Hi all,
Recently got a TJ out here in Kenya and learned a lot from everyone posting in this forum. Very grateful!
Suspension has been tackled in various threads (I think I read all of them) but as a newbie I'm seeking specific advice if my reflection on previous posts makes any sense.
2003 TJ Sport - 4.0 - Dana 44 rear 3.73 - automatic - hardtop - completely stock apart from 30" Super Swamper TSL tires.
I believe shocks have been replaced in those 17 years but also with stock KYB Excel-G. The ride is far too harsh. I'm sure springs haven't seen replacement. I get 12" front and 7" rear spring length without any load, so probably a bit of sagging at the rear - not sure why only the rear...
This is daily driver + safari/bush car, but 90% of roads here is what you would call off-road anyway. Sometimes you could fit a whole TJ in a pothole on a highway. She will see a good bit of rugged terrain.
Whenever next abroad (Europe) I want to get some stuff to upgrade the suspension. I'm running 30" tires and not planning for 33" but want some extra clearance (perhaps 31/32" tires when these wear out - I don't fancy re-gearing). In general I need to plan ahead as I would need to get all spare parts from outside the country whenever I travel.
So here my current plan with pros and cons where it would be so great to get some feedback on:
Recently got a TJ out here in Kenya and learned a lot from everyone posting in this forum. Very grateful!
Suspension has been tackled in various threads (I think I read all of them) but as a newbie I'm seeking specific advice if my reflection on previous posts makes any sense.
2003 TJ Sport - 4.0 - Dana 44 rear 3.73 - automatic - hardtop - completely stock apart from 30" Super Swamper TSL tires.
I believe shocks have been replaced in those 17 years but also with stock KYB Excel-G. The ride is far too harsh. I'm sure springs haven't seen replacement. I get 12" front and 7" rear spring length without any load, so probably a bit of sagging at the rear - not sure why only the rear...
This is daily driver + safari/bush car, but 90% of roads here is what you would call off-road anyway. Sometimes you could fit a whole TJ in a pothole on a highway. She will see a good bit of rugged terrain.
Whenever next abroad (Europe) I want to get some stuff to upgrade the suspension. I'm running 30" tires and not planning for 33" but want some extra clearance (perhaps 31/32" tires when these wear out - I don't fancy re-gearing). In general I need to plan ahead as I would need to get all spare parts from outside the country whenever I travel.
So here my current plan with pros and cons where it would be so great to get some feedback on:
- General thinking: 2" lift so I can stay relatively 'simple'. I don't want to spend money on stock height replacement parts but need to work within limits of budget plus what parts can fit in a suitcase to travel with. Nothing specific will be available locally.
- Springs which determine height:
- H&R 1" springs
Pros: appear recommended + easy to get in Europe - Cons: Why spend the same money on 1" if I can get 2"? + They appear hard. I've emailed them and they say they are 220lbf/in (front) and 200lbf/in (back).
- OME 2.5"(ill-defined) springs
Pros: everyone loves them. Same prices as H&R and I get a bit more lift - Cons: Any? Apparently no one knows how high they will turn out.
Would I be right to order the 'light duty' 140lbf/in version? I don't have stuff at the back (even seats out and sometimes safari topless). One thing I don't understand is that the LD front (2932) is shorter than HD (18.89 in vs 19.48 in) but the rear (2941) is taller(?) - (15.35 in vs 14.96 in). It's very small amounts though and my hope would be that with the LD version I may not exceed 2" lift much - The OME 2.5" kit includes 0.5" spacers which I would not put so that equals 2" without? Is that 1st grade math wrong?.
- H&R 1" springs
- Shocks:
- Set on Rancho 5000X (I read in the forum that I should get stock length (0-2") (55128/55240) even with the OME 2.5" springs as the run long, correct? Anyone who runs the OME LD 2.5" with Rancho 5000X?
- Next: Splash $ out on an Currie/RockJock Anti-Rock Sway bar and be done. Some highly recommend this even at 2" lift, correct?
- That would be my plan in what can fit into my suitcase when travelling. Now, the further questions where advice would be fantastic!
- Assuming I go with the OME + Rancho - if I do get those famous vibes, then I could do a TC drop (easy to do, correct? and temporary) and then add 1" MML plus 0.5" BL, correct? (I'm not gonna fly with a drive shaft! - plus I don't really care about body lift and only doing it to accommodate MML, should I ?) Anything wrong in this thinking?
- From the picture you can see the bump stops have seen better days. For the 2" lift, do I extend them? What's the best way? Do I need OEM + extension or are there replacement ones that are longer?
- Do these body mounts need replacement? They are a bit cracked and very hard indeed.
- Assuming I go with the OME + Rancho - if I do get those famous vibes, then I could do a TC drop (easy to do, correct? and temporary) and then add 1" MML plus 0.5" BL, correct? (I'm not gonna fly with a drive shaft! - plus I don't really care about body lift and only doing it to accommodate MML, should I ?) Anything wrong in this thinking?
- That should be about $1,000 (give or take) overall incl Anti rock. What am I missing out here? Any views on this potential set up?
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Man I wish I could roll around Kenya in a TJ. Been all over the southern parts like (Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa) but wow that has to be quite something up there.
