What do I need to put coilovers on my TJ?
- Thread starter Blubicon.LJ
- Start date
What (if any) are the reasons I see (in the magazines) the REI air shocks? No more spring, no more shock, just a simple (looking) install that takes up little space and seems like a fairly easy fabrication job.
There must be a reason for these. All I know about air shocks was on my fox body Merc Capri to stop my foolishly oversized tires and rims in the back from being cut up by the fender. They rode like a tractor (no disrespect to tractors) and cornered even worse.
Are they an "upgrade" or an answer to a problem that doesn't exist?
There must be a reason for these. All I know about air shocks was on my fox body Merc Capri to stop my foolishly oversized tires and rims in the back from being cut up by the fender. They rode like a tractor (no disrespect to tractors) and cornered even worse.
Are they an "upgrade" or an answer to a problem that doesn't exist?
Acting as the suspension and doing the damping, the issue with an air shock is the response and ride height change dramatically in temp swings. We get cold nights and warm days in the winter in JV. Rigs with air shock will be essentially sitting on the bumps in the mornings before they warm back up.
So are you saying just switching out your rear shocks took care of the bottoming out. Just wondering because I like you are running a 4" Currie with a heavy rear bumper.
I can definitely see that. That old Capri could be two inches (IIRC) higher from a cold morning to a warm lunchtime.
Aside from that what reason for doing this? I only see it on really high dollar builds. But it looks to me as a way to do coilovers on the cheap. So I must be missing something. Do they have any advantage over a coil over? Or even a good spring/shock setup?
The only way to do coil overs on the cheap is to find cheap coil overs. An air shock is not a coil over so it isn't an apples to apples comparison. Had you said cheap suspension without shocks and coils, then you are correct.
There are these things, but they are the same cost as a 12" Fox RR coil over with DSC adjusters
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/shocks/stx-12-ori-stx-strut-12in-stroke
I would rather just have the foxes
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/shocks/stx-12-ori-stx-strut-12in-stroke
I would rather just have the foxes
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NotsowildTJ
New Member
Like I mentioned, I tried different springs first thinking the Currie springs were just soft. But doing that changed nothing.
Someone mentioned I was possibly experiencing shock fade and advised that I feel how hot the shock was the next time I bottomed out by placing my hand around the fluid end. Sure enough, the 5100s in the rear were super hot to the touch.
I felt the fronts and they were no where near as hot.
I picked up and installed set of 5160s for the rear that week, and did the same trail the next weekend. Problem solved.
Now I never looked into the why. Was it due to different valving, or the added fluid volume, or both?
Not sure, all I know is it doesn’t bottom out anymore.
Yes these. What is the advantage of going this route? I've only seen them on high budget builds. Other than getting to easily adjust ride height, why are they used?
Adding or subtracting nitrogen in one of the Schrader valves changes compression and rebound, adding to the other valve changes height. Makes tuning on the trail easy, small package, internal bumpstop, hydraulic and nitrogen combo, apparently they don’t need a sway bar (doubt it)
Ok. They seem to make more sense than a coilover. No need to try a handful of different weight springs or a dozen various shock valvings.
Whole lot more than just the air shock I thought they were. Thanks for the info.
Whole lot more than just the air shock I thought they were. Thanks for the info.
Lilnuts
TJ Enthusiast
What kind of cost is it to convert to CO's with stock axles?
Does the front conversion require frame mods as extensive as the rear?
Could you do just the rear?
If so what to budget for that?
Does the front conversion require frame mods as extensive as the rear?
Could you do just the rear?
If so what to budget for that?
The front is already outboard of the frame. Moving the mounts around is a thing. Use of the term when describing both the front and rear is for the sake of brevity since the idea is to get longer, nicer shocks to fit where they couldn't before.
I see lots of discussions on here about rear outboarding and other than coilovers no mention of anything for the front.
Most of the time it's just implied.
If you're going to outboard, you're going to raise the front towers at the same time.
i thought JW offered a kit to do just that, not sure i've seen any others. that kit is pretty slick. don't remember what it cost.
last time i called they had given up on making the back 1/2 kits. seems he's not restocking slow moving items to often.
last time i called they had given up on making the back 1/2 kits. seems he's not restocking slow moving items to often.
Some people create art that you can stand in front of and admire. Then there are people like this that create art you can both stand in front of and admire, then get in it and drive. A true thing of beauty!
i placed an antirock, still gotta tie that to the axle. they will be tried with the AR and with it disco'd, might not be real soon with all this RONA crap, but i'll try it both ways as soon as i can get to the ORV park.