Need shock suggestions

96 XJ with 3.5" rubicon express leaf springs.
My too-old, too-short Rancho shocks gotta go. They're model RS5129, which according to the spec sheet extend to 20".

Sitting at ride height, it's at 20". Which means they're fully extended.

I need good on-road comfort with moderate offroad capability. And I'm probably something that compresses to 16" or shorter, and extends to 24" or longer. I was looking for a Rancho 7000 series, but according to the spec sheet, there's nothing that fits my Jeep in that length with the same mounting codes (upper XP12, lower L1).

Am I looking at this wrong? Anyone have suggestions?

Bilstein

IslanderOffRoad said:

Bilstein

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x Eleventybrazillion!

Anything more specific? I found this one which they claim is made for 4" lift. Mine's technically 3.5" but I think it sits higher... it already maxes out my 20" shock just sitting at ride height so I'm worried that the 23.8" the Bilstein can reach isn't enough?

Edit: There's this one which goes 15.9"-26" which I'm sure would be enough stretch. But they say it's made for 5-6" lifts. Would that be a bad idea on mine?

Click on my sig.....

Flex and compress your rig and measure travel. That will determine which shock length to buy.
And do bar pin eliminators at the same time. It suckers breaking mounting pins on a trip.

Disco the sway bar, disco the shocks (top or bottom doesn't matter), jack up the front of the vehicle enough to where the axle can hang free when lowered (removing front wheels may help), support the body with stands. Measure the length between body mount and the axle mount for the shock. You will then have your extended length. Slightly linger shocks are not a bad thing, but make sure you bumpstop accordingly.

Thanks for the advice, I wouldn't have known about Bar Pin Eliminators otherwise. I went with the Bilsteins made for 3.5-4" lifts.