• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Shocks for 2" lift?

montanaman

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Western Montana
'91 XJ

Can anyone recommend some shocks for a 2" lift? Right now I'm running Monroe Gas Magnums severe duty, but they are for an unlifted XJ, and I'm concerned they might not be "tall" enough when fully extended -- might not allow enough travel.

I want a beefy, durable shock ... with a solid, firm ride.

Preferably bolt on without any modifications, but I can consider welding some new mounting brackets or something if there's a good reason to.

Any recommendations?

Thanks!
 
JK take-offs minor mod to bolt in
 
What is the budget ? Any shocks that have the necessary compressed and extended lengths and compatible mounting points will work. I have a set of Bilstien 4600 from a ZJ on my 3 inch lift. You can also install some bar pin eliminators which will increase the extended length or the existing shocks.
 
Sorry ... I'm still new to this, so I don't quite understand. Do you mean the factory OEM shocks for JK Wranglers?

What mods are needed to bolt in?

Thanks!

I ran shocks from a JK on my 2" lift also. They require you to use Bar Pin Eliminators (BPEs) on the front, I used JKS brand. They rode great, and I got a set of 4 for $65 shipped off EBay, new fresh take offs.

You could also use Bilstein brand, as they make shocks for the 2" lift realm. I run the 5100s now on my 4" and really like the firmness of the ride.
 
I used a pair of XJ rear sway bar mounts as lower bpe for my JK shocks on my MJ.
 
Honestly, I'd get the unibody on jack stands, pull the shocks and springs, re-mount the wheels, and see how much compression you can get without rubbing. From there, bump stop accordingly, and then buy the longest travel shocks you can fit that have a compressed length slightly shorter than the measured mount-to-mount distance while compressed.

I'm running Bilstein 5100s meant for 6" of lift (12" travel) on around 4" of lift (just lowered my rig about 1.5" last week). Lots 'o droop and no rubbing when flexing.

That being said, 5100s for 4" of lift would likely be up your alley depending on the tire size you're running.
 
Ok ... I just spent a while looking up the compressed & extended lengths of shocks for a stock XJ. Monroe has a complete table of all specs for every model of shock they have. The same table shows that JK shocks have roughly an extra 2", so It seems that a shock for unlifted JK will work on a 2-inch-lift XJ with BPEs. So I think that covers the sizing well enough. A big thanks for that.

Can other's please post what brand/model of shock you are running, and the results you are getting with it? That would help me make my choice. We've got one for Bilstein 4600, and two for Bilstein 5100.

Any other recommendations?

Much appreciated.
 
Last edited:
If you are happy with the existing shocks, make extenders that allow regaining the lost down travel.
Make sure the bump stops are also extended, to prevent the shocks from bottoming out.
http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoShockSpacers.htm
 
Thanks for all the replies. I went ahead and ordered the Bilstein 5100s. The Monroe Gasmatic severe service shocks have been (and still are) extremely rugged ... almost indestructible it seems. They are fitted for the Police/fire XJ rigs. But they aren't very sophisticated. I'm hoping the Bilsteins will give better handling on rough terrain.

lazyxj: that's a great link. GoJeep's website is a classic. So many good projects there. I just don't have enough time to fab more stuff. I've found that fabbing anything -- even simple stuff like those extenders -- seems to take me a long time. I'm going to make some rear shackle relocators, but other than that, my plate is too full. I also checked out your flickr photos, and your 2001 rig looks awesome!

Just to let you guys know what got this all started ... I'm redoing the entire front end, including ball joints, tie rods, adj. track bar, axle u-joints, axle oil seals, pinion seal, control arms, all bushings, alignment, etc. etc. After that I need to rebuild/beef up the transfer case, relocate the rear shackles, correct the rear axle pinion angle, etc. I tend to do things slowly and carefully, and I always run into unexpected problems when I get started that require new tools or parts that need to be ordered in (I live in a rural area), and projects tend to mushroom and leave the jeep in pieces for too long. I want to get it back on the trail in time for this season's adventures.

Thanks again to everyone, and best of luck will all your rigs.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top