My take on this. Shocks are personal preference. What's good for one might not be good for another.
Everyone told me that Bilstein HD's were gonna suck. I installed them on my unlifted JK, and I'm more than happy with the performance. Guys that are looking for a smooth ride in a Jeep, should've got a Mercedes. The 5100's should be good for you. They are relatively inexpensive.

 

If you want a good ride, go with something other than bilstiens. and for the comments regarding buying a mercedes, nah, I will just drive a comfortable jeep. not a tank. jeeps can be comfortable. I would go with OME, rancho 9000s, and I am trying the monroe reflex as a budget upgrade for the stockers. I will report back on these hopfully next week!

 

The ome shocks are a noticeably smoother ride than the bilsteins I had, atleast on my jeep. And I think that is the key to the shock thing. Weight of vehicle and driver preference is a huge role. My 2 door is stripped so comparing a shock that I would use to the same shock placed on a 4 door loaded doesn't make much since.

 

Buddy has RK springs and Bilstein 5100. I have OME springs and OME nitro charger shocks. My jk has a smoother ride. My OME soaks up bumps much better than his. Hitting bumps in the road in his is much rougher.

So during the 1-3 hours of highway time getting to trails (and the majority of time otherwise) mine is more comfortable. He agrees.

 

The Bilsteins are way stiff - they're like the Ranchos on setting 8 or 9. I only want my shocks that stiff when I'm rockcrawling or bombing across the desert. For street driving or more relaxed off road terrain, the Ranchos at their medium or soft settings are so much more comfortable. Especially after many miles where the Bilsteins firm ride just beats you up.

 

No bumps on the highway, so why would stiff shocks beat you up?
More than just shocks come into play. What type of tire, how much air pressure, springs, etc.
My 2007 Corvette was built for speed and highway driving and its suspension was stiff as hell especially with run flat tires. Most comfortable car I ever drove on the highway.
I have 15/55 springs and Bilstein HDs and couldn't be happier.

 

There are a lot of factors for sure. The two biggest though will be having the spring rate matched to the dampening of the shock. A heavy spring rate with out enough dampening will be bouncy, a soft spring with a firm shock will beat you up. I chose a stiffer shock with the progressive rate springs because I know the larger tires and lower pressures would eat up the small stuff, and I wanted the shock to be able to keep up on the bigger stuff. So far its worked. I think this is where adjustable is nice.

 

What springs and lift are you running?

 

Good thread, thanks for the post on wheel'n and deal'n'...these are now on my list, nice to get a few bucks back.

My details are in my signature, do alot of highway, light trails, want something better then stock....would the 7000 series be a fit for me?

To other post's here that say shocks are personal preference, I agree. I don't want it to ride like a tractor with no air ride seats, firm with less body roll or nose dive when you break. I'm not a speed demon, I like to cruze and enjoy every minute behind the wheel of my Jeep

 

A lot of highway? Are the highways, in general pretty decent shape? I would go with the 9000's most likely, especially with the cruising aspect.