Bilstein shocks... whatchya gonna runnin??

[ShoeterMcgav]

Bilstein shocks... whatchya runnin??

As the title suggests... just trying to get a feel for what people use on lofted xjs.

About my rig: lift is probably close to about 5.5” with mid arms upfront. Rock krawler spring I’m guessing as that’s who made the Adj arms initially. They were solid dom and the heim joints were seized so I redid them and have JJs both ends. So, I am looking for performance over comfort, but I don’t trailer my rig so it will see it’s fair share of pavement as well.

I’m looking pretty hard at 5125s.. from my understanding they are the same as 5100s but not are custom length? Where the 5100s are for stock ish rigs?

Mainly concerned with the front shocks for now...
I don’t have the rod mount (forget the name of this mod) at the top and have bar pin eliminators for the bottom ... so when I look at vehicle specific ie 5100s I’d need the front and the back, if that makes better sense?


SO, I currently have some ruff country’s that are about 25” extended 14” compressed... ideally I’d want the shock to not be limiting before the limiting straps, but I know I don’t want them to be bottoming out before the bump stops.

What valving is best up front? I think that’d help me narrow down the lengths.. not much options in 26” and 14”, so if I know valving I can go for what’s closest to what I got is my thoughts.

Thanks for any input

 

[ShoeterMcgav]

Here I was thinking I could get 14”s of travel and extend my limit straps for more droop... don’t think that’s the case tho

 

[Evan03]

I'm not a huge fan of the 5100.
Does the 5125 have pin top. I think it has universal mounts on both ends.

I'd be more likely to run kyb monomax on my xj than 5100s the mobo max is stiff shock that works very well off road and controls body roll on road.
Look at shock lengths for dodge pickups they have a pin top but do have a 9/16 lower so bar pin elimanators would need to be drilled out.
Picture is of a monomax I bought for my 2002 dodge 3500. It ended up on the jeep and worked extremely well.
It has about 8.5" of shock stroke.

I guess I should not talk bad about the 5100 because I only have experience with them on my pickup that is 9500 lbs with welder and tons of tools on it.

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[waxer]

5100's on the front and rear of my 92 XJ and they perform Grrrrrrrrrreat!!!!

6.5" of lift on my XJ.. No issues at all.

 

[4x4JeePmaNthINg]

X2, 5100 all around. One of the best shocks available for a Cherokee. The only reason to upgrade from these imo is for a rebuildable model. 2nd to billys Ide run OME without hesitation.
Btw external reservoir look cool but I doubt you get your money out of them if your not speeding through whoops.

Fox have a good reputation to, I wouldn't mind running any, but the are costly.

 

[lazyxj]

Bilstein 5165s. 11.3" in the front and 9.8" in the rear, a big step up from the 5100s in ride comfort. Bar pin eliminators front and rear.
https://www.shockwarehouse.com/news/bilstein_5165.cfm

 

[ShoeterMcgav]

Evan, I don’t run the pin tops in the front

 

[ShoeterMcgav]

The 5165s were a consideration- from all I’ve read they are 5100s with a remote reservoirs... and that is only a benefit when running hard and fast to dissipate heat. There is only like a double shot glass of oil in them- if that.

From what I’ve read of course.

For double the price I think 5125 or 5100 should fit the bill

 

[ShoeterMcgav]

Y’all found 5100s with non pin tops for the front- what vehicle do you search? The only ones I found in non vehicle specific were 5125s

 

[4x4JeePmaNthINg]

shop extend/compress length for your vehicle. just look for the eyelet versions. pending what you need you might be able to just look at pre selected rear xj models and base the correct size/ part# off that. Otherwise to the billy catalog!

 

[75SV1]

I'm probably not much help on your info quest. Still, I do run Bil 5100's on a 4.5 lift. They actually don't make a shock for a 4.5 lift, so the shocks are for their 5-6" lift. A bit firm and yes I do feel the ripples in the road. Still, tolerable for me. Also, I have ProComp springs up front and RC for the rear. I do wonder if the RC in the rear adds to the roughness.
My XJ has been only on the road, but the shocks have about 5 years on them. Also, held up to DW more than a few times. Also, I'd have to factor in tires. I had Mastercraft 31's on for a few years. Lots of road noise and the puckered a bit. I've had Falken Wild Peaks 32's on the past two years. I don't notice much road noise and no pucker.
I have installed KYB MonoMax on a 2" lift, front only. I haven't run it yet. They look good, and beefy. Also, probably stiff. Good to hear on this thread someone likes them.
I did get some OME for the rear. I planned to de-lift to 3.5" and OME rear springs. I bought two OME rear shocks. The Ext. Collapsed is the same as the 5-6 Bilstiens.

 

[Darky]

I ran 7100s on my XJ. 12 or 14" short bodies with 360/80 valving in the front. They rode, handled, and performed awesome; highway, desert, rocks, or twisty roads weren't a problem. They were eyelets top and bottom.

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[Cottontail]

I just put a set of Rough Country N3 on mine. Haven't had it out yet. That was just a week ago that I put them on. That's after running a set of Rubicon TJ take offs since 2009.

 

[Evan03]

I might pull the 5100s of my truck and toss the monomax in. I have monomax in the rear and 5100 in the front.

Yes the monomax is stiff. I've toyed round with finding some 10-12" stroke universal mount set.

I used to think all shocks were the same and the cheaper the better. This slowly started to change ounce owning diesel pickup. Junk shocks would not last.

The fox ifp then completly changed my view these shocks are softer than the monomax but seemed more controlled. The monomax is my go to cheap shock. After running the fox I now think its alittle stiffer than it needs to be. The fox is incredibly controlled and softer riding at the same time. Mine are valved gladiator specific. Ofcourse I've been unable to figure what valving this is.

I noticed the 5125 can be orderd with two valving options. I'd almost always pick the stiffer option.

My 5100s were orderd for my pickup so may be valved stiffer than shocks orderd for jeep.
I still have the ability to run pin top shocks so might try the 5100s out to compare to fox ifp.

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[frijolee]

Did a big summary of the full Jeep speed suspension thread (notes on damping etc) and some of my plans regarding Bilstien's here:

https://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost.php?p=246690382&postcount=270

If I had to do it over again--which I am about to--I would suggest picking 5165s (or 5160s if I can find a direct fit application that works for me, the +6" TJ 5160s look close)

5165/5160 are a slightly reconfigured version of the 7100 short body, but look notably easier to mount to my eye. The short body is ideal for getting stroke in a packageable length. All three use remote reservoirs which is just about required unless you want to modify perches and/or are willing to sacrifice travel. I'm at a similar 5.5 is lift and targeting 12" stroke front, 10" rear.

 

[XJEEPER]

Sounds familiar.......been very happy with the 5165's on my rig.

https://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost.php?p=246690680&postcount=517

 

[ShoeterMcgav]

For double the cost I can't see myself going with the remote reservoir series.. Ive read that there is only like a shot glass of fluid in them and the only benefit is for racing type applications it does a better job cooling. I don't have any intentions of baja or jeepspeed in this rig.

I hadnt taken into account that the body might be shorter allowing for more travel though. if its only like an inch, idk that the price is worth it.

Appreciate the input. I def will be checkin out the 5165s... Coulda sworn there is a model around there that was discontinued.

 

[Evan03]

I'm definitely with you. Price doesn't mean better. I'll have to research fluid capacity on them.
The 5100 doesn't have a good reputation for nothing

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[ShoeterMcgav]

Ya and tbh i need more down travel then up, so valve body length aught not to be a deciding factor.
Im not even for sure of my lift height, but definitely less then 7"s before my tire gets into the fender flares


So that has me curious... Is the shock centered at ride height? Probably slightly compresses right? Just trying to figure out the numbers still... More extension than compression would be ideal.

 

[Evan03]

Shocking enough to cycle suspension from ride height to full stuff to droop.

To me needing more compression than extension means you sacrifice on the extension side because the shock isnt long enough or is improperly mounted.


Limit straps would then need to be used to protect shock on extension.

If the shocks limits travel anywhere it's the limiting factor . Wich it should not be.

Fit the shocks to the suspension not the suspension to the shocks

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