Coilovers on the XJ......

[GPSflyer]

Well tonight I started making room up front for a set of 17" bilstein 9100s. Theres no turning back now..... I cut the upper coil bucket out, and got the shock hoop mounted up. Theyre gonna stick out the hood about 3 inches, because the shocks are HUGE!! They're a little long, but I got them for the right price, so Im not gonna complain. I'll keep the pics coming, when I get some more done.

 

[GPSflyer]

Well, I mounted it up, and it doesnt stick out as far as I thought. The truck sits at exactly the same height as before. I love being able to lift/lower the truck by just spinning the adjusters. I still need to do the other side, and make a detachable cross-bar over the engine to tie the hoops together. The hoops are tied thru the body with 1/4" plate sandwiching the frame. I hoisted the entire truck up by the one shock hoop, and it didnt move at all, so no worrys there. I need to get some mounts for the resevoirs also, and now I have to relocate the battery to the rear. Should be finished in the next couple of days.

 

[Fullsizexj]

you will definately want to add a cross brace between the 2 shock hoops and make sure to make it removable

 

[GPSflyer]

you will definately want to add a cross brace between the 2 shock hoops and make sure to make it removable

Yeah, I need to get some of those weld on flanges so that I can make a removable crossbar to get the engine out. I cruised around the neighborhood with it, and watched the tower for movement, and all looked well. But I know when I really start flexing it offroad, it will need all the strength it can get.

 

[BrettM]

I would use much bigger plates for bolting it to that thin sheet-metal. I would also tie it to the exo.

How much uptravel in the CO at ride-height?

What size tube is that on your exo? looks small...

 

[GPSflyer]

I would use much bigger plates for bolting it to that thin sheet-metal. I would also tie it to the exo.

How much uptravel in the CO at ride-height?

What size tube is that on your exo? looks small...

The metal in that area is doubled up, same metal that the factory coil mounted to, so it should be strong enough. The coils are set up for about 6-7" of uptravel at ride height. The exo is 1.5" tubing.

 

[COXJ]

what are the colapsed length of those coilovers? and they are 17" of travel? also are you planing on tuying them to ght "frame" at all? and what did you mount the back side fo the hoop to? and for the removable part you could weld a couple tabs and use a bolt in one or check out some tube clamps like some of the bolt in cages use. thats what i plan on doing for mya prace. looks good get some more picks like in action up.

Will

 

[Goatman]

I have a pair of 12" Racerunner coilovers.

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to use them.

I really like the current spring rate that I have and I'm not convinced the coilovers will add any benefit.

My bumpstops are really dialed in and the front can take a real pounding.......if nothing breaks, anyway.

I don't want the hassle of finding where to put all of the stuff on my inner fenders that has to be moved to make room for the shock hoops.

I wheel the crap out of my rig, it works pretty good...........and it's fun being out on the trail.



Oh, and I have a nearly full body, and I don't have Rockwells.

Wheeling is fun.

 

[GPSflyer]

I have a pair of 12" Racerunner coilovers.

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to use them.

I really like the current spring rate that I have and I'm not convinced the coilovers will add any benefit.

My bumpstops are really dialed in and the front can take a real pounding.......if nothing breaks, anyway.

I don't want the hassle of finding where to put all of the stuff on my inner fenders that has to be moved to make room for the shock hoops.

I wheel the crap out of my rig, it works pretty good...........and it's fun being out on the trail.



Oh, and I have a nearly full body, and I don't have Rockwells.

Wheeling is fun.

Okay, sounds good....

 

[BrettM]

I have a pair of 12" Racerunner coilovers.

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to use them.

I really like the current spring rate that I have and I'm not convinced the coilovers will add any benefit.

My bumpstops are really dialed in and the front can take a real pounding.......if nothing breaks, anyway.

I don't want the hassle of finding where to put all of the stuff on my inner fenders that has to be moved to make room for the shock hoops.

I wheel the crap out of my rig, it works pretty good...........and it's fun being out on the trail.



Oh, and I have a nearly full body, and I don't have Rockwells.

Wheeling is fun.

the dual rate coils (or triple!) would be the main advantage I can see to changing over, but like you said, likely far more effort than it's worth.

if those coilovers need a good home I'm going to be linking the rear of my truck very soon, I have coils and 5100s, but it sure would be easier to mount coilovers

 

[XJoachim]

:laugh3: :laugh3: I was thinking the same before i mounted the coilovers in front :laugh3:

After the first trip the next thing i did after arriving at home was to order another set for the rear. It's such a world of difference i can't really explain it, you have to feel it.

Here is a pic from the last weekend

The best thing about those coilovers is that you can tune the spring rate, progression and shock stiffness to your liking and adjust it to the weight of the rig and the type of wheeling you do.

@Goatman
You're happy with your setup - great. But i'm sure that you will change your mind once you decided to go that route and tried it the first time (meaning all your calculations are correct). :wave:

 

[Goatman]

Part of it is just not wanting to go through the hassle, the other part is that I've spent quite a bit of time dialing in the front the way that it is, and I really like all the elements of how it works. A big hesitation to going ahead with the coilovers is starting the dialing in process over again.

I have two main issues with doing it, one may not pan out, but there's potential. The first is that I just don't want to mess with the install, mostly having to find a place for and move the stuff on the inner fender well (mine's an '88). The other issue is maintaining the stability that I want at ride height. My Jeep has to handle well on the highway, hauling ass through the desert, and on the trail. I don't want to have to go and add a front sway bar to fix it. I know the handling issues are speculative, but I like how it works now, so I'm not real anxious to change it........just so I can show up running coilovers.

I'll likely just mount up the shocks without the coils and run it awhile making sure the shock rates are dialed in, then we'll see. The coilovers need to be more than just on there, they need to work better.......and my expectations are high.

 

[XJoachim]

Your expectations can't get as high, the coilovers will top off. (sorry, i'm not sure if those are the right words).

I never expected those coilovers to work the way they do. Over here in germany people go the traditional way but i always wanted to know if there's something else you can do to improve your rigs capabilities. Since nobody over here does modifications like me where i could see or check out how it works i had to learn my own lessons.

The endless possibilities and combinations of a coilover setup is what made me go this route. You can get out of your suspension what you need. If you need a soft coil and a real stiff coil after a certain amount of flex or stuff - you can have it. You can have a stiff overall suspension, flexy, comfy, just like you want it. If you don't like the behaviour of your coils you can have any spring rate you want to.

I had a flexy front but a stiff rear (with leafs), i went to coils in the rear but they were too soft for my liking (or the front too stiff). I changed to coilovers in the front after a long time calculating the spring rate and shock valving. It was perfect at the first try so i did not hesitate to take the second step to coilovers in the rear. In the meantime i rolled my rig so i chopped it and recalculated the rear spring rate and it came out perfect again. I can sidehill at about 40° without thinking about the possibility to roll.

I nearly have no weight in the rear so i choose a soft 150/250 combination of coils with 255/60 shock valving. The front who has about 75% of the weight has a 250/400 coil combo with 360/80 shock valving.

In germany we do like the "sports car feeling" while driving on the road and this is what my rig gives my if i do some prerunning or if i gas through some terrain. But the suspension eats up the bumps without giving me a sloppy feeling. You have to try it yourself and see for yourself. It's not possible to describe how a well calculated coilover suspension works. :wave:

 

[PeterBuilt]

Oh, and I have a nearly full body, and I don't have Rockwells.

Wheeling is fun.

Goatman l love that quote! I live by the same principal. I like sheetmetal on my truck and the fact that it still looks like a cherokee makes me happy. I love the challenge of wheeling and being cautious of the surroundings, adds another level to the wheeling experience.

Pete

 

[ArcticXJ]

GPSflyer, just for some different perspective and maybe insight on the strut tower brace:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=61982

 

[GPSflyer]

GPSflyer, just for some different perspective and maybe insight on the strut tower brace:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=61982

That looks awesome! I am going to copy your upper control arm gusset, that mounts to the diff cover bolts. The shock hoops in the wheel wells look alot easier to install than the inner fenderwell style. I kinda wish I had done it that way now.... Oh well, maybe on the next one!

 

[ArcticXJ]

Eh, Im sure the setup will work just fine that youre using. I just tossed mine in there for more ideas. The diff cover brace is sort of an experimental peice. Granted, the tabs coming off the tubing that mount the bolt arent huge, so thats the weakest portion of the assembly. I just didnt have a whole lot of insight as to how the best way to brace the truss would be, so I went that particular route. There is little to no slop in the bolt/sleeve assembly, so it should serve well to brace the truss without allowing too much flex or give. Only time will tell if it was a worthwhile attempt at reenforcement. So far so good.

Oh... and it looks cool. Especially if you install a gas strut in the diff housing to mechanically lift the diff cover once the bolts are removed. BLING! lol...

 

[FlxnXJ]

Ya, your hoops are going to need to be beefed up! I just finished beefing my unibody were my front springs sit, I bent the spring cups 3" forward.

Thats also alot of up travel, to be staying stable? I have 5" of up travel and would really like to be about 4"

Iam running Bilstien 9100 in the rear and a coilover and a coil are no comparison, I have 2 more for the front but figured it wasnt worth the time to mount them, since Ill be building my buggy soon.

 

[Goatman]

Your expectations can't get as high, the coilovers will top off. (sorry, i'm not sure if those are the right words).

The endless possibilities and combinations of a coilover setup is what made me go this route. You can get out of your suspension what you need. If you need a soft coil and a real stiff coil after a certain amount of flex or stuff - you can have it. You can have a stiff overall suspension, flexy, comfy, just like you want it. If you don't like the behaviour of your coils you can have any spring rate you want to.


In germany we do like the "sports car feeling" while driving on the road and this is what my rig gives my if i do some prerunning or if i gas through some terrain. But the suspension eats up the bumps without giving me a sloppy feeling. You have to try it yourself and see for yourself. It's not possible to describe how a well calculated coilover suspension works. :wave:

I hear what you're saying, but....

It depends to some degree what you are changing from. A spring rate is a spring rate, and a shock valving is a shock valving. The difference from going from a regular type cellular gas shock, to a monotube shock that is specifically valved how you want it, is a big improvement with or without the coilovers. I've already played around with spring rates, and with custom valved monotube shocks, so I'm not too convinced that I will see a huge difference. My front end already works pretty well. I also have custom longer leaves in the rear, with good friction reducing techniques........so overall I'm pretty happy. I know the coilovers would be good, just don't know if they would be good enough to be worth the work.......that's what I mean by my expectations are high. And, I don't want to start over again fine tuning them....

They'll get on there one of these days, I'm just not in a hurry.

 

[XJoachim]

IMHO the big difference of coliover to every other type of leafs or coils lies in the countless possibilities and how they work. I think the biggest difference comes from the fact that the coils and the shock are physically working at the same points. Also you can play around with different gas pressures, coil preloads and so on. And for me the biggest factor is that the shocks are repairable and i can change the valving myself.