Which Shocks To Get??

OK, im new here (just registered) and of course my minds goin crazy on buildin a monster but what i have is a daily driver. Quick facts are 95 XJ sport w/3" or 4" blocks, 325/60/15's (30" by 12.5"); 2 questions are, what brand and type of shock for softer ride and longer travel (i'll get bump stops and brake lines), and a second question involves ditching the rear sway bar!? My mech says its a BAD idea for death wabble worries on a daily driven jeep, but most XJ owners say it dont make any highway/street driving any different. All opinions are welcome please!!??

the rear sway bar has no effect on death wobble, and i doubt youd be driving 70ph in reverse. im also hoping you are kidding about 4" blocks

get rid of the blocks, get OME, RE or Bilstein shocks, get rid of the swaybar.

and do a friggin search, all this has been covered a gajillion times.

Well i appolojize on the fact that the subject has been covered a billion times but i DID say im new and i AM asking the question on an XJ board. Im guessing at the block height which is why im in the process of asking THESE questions so i know what to start buying and replacing and modifying! Anyone have the links to removing the rear sway bar and there favorite shocks and why??

Rear sway bar is really easy, just unbolt and throw away.

More info needed to make sugestions. What do you want your Jeep to be in the end?

Your info=, Eventually after the bank accounts and savings are all empty i want a daily driven, weekend trail rider. NO major rock crawling is neccessary, just tough enough for some tough terrain. Budjet is limited at the moment so its piece by piece (will eventually get a susp & steering kit); like AAL's and revolving shackles, removal of rear sway, quick disco's, softride longer shocks & bump stops, brake lines etc. Hope that helps i just need some GOOD GUIDANCE so i dont waste && !!

If budget is a limit, and you don't need to do much hard stuff, go with a 4.5" rusty's lift, trim a lot, add 33's, and you're good to go. Bilstein shocks are pretty sweet too.

If serious off roading isn't in your future I would suggest a 3" lift of some type and 31" tires. I also recomend that you do not piece together a lift kit. Just save your money and get it all at once. In the end it will save you more money. If you insist on piecing together a kit I would suggest buying new leaf packs for the rear, new coils for the front, brake lines, and shocks. Don't bother with AAL's and most people will discourage Revolver shackes for a DD. You might also want a t-case drop.

I see what ur saying MontanaXJ !! Was just looking at rusty's 4.5" kit but its an AAL instead of a pack. I think an AAL is sufficient and so cause a new pack will be way to stiff! Im tossing the teraflex shackles cause if anything they weaken the rear. Thanks alot, im learnin!

MontanaXJ said:

most people will discourage Revolver shackes for a DD. .

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How come??

Wolz said:

How come??

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They act randomly and will unload when you dont want them to. If you slam on the brakes, the rear will come up and make handling a problem. Also, in swerving, they will act weird and create more problems. Search too, it has been covered a lot, but mostly for off road, no street. HTHed

edit:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=43341&highlight=revolver
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=40491&highlight=revolver
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25833&highlight=revolver

I'm pretty new to these boards too, and sometimes when you search, you get way to many hits to weed out to your quesitons. As a newbie, I can't answer except to say if it were me, dump the blocks and buy a quality lift kit for the ride you want.

Here's a shock thread asking for opnions on shocks in the "mid " price range or if you want you could say it's the higher end of the, non-external resivor price range (non rebuildable).... http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=47475

(One I left out is the Old Man Emu, in that range, well respected also)

BIG-G said:

I see what ur saying MontanaXJ !! Was just looking at rusty's 4.5" kit but its an AAL instead of a pack. I think an AAL is sufficient and so cause a new pack will be way to stiff! Im tossing the teraflex shackles cause if anything they weaken the rear. Thanks alot, im learnin!

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You can get it with the full pack, like I did.

BIG-G said:

I see what ur saying MontanaXJ !! Was just looking at rusty's 4.5" kit but its an AAL instead of a pack. I think an AAL is sufficient and so cause a new pack will be way to stiff! Im tossing the teraflex shackles cause if anything they weaken the rear. Thanks alot, im learnin!

Click to expand...

Rusty's can do a 3" and a 4-1/2" lift as either AAL or full spring packs. The full packs obviously cost more.

I can't follow your logic. You think new springs will be STIFFER than the old springs with AALs? Most people on here scream and hollar that AALs are too stiff and that's why you should get new spring packs. In reality, a full-length AAL with the OEM springs rides very nicely. It is "firm" but (IMHO) not at all "stiff" (I had a Trailmaster short AAL in my MJ, I know what "stiff" is".

However, there are limitations to how much lift you can get out of an AAL due to the simple geometry of the main leaf length. Rule of thumb, 2" for an AAL lift with stock shackles, because the increased spring arch is going to swing the shackle forward at static height. 3", maybe with a slightly longer shackle like from an MJ or a Z-71 Chevy. Personally, I would not try to get 4-1/2" of lift out of an AAL. If I wanted to go that high, that's when I would start shopping for new springs.

There is nothing at all wrong with piecing together a lift kit. I just did it and it works great! I'll tell you what worked for me. Hang out here on as much as you can and act like a sponge. Absorb as much info as possible. Check the for sale forum religiously. I bought several of the components for my lift from the for sale forum, a lot cheaper than they would have been new. It works out great because while you are waiting for the things you need to appear in the for sale forum you are learning what works and what doesn't on the rest of the site.

I am running a full length RE aal (from their BB) and Rusty's 3" coils in the front. Netted 3.5" in the rear and 3" in the front. OME shocks in front and shock mounts are getting raised 3" in the rear. My shackle sits right where it's supposed to. Get rid of the rear sway bar right now, you won't know it is gone on the road.

The front is actually a little softer than stock (I expected that w/ Rusty's coils and the OMEs) and the rear is no rougher than stock but no softer either. Ideally you will want to go with a full leaf pack but on a budget an aal will work for a while.

HTH, and welcome to . :cheers: