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experiences with air shocks on the rear?

RWKHausSupply

RWKHausSupply

NAXJA Forum User
Location
yorba linda, Cali
Looking for input on air shocks in the rear of a XJ. I am concerned about the over all weight transfer issues and unloading and such. I have read about it SHould be or I heard or even my brothers, wifes dad's rig .....

I am looking for from the owner/driver, some form of input. It will be a triang. 4 or Y(3) link rear with added cage wieght .

Anyoen have anything valuable to give in experiences here?
 
you would likely need the 2.5" airshocks to handle the weight. tuned properly and possibly with limiting straps and a swaybar it should work great. I wouldn't bother though, I'm linking my rear with regular coils and Bilstein shocks, I'd either do that or full coilovers.
 
Building it right now.

2" Sway a Way air shocks and triangulated 4 link.

They are rated at 1200# (thats sprung weight....my XJ's way less than that)

Hope to be testing by next week.

I'll post up a report.

Rick
 
Running a triangulated 4 link with Fox 2.5"X16" travel airshox.
Great in the rocks.
Scary off camber.
I'm still in the dialing-in stage but have a few bits of advice.
Mount the shocks as far apart and vertical as you can.
Center limit strap is a must.
Considering a Currie anti rock for the rear (almost mandatory for Moab Rim).
Find a good match with your front. I'm using Rock Krawler 6.5" coils with Bilstein 5150s. They're a little on the soft side but, again, they work very well in the rocks and anything stiffer might not mate as well with the rear.
Here are some early pics.
http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=452465380
 
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Yeah well the air shock are under 200 ea and thats the cost of a good shock and coil almost so I was looking in to that option instead. But other wise what rear spring is a good starting point for the rear? I have TJ coils already but figure that those should be a little light on the rear? What veh should I be looking in to salvaging some coils from either new or even from a wrecking yard? any experiece there?

Also I have some 4.5" RE fronts from a TJ (was a TJ guy in in my past life) and was hopign to fit those up front. They look like the same dia and such? Will they slide right in?

Looking to run either a 34 LTB or 35 TSL so nothing to tall. Willing/knowing of course to trim as much as I can withing limits.
 
kid4lyf said:
Done already?
You suck.
Click to expand...

Ya, its amazing what you can get done when you have no job.

Rick

btw...my shocks are outboard of the framerails. Hopefully a little more stable.
 
Just make sure you have your nitrogen kit with you for the first few trailrides. It really absorbs into the oil for the first couple of runs we did. Of course, I'm playing with them constantly.
 
OneTonXJ said:
Just make sure you have your nitrogen kit with you for the first few trailrides. It really absorbs into the oil for the first couple of runs we did. Of course, I'm playing with them constantly.
Click to expand...
The first time I really worked them for a couple hours I came back on the bumpstops thinking they were leaking.
Put the gauge on and they were still dead on 185psi.
The seals wearing in (losing the stiction) and oil absorbing was the culprit.
I drove it for a week or so and wheeled it a couple more times and now it seems to have levelled off.
 
Yeah..coilovers are nice but pricey, I just orderede 4, 18" swayaways for my buggy. Talked at lenght with the guy at Mt logan offroad about them. He was telling me to pressurize them with the shocks fully extended , then let the buggy down and check ride height. He told me they worked pretty well right out of the box , but are very tunable with a little time. My buggy shouldn't weigh anymore than 3300 or so , I was told the 2" should be plenty.
 
Did you ever have to put more nitro in or just let it work itself out. I've drained and filled them too many times to let them "just level out" :laugh3:

Those SAWs on the back of Pete's are 18" too.
 
BIGWOODY said:
He was telling me to pressurize them with the shocks fully extended , then let the buggy down and check ride height.
Click to expand...
That's what really sucks. You have to extend them to add nitrogen. Just a little bit difficult to do at the trailhead. Imagine trying to lift your rig high enough to fully extend a 16" or 18" shock.
 
OneTonXJ said:
Did you ever have to put more nitro in or just let it work itself out. I've drained and filled them too many times to let them "just level out" :laugh3:
Click to expand...
Without the stiction helping to hold the shock they took about 195psi to get them right.
Then I changed the upper mounting points and had to start over. :banghead:

Another fun part is that each time you drain them you lose a little oil. After a while there's no way to know how much is left in.
 
We just back the jeep up to the trailer and jack it up with a highlift. 18" is still difficult as we have them 22* forward and 7* in.
 
kid4lyf said:
That's what really sucks. You have to extend them to add nitrogen. Just a little bit difficult to do at the trailhead. Imagine trying to lift your rig high enough to fully extend a 16" or 18" shock.
Click to expand...

I have a trailerbitch , so I'd be filling mine at my shop and using a lift to extend them. He told me once you got them sorta set up they don't require fooling with them every time out, but we'll see. I don't know why ya couldn't back one side up a tree, fill it and then do the other side at the same pressure.
 
BIGWOODY said:
I have a trailerbitch , so I'd be filling mine at my shop and using a lift to extend them. He told me once you got them sorta set up they don't require fooling with them every time out, but we'll see. I don't know why ya couldn't back one side up a tree, fill it and then do the other side at the same pressure.
Click to expand...
That might work. The main thing is that you have to remember that they have to be equal. If you have one side even slightly less extended than the other then the pressure reading will be off.
 
something else you guys may already know, if you let it down and need to let pressure out, do so agian with the shocks extended and you won't lose oil.
 
BIGWOODY said:
something else you guys may already know, if you let it down and need to let pressure out, do so agian with the shocks extended and you won't lose oil.
Click to expand...
That helps but after a while the oil kinda gets mixed through everything and then you get a nice oil mist anytime you let the air out.
 
I haven't been losing oil. If you do it carefully and with the nifty little gauge on, it doesn't lose it.
 
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