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Need new shocks but lost in indecision...

nochance9

nochance9

NAXJA Forum User
Location
ogden ut
So got an 01 xj the other day, already lifted with almost new MTZs on it and ARB lockers f/r. Bad news is the PO was an idiot. Took it to a shop and said make this bigger. Without any idea what they were going to do with it and still has no idea what has been done... Any ways the shocks were not for an xj at all so the PO ordered up some RC replacements and only got to putting the rears on before he sold it to us. It rides horrible and it NEEDS new shocks. I have Rustys on my 89 and it rides super smooth but for my 01 i'm willing to spend a little more on stuff, if it's worth the money. The shocks i've been looking into are the Rancho RS9000XL and the RC 2.2s but i'm open to suggestions. So my question is, are these shocks woth the extra money? And for my application which shock would you suggest? I'm going to run about 6" and 35s (at about 6" and 33's right now.) it's my DD and i go wheeling in the rocks as much as possible and i see some mud and snow depending on the season.

Thanks in advance guys!
 
What about the Bilstein 5125? i really don't need a remote res. shock...
 
nochance9 said:
What about the Bilstein 5125? i really don't need a remote res. shock...
Click to expand...

Good choice.
Bilstein is running a sale right now.
25% off and free shipping through shockwarehouse.
 
I'm totally open to those 5125s but would really like to get some imput from some people runnin the Ranchos and the RCs. I'm one of those guys that needs to know ALL the options before making a decision...
 
i just took some rancho 9000s off of a jeep that a guy had less than a year. they are shot and the jeep was parked for about 6 months. he said it was wasted money. i love my 5150s but i love my fox 2.0s even more. id say go with the 5150s if you can afford it
 
I ran rancho's in the rear of my Jeep for awhile. They don't hold a candle to the bilsteins in my opinion... You get what you pay for, and that said...bilstein is a pretty darn good deal.
 
Haven't tried Bilstein's, but have had 3 sets of RS9000's on 2 different trucks. The second truck was a DD, 3 inches on 32's. I liked the adjustability. If you are usually in a hurry, stiffen 'em up, if you want floaty then soften them up. The 9 ways have a ton of adjustability, you can actually tune how the truck handles....stiffer in the rear, softer in the front worked well for me. In many thousands of miles, I've never "blown" a shock, and the DD was driven swiftly (don't read stupidly). I did some careful measuring, and got some Looong shocks that allowed some great droop on the 3 inch springs....
FallforAll06007.jpg

Remember, I've not ever tried the Bilsteins, and I hear nothing but good things about them.
 
So i really like the idea of the adjustability on the RS9000's. I like a nice soft ride on the street but don't like body roll. So What kind of ride does the 5150/5125's give? (also i'm assuming the only difference between the 5150's and the 5125's is the remote res. correct me if i'm wrong.) And i'm planning on getting an HD sway bar in the future so body roll shouldn't be a big deal.
 
nochance9 said:
So i really like the idea of the adjustability on the RS9000's. I like a nice soft ride on the street but don't like body roll. So What kind of ride does the 5150/5125's give? (also i'm assuming the only difference between the 5150's and the 5125's is the remote res. correct me if i'm wrong.) And i'm planning on getting an HD sway bar in the future so body roll shouldn't be a big deal.
Click to expand...

I have Bilstein 5150's in front and 5125's in back. Ride depends on the valving more or less. I went with the 255/70 (stiffer of the two options) valving all around. I chose this valving due to my heavy bumpers, spare tire and gear in the back and to give a firm, tight ride in front with prevention of bodyroll. They are a great ride on street and like a cadillac off road. 170/66 valving in the 5150s or 5125s is softer. Some guys say too soft. Guess it depends on your rig and how much crap you have bolted to it. Also, the softer valving is used for multiple shock applications where you use 2 shocks or more per tire which I personally think is gay.....oops, did I say the word gay.....I better watch it or Hillary Duff may report me.

I have a set of 5125s you could use for the rear (or front really) I wouldn't mind unloading. Shoot me a PM.
 
Last edited:
2001XJ i PM'd you. But i'd still need something for the rears... (i already have a set of adapters to make the fronts fit) So i'd still like imput from other people about the 2.2's and any other shocks in the same category.
 
OME or Bilsteins. I have OMEs on my XJ and love them. I wanted to put Bilsteins on the ZJ, but I got a deal on a full set of slightly used OMEs that I couldn't pass up, $80 for the set.
 
I have 5150s in the front (255/70) and edelbrock performer IAS out back (they were cheap).

The problem with the rear is you may need to run a short body shock or build some kind of new upper mount if you've raised the lower shock mounts at all in order to get the travel you want (8-10" for me).

I didn't look around much at different shock lengths for the rear and needed to get my rig on the road in a hurry therefore the shocks I have aren't the right length (like 5" of uptravel and 1-2" of droop).

If I could do it all over again I'd get Bilstein 7100s (or some kind of rebuildable shock) for the front in a 12-14" flavor and something similar for the rear. This way if you for whatever reason you wanted to switch up the valving, or toasted a shock, you could always rebuild it instead of dumping the money for a new shock. Not to mention the resale value doesn't plummet.
 
MoparManiac said:
This way if you for whatever reason you wanted to switch up the valving, or toasted a shock, you could always rebuild it instead of dumping the money for a new shock.
Click to expand...

That was the attraction to my trying the RS9000's years ago. It's worked well. If you've got the rear loaded up for a weekend trip, and it's 3 hrs to the trail...you can adjust as needed, then readjust if you want when you hit the trail. If you are really well off...you can get the remote...so you don't even have to get out of your seat to adjust....I haven't been that well off yet....:D
 
I’ve been running 9000’s with 35’s and no sway bars. I could be any more happier with them.
Also Bilstein was my second choice.
 
surf2snow said:
I’ve been running 9000’s with 35’s and no sway bars. I could be any more happier with them.
Also Bilstein was my second choice.
Click to expand...

That's funny. My XJ came with 35's and RE shocks and no sway bar. I just put the sway bar back on, and swapped in my RS9000's.....what setting you running up front?
 
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