baja type suspension?

M

Mopar It

NAXJA Forum User
Location
windsor nor-cal
got an 89 xj 5 speed 4.0L 4x4. want to do some trail/dirt racing around here some mild bumps and might get a bit of air off some jumps and ive been looking for a suepsnion for my jeep. i want 3.5" or 4" lift and then i plan on putting a coil spacer up front to give it more flex/travel so my tires dont rub and so it gives it that raked look. and i want to do 33x11.50 or so. but definately 33". what do you guys think would be my best bet for a good riding stable suspension that wouldnt bounce me horribly on road?
 
Coilover shocks in the front, and some good rear leafs with some flexible shackles.

I'd also recommend running longarms for any type of offroad racing.
 
Mopar It said:
got an 89 xj 5 speed 4.0L 4x4. want to do some trail/dirt racing around here some mild bumps and might get a bit of air off some jumps and ive been looking for a suepsnion for my jeep. i want 3.5" or 4" lift and then i plan on putting a coil spacer up front to give it more flex/travel so my tires dont rub and so it gives it that raked look. and i want to do 33x11.50 or so. but definately 33". what do you guys think would be my best bet for a good riding stable suspension that wouldnt bounce me horribly on road?
Click to expand...

Read this thread, it should give you some ideas.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25592&highlight=jeepspeed
 
Mopar It said:
which kind of coilovers do you suggest? and will they bolt up?
Click to expand...

You don't need coilovers........that's bogus advice.

For doing what you want pretty much every XJ aftermarket suspension out there will work. You should pay attention to good bumpstops, and maybe upgrade the shocks to a monotube. The Jeepspeed guys seem to run mostly Rubicon Express, Full Traction, or Skyjacker, so those would likely be the ones to check out.

If you have a few more specific questions or desires we can discuss more.
 
You're gonna want to truss your axles if you plan on jumping your Jeep
 
yes i just want to clear 33's in the rear really good and i know i will in the front if i use a coil spacer along wit hthe lift but i keep hearing use zj coils and stuff so what would be a good setup to jump somewhat but mostly just handle great and be able to glide over holes/dips/woops?

4" rear leaf spring for XJ
4" coil front springs for ZJ
2" coil spacer up front

and i know id have to do a slip yoke eliminator which is okay but will i have to get new bump stops and which size shocks?
 
You want new bumpstops when you go to bigger tires anyway.
If you want a suspension to handle woops, etc. you want to stick with longer springs as opposed to spacers. Spacers do nothing for upgrading your suspension other than helping to clear larger tires. they don't improve travel at all.
The shock size will depend on your final lift height. Longer shocks are always a help if you want more suspension travel, but to fit them you may have to extend your shock mounts, which will probably mean raising them up towards the hood in the front, and maybe up into the body in the rear.
Coilovers are a HUGE upgrade, requiring more work than you're probably willing to do.

you obviously need to do more research to figure out what you want to do, so search around, there's plenty of good tech here.
 
If you are like 99% of us the money is a factor. Nevertheless, go with a LA setup. I planned for mild pre-runner type use in my rig and have been more then happy with the Full-Traction kit. Just be prepared to fork over the cash for some good shocks. You will eventually want some good bumpstops, although my '99 has so far taken a few for the team without them. In either case there is only so much jumping a mild set-up can take before you start breaking more expensive parts. Good luck and keep us informed on what route you take and how it works out for you.
 
go with some good 2.5" fox or king smoothies with resivoirs...With those you can valve them to what you want.....

Mike
 
The angle of the control arms is what's important. The three top kits each do it differently. RE does it with drop brackets on the frame side arm mounts. Skyjacker does it with mid arms and repositions the frame mounts. Full Traction does it with long arms. They all work.

To me, these are the keys to get what you want. The front control arms need to be as flat as possible. The front coils need to be stiff, and the rear leaves need to be soft. The front bumpstops need to be the soft poly inserts made for Rangers that sit inside of the coil, they work great. The rear bumpstops need to be the longer comp style poly stops. The shocks need to be the best nitrogen charged monotube shocks you can afford to buy. If you go with Bilstein 7100's, some of us around here have experience with good valving for them. Fox has a new series of shocks that are valved for TJ's, but should work well on an XJ.

Are you interested in buying an off the shelf lift kit, or piecing together the overall best components?
 
yeah well i wanna clear 33's good in the rear, but even better in the front so i have a lot of travel. so would you guys suggest using front zj coils or not? and is monotube or twintube better?
 
Mopar It said:
yeah well i wanna clear 33's good in the rear, but even better in the front so i have a lot of travel. so would you guys suggest using front zj coils or not? and is monotube or twintube better?
Click to expand...
here is a set of really nice shocks for sale, I kinda know this guy, maybe he can hook you up:)
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=910337

you may want to check into Deaver springs, they make a jeepspeed race pack for the rear and some progressive rate coil springs that most of the JS guys run, can't go wrong with Deavers
Good luck
 
Mopar It said:
those are just shocks correct? they would be inside my coils? how would that fit?
Click to expand...
those are just shocks, your bumpstop goes inside the coil spring, the shocks run behind the coil springs, you would need to modify your shock mounts top and bottom to accept the eye=eye configuration. I have some pics of my set up if you would like
before hydraulic bumpstop:
DSCN1031.jpg

after with coil spring removed for mock-up:
DSCN1057.jpg
 
yeah that'd be great. okay so to complete my task id need some smaller bump stops for more travel and some really good shocks then correct? are monotube or twin tube better?
 
Mopar It said:
yeah that'd be great. okay so to complete my task id need some smaller bump stops for more travel and some really good shocks then correct? are monotube or twin tube better?
Click to expand...
aactually your bumpstops are just that, they stop your suspension from bottoming out your tires in the fender, your front end into the oil pan, whatever gets in the way, for going fast frequently it is very important to cycle your suspension w/out springs in so you can make sure everything clears, or bumpstop until everything clears, to make sure that you don't overextend your shocks/other components you use limit straps, basically straps that keep your droop "controlled" for lack of a better word. Feel free to pm me if you have any more questions or would like to check out some more pics
Chris
 
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