frogmanjohn said:
My platform is a 93 xj body with cocktail 4.63 liter stroker.
I am going to be running 31x10.5 cooper stt's on stock steel rims.
I am looking at the RE 3.5 superflex kit and king shocks all around with 10" travel remote reservoir 2.5's in the front and 12" travel piggyback 2.5 in the rear.
the truck will be used as a chase vehicle in the desert loaded down with tools for our race team running from checkpoint, to checkpoint, fast as i can.
So will those 2.5 shocks be overkill for the re 3.5 superflex kit?
Or do i need to look at doing a different set up for running fast through the dunes.
I want to stay with the 31's, since i allready have em and they shouldn't put too much strain on my axles.
thank you in advance for your inputs.
john
You shouldn't need gears with 31's and the stroker, it has plenty of power to pull 31's with stock gears........but lower gears are nice.
I don't think 2.5" shocks are overkill. If you're working on a race team you likely already know this, but the larger diameter shock doesn't effect the valving, it mostly means you have more fluid volume and can run faster longer before the shocks overheat. I wish shock companies had a more universal way of rating shock valving so it could be easier to compare from one brand to another. I've run 2.25" SAW's with custom valving, and now run Bilstein 7100's in front and 5150's in the rear. The fronts are 275/78 and the rears are 255/70, and I think the valving is pretty darn close. I'd prefer slightly more compression valving in the rear but I like the rebound valving. For just desert running I'd get slightly more compression valving for the front also, but for a combination of trail running and fast stuff it's pretty good.
If you're getting the RE 3.5 kit, ask about opting out for the stiffer 4.5 ZJ coil, which I think is also the 5.5 XJ coil. If that gives you too much lift, cut a little off the coil to get the lift amount you want, which will also slightly increase the spring rate. You'll want a stiffer front spring rate for what you want to do. I run more lift than you do, and have a winch in front, and I run the Skyjacker 8" coil with one full coil cut off. From what we've seen the SJ coil is the stiffest production coil out there, and it's even stiffer with one coil removed, and I think it's close to perfect for trail running and desert running. If I just ran desert I'd want it even stiffer.
The RE rear springs are pretty good from what I hear, but make sure you get a new leaf pack, not just an add-a-leaf. Getting the bump stops adjusted properly will make a big difference in how it handles the dunes and the fast desert stuff. I've tried all kinds of front bumpstops and what I just put in are by far the best. They are coil inserts, and I got them from
Baja Concepts. They are pretty soft, mine compress a little more than 3", and they work very well. The stock rubber rear bumpstops aren't bad if they are adjusted right.
Be sure you're 12" shocks in the rear don't bottom out. I'd get the lift installed to the height you want, then flex it out good and lift the back to cycle the suspension, and measure to see about the right shock length. Rear shock length is critical if you want full travel without bottoming the shock, and won't go through the floor with the upper mount. You may need to shop around a little for a shock that's the perfect length, rather than just live with one company's length of shock. A number of us are using the Bilstein 7100's because they come in a short body version, which gives you a 12" travel shock in a 10" shock length. Something to check out.
I also have a 4.6 stroker and love the fast stuff. Getting some good trussing on your axles is important. I run a D60 in the rear which I haven't had any trouble with, but I run a D44 in the front that I've broken 3 times.......twice cracked the housing and once broke off an inner C.......two times from jumping and once from hitting a rock. The D44 is now heavily strussed. What class is your team running in?
Have fun,
