Following up on a couple things. First, I logged a couple hundred more miles this weekend on the BlackMax shocks. I'm happy to report that I didn't see any additional oil residue on rear shock that I had previously seen. Also, as
@Mike_H did, I conducted a little non-scientific experimenting of my own. On a 8+ mile circuit, including a newly paved 4 lane road, a twisty and rolling hill backroad, and a two lane road with construction, I ran three sets of shocks back to back. Using the seat of the pants meter, here's what I found out:
Bilstein 5100 - these provided, by far, the harshest ride. On the 4 lane road you could tell the ride was firm, but it was manageable. On the twisty rolling hill road, the shocks were firm and only exhibited negative characteristics during abrupt changes in the road surface. When that happened the jarring sensation was noticeable, sometimes resulting in an unsettling feeling at the steering wheel. On a couple occasions, I let off the gas because I wasn't comfortable.
It wasn't until I got to the two lane road, with construction, that I realized just how bad of a fit the Bilstein 5100 shocks are for
my light TJ. The constant abrupt road changes made it so I was very uncomfortable driving at 45 mph or more. At one point, I hit a set of railroad tracks at speed and the rear rebound was so abrupt that the backend jumped a little sideways. Bottom line here, these shocks may be okay for a heavier rig, which mine is not!
Stock JK Rubicon - These were new take off shocks a buddy gave me. Like the Bilstein's, they are a gas charged shock, but not nearly as firm. Overall, they exhibited similar characteristics to the 5100, just not as harsh or severe. The two lane road with construction was not as scary to drive as the previous shocks, however, the train tracks resulted in a similar experience as before. Abrupt rebound, which translated to the rear lifting and shifting. Albeit, not as severe as the 5100.
BlackMax - Suffice it to say these are my new favorite "inexpensive" shock. They exhibited none of what I experienced with the previous two rides. They were firm enough that you could tell they were doing their job, but soaked up any abrupt road changes relatively easily. I was able to hit the railroad tracks at speed and didn't have to let off the gas, or feel uncomfortable at any point in the ride. The biggest question for these shocks is going to be, how do they hold up over time?
That said, shocks, like tires, wheels, etc. are subjective. There is no one size fits all. If you're the type that likes a super firm ride, these are not the shock you're looking for!