Will this give me the ride I am looking for?

my 96 4.0 242 3"RC lift w/add-a-leafs, stock tracbar & steering, stock shackles, jcs discos 31 x 10.5

I am after better road ride. By road I really mean all of the dirt/gravel/washboard roads around here that shake the crap out of me daily. Never really liked the RC shocks and now have 2 (one front,one rear) that are bent, squeeky and leaking and need swapping. my shackle angle is straight up/down and the front lower CAs are at a fair angle too.

I figured I would make the ride better at the same time as I change the shocks. My plan is as follows.

- 4 x Bilstein 5100's (p/n for for 4" lifted XJ)
- RC's CA drop brackets
- shackle relocation bracket
- longer shackles to end up with about a 45 deg. angle with the reloc. brackets (guessing It will lift about an extra 1" as a result?)
- coil spacers up front to match the increased lift in the rear to keep it level.


Do you all think this should this give me the more comfortable ride I am looking for on these bone jarring washboard country roads?

Will I need an adjustable trac bar or other pieces that I am not considering? I am asuming I will need to re-set/adjust the pinion angles. I also still have the stock DS's front and rear.

I like everything in your plan except the ca drop brackets.
They might give the arms better geometry, but will affect clearance.
After lifting my XJ 2.5" up front, I found that the front axle was off center by only 1/2 inch. That means to center it, it only has to move 1/4", so an ATB is not worth it to me.

4" of lift would be a little on the short side for the RC drop brackets. I'm at 4.5" and my control arms are level with the RC brackets. The HD engineering shackle brackets will give you 1-1.5" of lift in the rear, depending on how you set up the angle on the shackle.
Above 4" you will also need to start thinking about a SYE. You will also need to address the trackbar, brake lines and a few other things.

Taking all of that into account, yes those mods will improve the comfort and road manners. Its still a Jeep though and will never ride like a Cadillac.

My concern with the trac bar is that I am at 3" now and I think will end up at about 4" after adding the spacers to the front which would be to level the truck after the expected increase after adding the brackets to the rear.

I agree that at 2.5 or 3" (where I am at now) the centering is not too bad.

I would get 7100's vs. 5100's. But that means you have to spend a little more on shock adapters too or make your own. Probably need a new trackbar with more lift, and with more lift in the rear an sye kit or transfer case drop kit at the least. First decide on how big you want to go and plan it out so you don't waste money.

I know the 7100s are a better shock and rebuildable, but either they or the 5160's that I could actually mount in the stock locations are too hungry. If I go near them they will bite through my wallet.

The 5100's seem to be the best price/performance that I can handle at the moment especially with all of the other bits and pieces in this upgrade - and not forgetting to keep some "hobby" money in reserve for something that may go wrong or be additionally required. (I know, could never happen but always does.)

As far as planning, I don't see going any higher with this XJ. If I want something that needs a ladder I would look for a deal on a fixer-upper to suppliment the fleet.

I will tell you this right now: if you're putting anything more than a leveling kit or a 1" lift on your XJ, you should really consider investing in an adjustable track bar. The best improvement in ride quality I had came from getting the axle positioned properly under the vehicle. You want the track bar to basically be under no load whatsoever when the vehicle is sitting on the ground.

Beyond that, Bilsteins (5100s or 7100s) and drop brackets would be the best investments for ride quality. I wouldn't worry about shackle relocation until you get the new shackles in there and confirm the angles.

I am thinking relocation brackets are needed because the shackles are straight up&down right now - going with longer brackets would make them longer but still vertical = harsh ride.

I am now leaning towards adding an adjustable trac bar. Just need to pick the best one at a reasonable price for the 4" I expect to be at.