I come from a sport car background and always aired my tires at 80% of the max(even on my older beetles) and the stiffer suspension works for me. Comparing this TJ to the JKU with Adams shocks(pretty sure they were zone shocks) and the CJs with skyjackers or stock KYB/Monroe) I like the ride of the TJ better. More assured and doesn't feel like a boat on the road. That drives me crazy. That driving a boat feel. I feel a tighter, responsive suspension is where it should be.
Which Bilstein 5100s for OME light duty springs?
- Thread starter clunker
- Start date
mrblaine;31485322 said:For the record, my opinion of Bilstein has probably irritated more folks than should be legal and I just use their opinion of them as a barometer to show how well they judge ride quality.
mrblaine;31472962 said:If you can tolerate the Bilsteins, that will invalidate any discussion you and I may have from now on.
Folks tend to brag about how nicely they eat up the larger events while failing to mention accurately in the same breath they are real handy at determining if a quarter is heads or tails simply by passing a tire over it.
Small event harshness is quite annoying to me.
Jeep suspensions arent mercedes suspensions for one.
You really have to ask someone thats tried both. Not just someone that's run bilsteins only. Ive read alot on here from guys that have run numerous shocks. And like 98% of them prefer the rancho. Ive also read alot of great reviews of other shocks tjat arent rancho. But the poster has only used those one other than rancho shocks.
I went from stock shocks or whatever my po had on - to ranchos. Based on the hundreds of recs here. And can tell u from my experience. That it improved my ride night and day. It went from damn near a covered wagon. To a normal car almost. But again, ask someone tjats tried several. They are all over this forum.
I will say i have not witnessed major better handling airing down. But i also have 17 inch rims. So maybe the narrower sidewall has something to do with it. There is an improvement. But not like that that comes with ranchos.
Even with ranchos. My Jeep drives like a Jeep. But ALOT better than without the ranchos. It drives like a covered wagon without them.
Alot of guys drive d or e rated tires too. And swear by them. But those are the only tires they've ran. So they may not know the difference.
That's exactly it - I need to try them back to back, and in practical terms that ain't gonna happen. I'm gonna have to make a decision at some point. The crux is that expectations differ, one person's "wonderful ride" is another person's float-boat - or "jittery" for that matter. I have no idea what is on the Jeep at the moment, heavily rusted things that may be the originals for all I know. They ride OK, but are a bit "boaty". What drives me nuts ride wise is when a vehicle gets into a side-to-side sharp rocking motion - which shocks are better at mitigating that I have no idea...
The Ranchos. That was exactly my complaint prior to switching to Ranchos. And it solved that problem very well.
Thats what i meant by covered wagon. It would jog side to side if i hit any driveway or speed bump not directly straight.
Dont get me wrong jeeps will always flop around top heavy a bit when hitting a dip or bump sideways. But the ranchos mitigate that alot.
The PO of my TJ had some shocks on there. Painted a few times over. I want to say there were stock, but who knows. Jeep felt fine. Once I added the bilsteins, night and day difference. No other changes. Once I added the OME springs, boy, so much better.
Similar threads
