lazyxj
NAXJA Member #1310
- Location
- Los Angeles
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The rear of the XJ has a worn set of Old Man Emu shocks, with 90,000 miles on them. I had been planning on replacing them with a pair of Bilstein 5150s, same as are installed in the front.
Here's the problem.
We recently went to the Death Valley area for a week and had a great time exploring hundred of miles of dirt and gravel roads.
Getting home, I noticed that the front of the rear axle and shocks were sand blasted down to bare metal, from sand and gravel thrown by the front wheels. This is normal and happens on most weeklong desert trips. Touching up the paint is part of the regular maintenance.
So, how well does an exposed lower shock shaft handle being blasted by sand and gravel for thousands of miles?
The existing OME shocks have metal covers but the 5150s are open, unless the optional rubber boots are installed. Searching shows few using shock boots due to the buildup of mud and dirt, causing more harm than good.
5150s are not rebuildable so if a shaft is damaged, the whole shock needs to be replaced.
The XJ is my DD and gets towed behind our motor home, racking up a lot of mileage each year. I need shocks that will last many miles of varied use.
I might be better off getting another set of the OMEs or set of Bilsteins 5100/5125s, all of which have outer covers.[/FONT]
The rear of the XJ has a worn set of Old Man Emu shocks, with 90,000 miles on them. I had been planning on replacing them with a pair of Bilstein 5150s, same as are installed in the front.
Here's the problem.
We recently went to the Death Valley area for a week and had a great time exploring hundred of miles of dirt and gravel roads.
Getting home, I noticed that the front of the rear axle and shocks were sand blasted down to bare metal, from sand and gravel thrown by the front wheels. This is normal and happens on most weeklong desert trips. Touching up the paint is part of the regular maintenance.
So, how well does an exposed lower shock shaft handle being blasted by sand and gravel for thousands of miles?
The existing OME shocks have metal covers but the 5150s are open, unless the optional rubber boots are installed. Searching shows few using shock boots due to the buildup of mud and dirt, causing more harm than good.
5150s are not rebuildable so if a shaft is damaged, the whole shock needs to be replaced.
The XJ is my DD and gets towed behind our motor home, racking up a lot of mileage each year. I need shocks that will last many miles of varied use.
I might be better off getting another set of the OMEs or set of Bilsteins 5100/5125s, all of which have outer covers.[/FONT]