Shock longevity: OEM vs OE replacements vs modified/lifted

merrill77

merrill77

05 LJ, 97 TJ, 77 FSJ
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Raleigh, NC
I am curious if there is any general wisdom about longevity of shocks available to us. The question arises from the 2 different experience on my TJ and LJ:

My TJ is a 97 that I've owned since 2000. It has a little over 150k miles and has lived its entire life in NC and been garaged for much of that time. Last year I replaced the OEM shocks for the first time. They were worn, but not to the point of the ride deterioration being particularly notable. It was kinda obvious from the bumper test, but not driving.

My LJ is an 05 that I've owned since August. It has a little over 55k miles and has lived its life in NM and CO. All indications are that previous owners babied it and it was garaged for much of its life. It has an old lift kit (Rancho?) - possibly from 2010 or earlier. The shocks may or may not be Rancho - they're white and that's about all I know. Except that they are now totally non-functional in a way that is obvious every minute driving it. They might only have about 35k miles on them. Certainly no more than 55k.

I find it interesting that my OEM shocks lasted so long while these aftermarket shocks had such a short life. Since I'm planning to replace and OEM (or OE spec) replacements won't be an option due to the lift, I'm wondering what kind of lifespan I should expect from replacements from the popular brands. I'm considering the Fox IFP shocks (that come in the Quadratec 2.5" kit) and the popular Rancho 5000x ... and would entertain other options. Daily driver with some mild off-road usage.

TIA!
Chris
 
Those "white ones" were probably Procrap bottom of the barrel ES3000's. Word is there are only a couple shock makers save the boutique brands like Fox. When I worked in the auto industry we'd get them by the pallet load and probably 20% of them were leaking and shot right out of the crate. Pretty sad and that was pre China syndrome. You get what you pay for I suppose.
 
I was in a pinch after I destroyed both of my rear Ranchos due to a combination of poor bumpstop math and lack of situational awareness. All they had on the shelf to fit were Procomps, they rode worse then my blown Ranchos & started leaking after a month.
 
I have had one rancho rs5000x leak out so much oil that it lost a noticeable amount of damping. This happened within 10,000 miles of use. Some shocks like Fox factory series 2.0’s are rebuildable and should therefore last forever.
 
If you pull both shocks, they aren't leaking and the resistance is about the same on both they are good as new. My RS5000X shocks feel bad and they aren't, just too soft for me. I'd pull them and cycle them by hand if you think they are bad, they probably are fine. Shocks are so ridiculously subjective, good luck on your search. If you have 5000X shocks and they test okay I wouldn't buy them again. Allot of people are suggesting Black Max but they are hydro, I can't imagine they work well on longer washboard roads, it's kinda why gas shocks were invented as far as I remember.
 
My foxes, according to the book, need to be rebuilt every 10k miles
 
pagrey said:
Allot of people are suggesting Black Max but they are hydro, I can't imagine they work well on longer washboard roads, it's kinda why gas shocks were invented as far as I remember.
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That can't be much of an issue in North Carolina.
 
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I’ve had two sets of Bilstein, the 4600’s, 5100’s, stock, KYB, Fox 2.0, and two sets of Rancho 5000X. As you can see, I change them frequently, so I have no idea how long any of them last. Rancho’s with a 50:50 bias ride the best IMO.
 
pagrey said:
If you pull both shocks, they aren't leaking and the resistance is about the same on both they are good as new. My RS5000X shocks feel bad and they aren't, just too soft for me. I'd pull them and cycle them by hand if you think they are bad, they probably are fine. Shocks are so ridiculously subjective, good luck on your search. If you have 5000X shocks and they test okay I wouldn't buy them again. Allot of people are suggesting Black Max but they are hydro, I can't imagine they work well on longer washboard roads, it's kinda why gas shocks were invented as far as I remember.
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Oh, I'm sure the shocks are shot. Besides failing the bumper test on the front, if I hit certain bumps over 50 mph with tire pressure under 33 lbs (cold), it sets off a totally un-dampened oscillation in the suspension. Death bounce, I would call it. Just had it in the local 4WD shop for an inspection and the tech said it was the worst riding LJ/TJ he's ever been in. Also thinks the rear shocks might be sticking badly or else things the spring rate on the rear is way too high.
 
merrill77 said:
Oh, I'm sure the shocks are shot.
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I was to, that's why I posted. If somebody told you the shocks are sticking I think you need to find a new somebody. I'm the type that finds second hand info bullshit, if I want to know how my shocks are I pull them and see. If you trust your mechanic then listen to them, I'm sure they'll have a good solution.
 
FWIW: Years back, OEM shocks were considered good enough to get the vehicle off the dealer's lot, and not much else. Kind of like OEM tires. My wife insisted on buying a '91 T-bird that had 36K miles on it in 1993 - its shocks were beyond shot. A brand new '86 Chevy C10's shocks were shot at 20K, and the tires were worn out by 15K. My father replaced the tires on his new '78 C30 well before 10K miles as they were bias ply and "ride like they're square" - and he replaced the OEM shocks about the same time. In all cases, the aftermarket shocks were better than the OEMs ever were, and lasted longer. Blah, blah, blah...

That doesn't seem to be the case these days - I just replaced the OEM shocks on my '06 TJ @ 130K. Yea, they needed replacing, and one of the rears didn't even self-extend anymore. But they weren't just horrid like the above mentioned ones were... *shrug*
 
pagrey said:
I was to, that's why I posted. If somebody told you the shocks are sticking I think you need to find a new somebody. I'm the type that finds second hand info bullshit, if I want to know how my shocks are I pull them and see. If you trust your mechanic then listen to them, I'm sure they'll have a good solution.
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Gotcha. That is good advice.

I don't know if I trust this particular shop or not (4WheelParts). They were highly recommended for doing an good job alignment on a Jeep by a guy I respect. That shop gave me a $4k quote to replace my aging 3" rancho lift with a 2" OME, stock control arms and do a bunch of other things: inner axle seals (one is obviously leaking), u-joints, RE sway bar disconnects (don't know why I need these?), RT Off-Road Heavy Duty Steering Kit (I have no steering problems) and alignment.

A friend who had done lifts on many Jeeps volunteered to help me and my 2 driving-age boys do a lift replacement - springs, shocks, control arms. The boys are both interested in doing this ... and one of them is in that "I have nothing to say to you" stage, so anytime he is interested in doing something other than staring at a screen, I pretty much jump on it. So it looks like I'll be doing the springs, shocks & control arms with them.

So at this moment, I have a set of BDS 2" springs, Rancho 5000x shocks, stock control arms (upper and lower) and stock pitman arm in my cart, ready to pull the trigger.
 
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