug on top of that. And I have what looks like sort of a home made headliner on my hardtop but I want to put some more material around the windows so there’s no white showing. Not sure how the bed rug will do on top of dynamat bug I’ll see.
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This uses fat mats which is another brand but same idea

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jjvw said:
Don't be misled by the marketing. Long arm kits in and of themselves do not improve anything. The geometry they advertise is not the geometry that matters, and the geometry they do have is not good geometry.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info.
 
tomtaylz said:
I think what I’m going to try and do for sound dampening when the time comes is dynamat on tub and in the doors, and then bed rug on top of that. And I have what looks like sort of a home made headliner on my hardtop but I want to put some more material around the windows so there’s no white showing. Not sure how the bed rug will do on top of dynamat bug I’ll see.
Click to expand...
I was thinking Bed Rug Or Tred on top too. That stuff is nice
 
JMT said:
Suspension seat came up by one poster at least, that’s what I was wondering about. Does anyone have any experience with suspension seat improving on road drivability over long distances?

I’m also thinking about the sound dampening material. If anyone has any good suggestions on what really works well please post!

TJ feels nice and tight after last years modifications to my steering components and shocks. I’m very pleased. I wish I had cruise control. I wish it wasn’t so hard to get up into the jeep.
Click to expand...
Havent done the research...but quick search found this.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/body-chassis/1708-how-to-insulate-and-silence-your-jeeps-interior/
 
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