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Installing JK shocks on an XJ (write up)

I was at 3" of lift in the front and they were way too short for me.
 
Hopefully next week ill be putting my 3" lift on with jk shocks. i ordered JKS BPEs for the front so hopefully that should help a bit. I don't do anything crazy, camping and passes, etc so i think I'll be fine.
 
I have done this a few times on some TJ's. They are nice shocks...

REMOVE THE PLASTIC SHIELD! All it's going to do is scratch the shock body and promote RUST.

Its easy too, just cut a slit at the top with a razor knife and pull.
 
This is my first post

I just did this swap,!!!front only, (will get to the rears) with the help of this thread on my android after google(ing) while in my shack looking at 'free' brand new 2011 jk 'sport' shocks from my jk.

So i put them in my friends 2001 xj. I want to put the sport coils in now, maybe next week.

Information I gathered, I have all three sets.

There are three types of jk shocks. Sport (black, twinwall tube), Sahara (black, mono tube) and Rubicon (red, monotube). They are shorter to longer, Sahara and Rubicon are almost same length by half inch or less but the valving is way different. So they are softer to harder, and quicker to slower (rebound). I have had all three on my jk, I run the saharas now, they are nicer on pavement and react faster in soft terrain IMO (working with the HD springs).

SO the JK sport shocks were less than half and inch longer than xj stockers, a bit stiffer, faster react time but compressed less (travel)....:thinking: they should work nice with the jk sport coils with are approx. same length (2011 on a 2001) just a bit stiffer/brand new too.

There are 7 springs sizes/rates from a jk. Fronts part# ending 13-19 and rear part# ending 53-60. They are shorter to longer and softer to stiffer. I will put the 14's in the xj.

I used these as a stock swap, not for a lift....the rears would work to lift about 3"-5" there is some confusion about the lenghts... a least 2" dif from the low end jk shocks to the top end, jk guys use jku HD springs on their basic 2drs to get a cheap 2" boost and HD suspension....make sure you know what your getting.

I have fun doing this, sorry for not having pics and all the measurements, free parts are the best parts IMO, and learn a little on the way
 
Yeah, I know this is an old thread. hasta

Sorry.

But since I realized this was also the Naxja version of the top thread of the Google search list for "jk rubicon shocks on an xj" (which was at jeepforum.com, where I originally posted this comment to "the other thread") ...and THIS was the question I was trying to answer, I thought I'd provide the additional info to the Naxja thread too. (And further apologies for over-analyzing this whole thing lol: it's my inner nerd manifesting itself.)

Here's a pix of the rear as measured:

JKRubiconRr_zps468bab5a.jpg


...and here's a pix of the front, as measured (just so you can confirm I did compress the shocks and measured as best I could):

JKRubiconfr_zpse30044f0.jpg


The first "table" is the JK Rubi, and the Monroe Reflex measurements (I suspected that Monroe built these, but it was just a guess).


----------------------------------------------
OEM JK Rubicon "red" shocks (monotube); measured lengths
L1 ----- ----- ----- -----
L2 Extnd Cmprs Travl Part#
L3 ----- ----- ----- -----
Fr 22.70 15.63 07.10 67524D 13592 A21192D
Rr 23.25 15.25 08.00 6752AC 13598 A21191C
----------------------------------------------
MONROE Reflex shocks info (monotube)
L1 ----- ----- ----- -----
Fr 21.93 14.02 07.91 911536
Rr 23.15 14.76 08.39 911539
----------------------------------------------

So you can easily compare these measurements to stock & "lifted" XJ shocks, here's a table with Monroe stock height Sensatrac shocks, and Pro Comp shocks 0-2" and 3" lift versions (stuff I could easily find).

----------------------------------------------
XJ - misc. shocks info
----------------------------------------------
MONROE Sensatrac shocks (stock XJ part #)
L1 ----- ----- ----- -----
L2 Extnd Cmprs Travl Part#
L3 ----- ----- ----- -----
Fr 20.00 12.75 07.25 37026
Rr 20.00 12.75 07.25 37027
----------------------------------------------
PRO COMP ES9000 shocks (0-2 inch lift)
L1 ----- ----- ----- -----
Fr 21.75 13.06 08.69 921515
Rr 19.84 12.32 07.52 919500
----------------------------------------------
PRO COMP ES9000 shocks (3 inch lift)
L1 ----- ----- ----- -----
Fr 24.70 14.52 10.18 924515
Rr 22.58 13.71 08.87 922500
----------------------------------------------

Last, here's a table with the actual differences between the JK Rubi shocks, an XJ stock length shock, and Pro Comps 0-2" and 3" lift shocks.

----------------------------------------------
Rubicon JK difference from ...
----------------------------------------------
MONROE Sensatrac (XJ OEM length)
L1 ----- ----- -----
L2 Extnd Cmprs Travl Rubi shock notes
L3 ----- ----- ----- ----------
Fr +2.70 +2.88 -0.15 Note - 3" longer, equal travel
Rr +3.25 +2.50 +0.75 Note - 3" longer, more travel
----------------------------------------------
PRO COMP ES9000 (0-2 inch lift)
L1 ----- ----- ----- ----------
Fr +0.95 +2.57 -1.59 Note - 1" longer, less travel
Rr +3.41 +2.93 +0.48 Note - 3" longer, more travel
----------------------------------------------
PRO COMP ES9000 (3 inch lift)
L1 ----- ----- ----- ----------
Fr -2.00 +1.11 -3.08 Note - 2" shorter, much less travel
Rr +0.67 +1.54 -0.87 Note - 1/2" longer, less travel
----------------------------------------------

(And yeah, there're rounding errors since I was only going to two decimal places. And I didn't check my math, as it was 02:00A when I finished this. And it would have been useful for purposes of comparison to the Rubi's to show the differences from stock for the Pro Comp's too ...feel free to DIY lol.)

As always, YMMV ...and you can (and should!) draw your own conclusions.

NOTE: I know have some side-by-side photos comparing the Rubi reds with a set of (very worn-out) stock shocks, that I'll probably add at some point.
 
I got a set of jk shocks(black) not thinking that the shocks were different...how to tell which black ones I have? I need these to work for 2" lift...
 
Black JK shocks were from standard JK, Red are from RUBI's Either will work. Red ones are better, but the black ones work just fine.
 
I just picked up a set of black jk shocks from a 2010 unlimited sport. I measured the shock, center to center--they measure 22.5" for the rear and 21.25" for the front. I've been doing some research online about the stock shock lengths on Jk's. They vary from year to year, model to model, and suspension package.
I also looked at Monroe's website at sensa trac replacements for my 2000 XJ. the rear extended is 20.00" and the fromt is 21.125". I wanted to put a 2" lift, consisting of 2" Old man EMU leaf springs in the back and 2" coil spacers in the front. I'm thinking the rear JK shocks will work, but the fronts might not be long enough.
 
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