Noticed one of the bushings on a rear shock is busted so I will probably just go ahead and change out all 4.....currently has RC shocks.....what do you recommend without breaking the bank for a daily driver? Any issues with Rancho or Skyjacker?

 

Rancho is popular, Skyjacker not so much. If you choose rancho, watch for one of the yearly sales for a gift card rebate, and also check out the 90-day satisfaction guarantee. (both the 5000 and the adjustable 9000's are getting good reviews).I like the OME Long Travel shocks I'm running now, and MetalCloak has a newer RockSport shock with very similar specs to the ome. Others that get talked about are Fox 2.0, Teraflex Falcon, and Bilstein 5100 (though many of us think the 5100 is too stiff.) But the good thing is that there are generally a lot of reviews to read through to help you make a choice.

 

I just go with rubicon low mile take offs. But, repaint them first because they did a horrible job painting them at the factory.

 

what about Pro Comp? Is this a reliable brand?

 

I assume not. I keep my stuff mostly stock, including suspension. I'm an engineer. Some engineer somewhere designed the Jeep a certain way for all things to work together. Start messing with the engineer's design and there's a risk of bad things happening. Not to bash those that wish to lift and install big tires, it's just not my cup of tea.

 

Looked at this again and thought I'd ask, are you refering to the bushings at the top/bottom, or the bumpstop on the shaft? And to follow up on this thought, since RC adds bumpstops to the shocks themselves, make sure you add real stops if you go to another brand.

Like RC, Procomp is considered to be another of the lower quality mfg's for JK components. But who knows, maybe their shocks will be an improvement over what you have.

 

bottom of the shock where the mounting bolt attaches to bracket.

 

Did you know the engineer that designed the jk suspension went to work for AEV and designed the 2.5” suspension how he thought it should have been with out the constraints placed by jeep. He said even stock, roll center was to low due other restrictions. Better coils dual rate vs linear for when weight is added etc. OEM have lots of requirements for a multitude of reasons along with bean counters that may prevent a product from being far from perfect. Nothing wrong with staying stock as many do and if stock meets your needs. but for $1000 can be so much better even if never take it off road.

 

I did not know that. That's good info. Yes, done correctly when considering all intended and unintended consequences, modifying from the original design can certainly bring benefits.

 

Choosing shocks can, sometimes, be a difficult or disastrous event. It sounds like you are looking for ride quality with reasonable offroad performance. Shocks typically are matched with spring rates to work best otherwise a mix/match can have disappointing results. I am with rob_engineer - for single component change use ones designed for the suspension aka something like Rubicon takeoffs. There should be some available nearby that were takeoffs from people wanting to do the springs/lift etc. Try nearby 4x4 shops for those. When/if you graduate to different springs etc then you will need to revisit the shock situation on your Jeep.