Jeep TJ 2006 Rubicon Manual - Lift and Shocks Question

CharlesUSF

CharlesUSF

New Member
Original poster
Joined
May 12, 2024
Messages
2
Location
Florida
This is my second TJ and first one with a lift and 6 cyl. The original owner put a Teraflex 3" lift and 9550 shocks on it at 30 original miles per carfax report. No further documentation. Car now has 46,000 miles and ride is a little wonky side to side over certain stuff and when I hit more than a bump it gets squirrelly. Otherwise it rides nice on flat surface. I decide its best to put in new shocks and jump into the 10k forum posts on the subject :rolleyes:. Having measured my ride height springs front and rear I get 15.25 Front and 12 rear. This means a 3.25" front lift and 4" rear lift when stock is 12 F / 8 R respectively. Now I check the 9550 shocks and the model # on their site says for 2-3" lift front and rear. Ok now I'm scratching my cockeyed head. :unsure: Looks like I have all stock control arms which is the beginning of my question as going over 3" says I need upgrade other components like control arms. Currently not in the budget and if it's been fine for 46k it should be fine with just new shocks.

Should I just get Bilstein 5100 3" all the way around or should I go 3" up front and 3.5-4" in the rear from Bilstein?

LMK if you need more information. Appreciate any help. Trying not to overthink this.
 
You may be experiencing bump steer. Make sure the previous owner didn't put a drop pitman arm on when they did the lift. you should be running the stock pitman arm.

You won't get much love for the Bilstein 5100 on this forum, they are not valved correctly for the lightweight TJ. I actually have them on my TJ with 4" lift and have been running them for quite a while, but it is because they were cheap and I am cheap. I will admit that they are a little harsh and will most likely go with something different in the future.
 
gasiorv said:
You may be experiencing bump steer. Make sure the previous owner didn't put a drop pitman arm on when they did the lift. you should be running the stock pitman arm.

You won't get much love for the Bilstein 5100 on this forum, they are not valved correctly for the lightweight TJ. I actually have them on my TJ with 4" lift and have been running them for quite a while, but it is because they were cheap and I am cheap. I will admit that they are a little harsh and will most likely go with something different in the future.
Click to expand...
Thank you for replying. My TJ has a stock pitman arm and my steering is 100% great. I fear I wasn't clear in my question. To clarify, I have lost the current shocks and the ride isn't very smooth (lots of play and rebound etc) and will replace them with Bilsteins. I've settled on the Bilsteins and have read enough on here to see most people differ on shocks based on application of street to Offroad to rock climbing and lift height.

My question is based on the lift height vs the Bilstein shocks I should buy. Am I exceeding stock components by getting 3.5-4" Bilsteins in rear? Is it ok to go 3" upfront with 3.5-4" in the rear? Or should I just go 3" Bilsteins all the way around which is basically what is on there now? Any info on this would be helpful.
 
Last edited:
You may be better with going back to read the 10,000 posts on the subject. I don't think anyone is going to recommend any shock based on what a shock OEM recommends for a lift on a website. You should cycle your axles from full bump to full extend and buy the shocks that will allow that travel. You will have to read those posts to figure out what is full bump and full extend and you may have to add/subtract stop and our limit your extension based on your setup.

But for your question as to whether or not 3.5-4" Bilstein's will require you to replace your control arms, it won't.
 
Top Bottom