Shock Length for RE kits??

Sorry if this is already posted, I was unable to find the answer in a search.

I have a RE 3.5 superflex kit and had a set of 22" procomp 3000es shocks on there which are blown out after 5k miles.
I know... a baby lift on this jeep, but just trying to get my knowledge right before moving larger.

I lifted the vehical by the frame to see what the problem is, and realized my shocks were acting as limiting straps. RE recommends a 24" shock and I have heard other places 22-24 but the rear axel of my XJ when hanging will go to about 25"

1) what size shock would work best for this kit?
2) will i loose compression articulation if going to a longer shock, but gain extension... so is is better to have the shock too short on the compression or two short on the extension?
3) should i go to a larger shock and would i have to add a limiting strap?
4) is it bad to have shocks that are shorter and are essentially used as limiting straps?

thank you

if you go to a longer shock you'll need longer bumpstops to keep from bottoming the piston in the body.

Get shocks long enough for your droop, bumpstop the compression

or keep your shorter shocks and compression where they're at and gte limiting straps.

probably the best thing is to get a shock long enough that you do not need limiting straps and then bump stop the compression... lol.. too bad my bumpstop mounts rusted away years ago. I'll have to fabricate something.

universal bumpstops and some box welded above the spring pack works just fine.

I'm running the RE 3.5" SuperRide (really more of a 4.5"+ lift), and they recommended the following shock lengths:

Front
Compressed: 16"
Extended: 26"

Rear
Compressed: 15"
Extended: 24"

Works great for me. While installing my shims last week, I noticed that the leaf springs limit droop to about ~2" short of the shocks bottoming out (this is with the axle suspended under the vehicle - when articulating, I'd say they'll come quite close to their max extension).

anthrax323 said:

I'm running the RE 3.5" SuperRide (really more of a 4.5"+ lift), and they recommended the following shock lengths:

Front
Compressed: 16"
Extended: 26"

Rear
Compressed: 15"
Extended: 24"

Works great for me. While installing my shims last week, I noticed that the leaf springs limit droop to about ~2" short of the shocks bottoming out (this is with the axle suspended under the vehicle - when articulating, I'd say they'll come quite close to their max extension).

Click to expand...

THanks.. since RE is not accepting calls at the moment (some company restructuring) I could not get the recommended shock lengths.
hmmm - I let the rear hang free today on mine and it was about 2" below the 22" improperly sized shocks i have on there. Interesting mine settles at 24" and yours to 22" with the same lift kit. It seems ridiculous to install straps on a 3.5 lift. but i dont want to keep going through rear shocks either.

i shimmed mine 4 degrees and did a 1" tc drop. has removed some vibes but under heavy acceleration they are there pretty bad still. how is yours?

XJ96Classic said:

THanks.. since RE is not accepting calls at the moment (some company restructuring) I could not get the recommended shock lengths.
hmmm - I let the rear hang free today on mine and it was about 2" below the 22" improperly sized shocks i have on there. Interesting mine settles at 24" and yours to 22" with the same lift kit. It seems ridiculous to install straps on a 3.5 lift. but i dont want to keep going through rear shocks either.

i shimmed mine 4 degrees and did a 1" tc drop. has removed some vibes but under heavy acceleration they are there pretty bad still. how is yours?

Click to expand...

I'm running stock shackles, not sure about you - this could explain the additional droop in your case. Funny thing is I didn't even bother to take the actual measurements of the shock length at full droop - I just noticed that once I removed the U-bolts on one side, I couldn't remove the leaf spring center pins since the shock was holding the axle somewhere between 1" and 2" below the spring (which was suspended by that point). For the other side, I just disconnected the shock before removing the U-bolts, as that was really an oversight in the first place.

I also shimmed my axle 4 degrees, but really should have gone for 6 degrees in the end (not running a T-case drop, but I do have a Tom Woods SD SYE and XB double-cardan rear shaft). After removing the front driveshaft and installing the shims, I still had vibes at speeds under 10 MPH... Someone chimed in and said it was likely my tires, which I brushed off as shennanigans.

...After rotating the tires, all my vibes went away. :dunce:

Want to resurrect this thread.. I have another question.

I have had all sorts of different answers on this... and as I cannot contact RE directly since they are closed I cant seem to find the accurate info....

What is the recommended extended shock length for the FRONT on a Rubicon Express 3.5 Superflex kit.
One dealer tells me its 24", another tells me its, 26" and another says 27.5" .
Does anyone have any access to RE or have a spec on this.. or just know from experience what is needed??

Anthrax323 - thanks for the info, i just want to make sure by having another person confirm this.

the only way to be sure exactly what you need is to unbolt the current shocks, flex it until it doesn't flex anymore and measure.

87manche said:

the only way to be sure exactly what you need is to unbolt the current shocks, flex it until it doesn't flex anymore and measure.

Click to expand...

yeah, i hear ya. I am probably going to do that but i was just wondering as to what the kit recommended and compare that to my measurements.. .
I would think that most people order these smaller kits with shocks compaired to a custom kit where you have to install and measure - this 'should' be fairly straight forward.

The numbers I provided were RE's exact recommendations (not from a reseller or other party - straight from RE).

anthrax323 said:

The numbers I provided were RE's exact recommendations (not from a reseller or other party - straight from RE).

Click to expand...

oh, okay. Yeah i thought that is what you had said. but procomp (who is replacing the shocks under warranty) claimed it was 27.5 .. but did not tell me where they were coming up with this number.

procomp offers the es3000 in 26" wide case and a 27.5" narrow case. the rep told me that they were both valved the same and should have the same resistance. but from just compressing them by hand side by side the narrow tube ones are clearly a softer shock. They do not have a wide tube design larger than a 26" ...
so.. this is my dilemma with them. i can get a 26" that will work okay. or a 27.5 that will be too soft..

trust me i would go with a better shock.. but they are covered under the warranty so i am trying to work with them this time around,

there are no magic numbers, measure what your jeep needs, and give it to it.

the truth is, procomp doesnt give a XXXX about your jeep, thats your job. trying to get them to do your job, is only going to lead to your current frustration.
i wouldnt even listen to procomp or rancho when it comes to valving. its like asking a waiter 'is that decaf coffee?' he'll say yes and pour you some out of pure laziness. most people who run rancho/procomps wouldnt notice anyways...

xcm said:

there are no magic numbers, measure what your jeep needs, and give it to it.

the truth is, procomp doesnt give a XXXX about your jeep, thats your job. trying to get them to do your job, is only going to lead to your current frustration.
i wouldnt even listen to procomp or rancho when it comes to valving. its like asking a waiter 'is that decaf coffee?' he'll say yes and pour you some out of pure laziness. most people who run rancho/procomps wouldnt notice anyways...

Click to expand...

i hear you on that. i run much nicer shocks on my other vehicles. finances were really tight when i put these in. my thought was to run them for a year as a commuter xj and then build the jeep up a bit and swap to the longer and nicer shocks then.. didnt want to shell out $$ for expensive shocks when i would be swapping them out in a year or so.
I still plan to do this.. but need to run the jeep for another 6 months before i have the $ to do this.. so i need to have the ($159 for 4) cheepo procomps replaced till then. they are doing this under warranty because the place i bought these from wrongly specified the length. i had not even installed the lift when i ordered so i couldn't have measured it yet. Figured a RE3.5 was pretty standard measurements from one xj to the next. so they would have a spec size for the kit.

anyway... was just more or less curious as to why these shocks i was just sent as replacements were softer overall and if i could just go with a 26" which they have in a wide case design. rather than this soft 27.5"
I;m going to go measure it tomorrow.. was just hoping someone had a RE spec sheet or had ordered a RE3.5 with the RE shocks and knew what size was the standard RE shipped them so i could compare.

Understood. The best idea is still to measure due to the number of variables at play (coil isolator condition and thickness, sprung weight over the front axle, control arm length and geometry, and so on). I blindly followed these specs with great success, though (Bilstein 5100s).

If you go ProComp, at least shoot for the mid-range... I've heard nothing positive about the entry-level ES3000's, especially when used with stiff springs (like RE).

anthrax323 said:

Understood. The best idea is still to measure due to the number of variables at play (coil isolator condition and thickness, sprung weight over the front axle, control arm length and geometry, and so on). I blindly followed these specs with great success, though (Bilstein 5100s).

If you go ProComp, at least shoot for the mid-range... I've heard nothing positive about the entry-level ES3000's, especially when used with stiff springs (like RE).

Click to expand...

thanks for the info.. yeah, this is just a temp fix as i am getting these replaced for free and want the right length ...
i had the 5100s on another xj i owned. they are 100 times nicer than the procomps.
i will be running something much nicer when i build this up late summer. but again, this is just a temp thing till then. i'll give or toss these in 6 months.

the point of the thread was more of a just wanted to see what was specified vs. what my actual measurements were. as i was getting so many different answers from the venders... it's all good though, i'll just go on what i measure ... and was good to know the numbers you were given from RE. thank you