2000 Cherokee Sport - vehicle usage covers the spectrum - commuting to work to hauling my family on logging trails in Maine. I'm thinking about having adjustables installed, but know nothing about them. New Dueler Revo's going on this week. Any thoughts on how I can maximize the comfort level without sacrificing performance? Also, will be towing a 22' boat next summer... thoughts on transmission issues are appreciated as well.
I have put 2 sets of socks on my 88 XJ. I first installed the Blue Monroe Matics. The guy at the parts store told me the only difference between them and the monroe sensa-tracks is the color of the paint. He told me how he had been on the phone to them and that the only thing they would tell him.
Right about that time Edelbrock came out with those red IAS shocks. I considered them but at $80 a pop I decided not right now.
I drove the blue Monroe matics 30,000 in 3 years and decided to change them out with the Monroe Reflex - which came out a month after I installed the blue ones. The Reflex was Monroe's answer to the IAS shock, both had a different valving design.
I went for a drive and the XJ rode much more solid, but was not harsh. My buddy road with me and said the old shocks were never steady. He agrees the Reflex shocks were an improvement.
I also use my XJ like you. I do around town stuff but I also go to my 80 acres of land located inside the Mark Twain National Forest. I can either ford a creek and two of it tributaries to get in or drive down two old logging roads about 1 mile long each. That does not include the dirt roads maintained by the county or the black topped buggy trails maintained by the state.
For me the reflex do the job, I do not need for adjustables. I also see Monroe has a buy 3 get 1 free rebate through the end of october. Might be able to save some coin.
On the towing read your owner's manual for required equipment. If you do not have an aux trans cooler then go to your dealer and buy one. I know it costs more than the universals but there no issues about the hose routing or hot it attaches. I paid around $80 for mine 3 years ago but think they changed the style by the time you XJ was built. Also since you are towing change you ATF every 15,000 miles and you should be fine.
I put on Rancho RS5128's on the front and RS5129's on the rear on my 98 XJ with the upcountry suspension at 63,000 miles (I bought it new). They softened the ride, which is better since the upcountry gave us some sever side to side rocking when we crossed a speed bump turning or when we were 4 wheeling on the trails. I've knocked the side of my head on the window a few times 4 wheeling with the original shocks. Kind of like the old Cherokee vs. Lexus commercial with the dog in the back (I think it was a Lexus).
The downside is that I'm pretty sure the rear rides a little lower with the Ranchos. The stock upcountry shocks in the rear are pretty stiff. Maybe we're having some rear spring relax at 94,000 miles today but I thought I noticed the difference after putting on the Ranchos.
We like the ride much better than stock on and off road with the Ranchos. My XJ is stock height, no lift. Running BFG LT234/75 All Terrains, which we also like. They don't show much wear yet after 32,000 miles on them.
I really like my Old Man Emu's on my lifted XJ. I'm not sure if they make them for stock height, but they seem to be a well built shock. I also have Edelbrock IAS shocks on my Grand Cherokee. They really help out in cornering and help to stop nosediving when coming to a fast stop. Seem like a real good all around shock. I think they will easily last 75,000 plus miles.
I've ben running Monroe Gas Magnums for over 100k and they still do the job. Tried Rancho 5000 and KYB GasAdjusts before that and both were unacceptably harsh.
Monroe still makes the Gas Magnum, but they don't have a listing in the current catalog for the XJ. If you can't find a cross listing (I have contacted Monroe and gotten to reply), I suggest either Monroe SensaTrac or Monroe Reflex.
My 98 has 183,000mi on it, I replaced the stock shocks around 80K and had sears install gas SUV shocks where were gabriel, they were OK but for the last 20K have seen better days. I took it back to sears and they no longer carried that line. Ended up with 4 Monroe gas shocks for $42 total for all 4 including installation. physcally they are a bit fatter shock with thicker rods. I had those Gabriels installed by sears so the reinstall was free [had them antiseize the rear bolts while they had them off] and so far they are OK, not exceptional but much better than what I had last month. Should be good for another 50,000mi Plus then I'll take them back and get them replaced under warranty. If sears installs them there is no labor charge
I really like my Old Man Emu's on my lifted XJ. I'm not sure if they make them for stock height, but they seem to be a well built shock. I also have Edelbrock IAS shocks on my Grand Cherokee. They really help out in cornering and help to stop nosediving when coming to a fast stop. Seem like a real good all around shock. I think they will easily last 75,000 plus miles.
Well we are comparing apples to oranges here...Gas charged shocks (Monroe's, Gabriel's) vs. Hydrualic shocks (Ranchos, Doetsch). There are significant differences between the two, mianly in their rebound damping characteristics.
A gas charged shock will resist all compression/extension and return to a 'home postion'. A hydraulic shock will resist rapid movements, but will not return when slowly compressed. By design, they will stay at the position they are compressed or extended to.
Which shock you choose will depend on the application. If you plan on doing any rock crawling you'll want a hydraulic shock so you can flex over obstacles without having the shock resist (unless you enjoy getting whipped around), but if you're doing logging trails and the like a gas shock should suffice.
As to adjustable shocks, I can only speak to the Rancho 9000's (I believe all adjustables are hydraulic, but do not hold me to that). Bascially they allow you to adjust both the compression and rebound damping characterristics of the shock. A firmer setting will (harshly) resist quick compression but will allow for slower compression/extension without return. On the other hand, a softer setting will give a softer ride and resist those slower compressions as well (only really slow stuff will not return).
Based on what you said Zeke, for your application I would choose a good gas shock.
Me, I do a lot of rock crawling so I stick with hydraulic's....like I said, it depends on the application.
I have edelbrock ias on my 97 5.2 zj and bilsteins on my 89 4.0 xj. While they are differently sprung vehicles and while I think the bilsteins are great, my vote goes to the edlebrock ias as being slightly better. Stay away from gabriel vst lt shocks. They rode like the wiggles and caused my xj to get flat spots on the tires. Greg
I have run Bilsteins on my 90 Laredo for the last few years and I really like them. They were about $54/shock mail order and give me pretty good stability and ride. I must confess I'm somewhat partial to Bilsteins in general because I own 2 Porsches with Bilstein Sport Suspension packages. For price vs performance, I. think they are a good value for my XJ.
Well we are comparing apples to oranges here...Gas charged shocks (Monroe's, Gabriel's) vs. Hydrualic shocks (Ranchos, Doetsch). There are significant differences between the two, mianly in their rebound damping characteristics.
A gas charged shock will resist all compression/extension and return to a 'home postion'. A hydraulic shock will resist rapid movements, but will not return when slowly compressed. By design, they will stay at the position they are compressed or extended to.
Two problems here. First, Rancho shocks are gas shocks, not straight hydro.
Second, the kind of gas shocks we're talking about here are essentially hydro shocks (they still use hydraulic fluid as the damping medium) with a LOW-PRESSURE gas charge that's there only to reduce foaming of the hydraulic fluid when the shock is working hard. While a gas shock will extend to full length if you cut the straps when you take it out of the box, it doesn't have enough pressure to affect the ride height or the suspension (spring) rate of the vehicle at all.
The straight hydro shocks are cheaper than gas shocks and cannot perform as well. That's the story in a nutshell.
I run RS9000x's on my XJ and really like them. I've had them on my YJ, Toyota 4x4, and Dodge Durango (RS9000's). They are very versatile for what you're looking for. I also tow my 18' boat with my XJ, so stiffening the rear helps reduce rear bounce. The only thing I've notice, and I know I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, is that with a lifted jeep, it seems like Rancho uses the same shocks that are used for big trucks (to get the longer travel). As a result, at the softest settings the shocks still seem stiff, especially on bumpy trails. Example, on my Durango (5000+ lbs) the RS9000's at softest really soft, but on my jeep, they're stiff at the same setting. Sorry for the novel.
Two problems here. First, Rancho shocks are gas shocks, not straight hydro.
Second, the kind of gas shocks we're talking about here are essentially hydro shocks (they still use hydraulic fluid as the damping medium) with a LOW-PRESSURE gas charge that's there only to reduce foaming of the hydraulic fluid when the shock is working hard. While a gas shock will extend to full length if you cut the straps when you take it out of the box, it doesn't have enough pressure to affect the ride height or the suspension (spring) rate of the vehicle at all.
The straight hydro shocks are cheaper than gas shocks and cannot perform as well. That's the story in a nutshell.
All very true, (and thanks for clarifing it better than I did) but my point was that different shocks perform in diffferent ways across different applications. While a gas shock does not have enough pressure to to affect spring rate, the dampening characteristics across the varying types of shocks will differ.
The decision as to which shock to go with needs to be based on the application(s). For example, I would not put a Rancho 5000 shock on a vehicle that will never go offroad. Nor would a put a Monroe matic in a straight trail vehicle. Granted those are exaples at the extremes and most (of our) desicions fall somewhere in the gray area, but I think you get my point.
Maybe not a Monroe-Matic, but a Monroe Gas Magnum would take anything a trail could throw at it, and walk away laughing.
Don't diss gas shocks. The Rancho 5000 and 9000 series are both gas shocks, not straight hydro. Anything a hydro shock will do, a properly selected gas shock will do better.
Maybe not a Monroe-Matic, but a Monroe Gas Magnum would take anything a trail could throw at it, and walk away laughing.
Don't diss gas shocks. The Rancho 5000 and 9000 series are both gas shocks, not straight hydro. Anything a hydro shock will do, a properly selected gas shock will do better.
I think you are misunderstanding. It was not my intention to diss any kind of shock. I merely was stressing the proper selection of shocks and that the wrong choice could lead to a misconception about the shock being "a bad shock" when it was realy a bad choice of shocks for a given application.
I was at a toss up between the RS 9000s and the Bilsteins. I love bilsteins, but I also liked the idea of a fully adjustable shock. So the selling point for me on the Bilsteins was the price, they are considerably cheaper than the 9000s. Plus, I've run them on a few other vehicles I've had and loved the results so I'm kinda partial. I think I made the right decision, they are a good heavy duty shock and I can tell a big difference in the handling department. Mine gets most of its miles on the roads as a commuter so thats pretty important to me.
so thats pretty important to me.