Spring/Shock question from newbie
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JK Newbie
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Dubai, UAE
Spring/Shock question from newbie
Hello folks,
I do not currently have a Jeep, but I am an old white haired wrench slinger who is helping a young friend here in Dubai with Jeep maintenance and upgrades. He has a 2012 JK I have been fiddling with and it is time to do a mild spring lift. Not a fan of spacers. Last Jeep I played with was an old YJ and I recall putting in some Old Man Emu springs. I can get OME 2" lifted springs for this rig, and have been pondering the shocks. Not sure there is better value in the 150 dollar shock as compared to the 50 buck shock. Are the lower cost Quadratech shocks okay? Are the hideously expensive OME truly worth the big difference? His main driving will be on pavement with the occasional desert jaunt.
I'll probably pick up a 2000-2006 Wrangler myself as a toy as I want an inline six and they are a dime a dozen here, zero rust and rarely over 5-6 grand for top specimens.
I do not currently have a Jeep, but I am an old white haired wrench slinger who is helping a young friend here in Dubai with Jeep maintenance and upgrades. He has a 2012 JK I have been fiddling with and it is time to do a mild spring lift. Not a fan of spacers. Last Jeep I played with was an old YJ and I recall putting in some Old Man Emu springs. I can get OME 2" lifted springs for this rig, and have been pondering the shocks. Not sure there is better value in the 150 dollar shock as compared to the 50 buck shock. Are the lower cost Quadratech shocks okay? Are the hideously expensive OME truly worth the big difference? His main driving will be on pavement with the occasional desert jaunt.
I'll probably pick up a 2000-2006 Wrangler myself as a toy as I want an inline six and they are a dime a dozen here, zero rust and rarely over 5-6 grand for top specimens.
JK Jedi
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 4,468
Likes: 221
From: SE Michigan
Sorry, I can't help you in regards to how good the OME or Q-Tech shocks are since I have no personal experience with them. Someone with more experience hopefully can chime in.
What I will say is that in general when you start looking at purchasing springs and shocks separately, it will end up costing a lot more than if you purchase a kit with springs and shocks included.
As an example, when I purchased my Mopar 2in lift, it came with Fox 2.0 performance series shocks. Those shocks purchased separately were $150 each, so $600 for the complete set of shocks. I purchased the entire Mopar kit with those shocks, springs and other needed components for $760. So it didn't make a lot of sense to me in purchasing shocks and springs separately in regards to value I was getting on my investment. An additional benefit is that a lot of the available kits, will custom tune the shocks to better match the included spring rates for improved on road ride quality which was the case with the Mopar lift I got where they are not the standard off the shelf Fox 2.0 series shocks, but have been custom tuned by Fox/Mopar. So I guess my recommendation would be is that if you're looking for springs and shocks, you may be better off shopping for a kit which includes the shocks and springs since you'll tend to pay less overall, and get some added benefits.
Information which came from Fox of the differences between their off the shelf shocks and the included Mopar kit. Likely OME has a kit with similar attributes if you're looking at their springs.
Fox 2.0 performance series aftermarket vs Fox 2.0 performance series Mopar kit.
- The only difference is internal valving (mounting and length are the same)
- The 4dr shock is slightly stiffer that the 2dr (one step more low speed and high speed compression damping)
- Compared to the off-the-shelf FOX shocks you can buy for 0-2in lift, the stiffness of the MOPAR shocks is lower. So the standard FOX JK shock is stiffer than 4dr shocks in the MOPAR kit.
- FOX does not differentiate between the 2dr and the 4dr for their shocks. MOPAR made a custom tune for both the 2dr and 4dr JKs and created MOPAR specific shocks for the lifts. This means you can't buy the "MOPAR tuned" FOX shocks for the 2in lift from FOX. They can only be purchased through MOPAR.
What I will say is that in general when you start looking at purchasing springs and shocks separately, it will end up costing a lot more than if you purchase a kit with springs and shocks included.
As an example, when I purchased my Mopar 2in lift, it came with Fox 2.0 performance series shocks. Those shocks purchased separately were $150 each, so $600 for the complete set of shocks. I purchased the entire Mopar kit with those shocks, springs and other needed components for $760. So it didn't make a lot of sense to me in purchasing shocks and springs separately in regards to value I was getting on my investment. An additional benefit is that a lot of the available kits, will custom tune the shocks to better match the included spring rates for improved on road ride quality which was the case with the Mopar lift I got where they are not the standard off the shelf Fox 2.0 series shocks, but have been custom tuned by Fox/Mopar. So I guess my recommendation would be is that if you're looking for springs and shocks, you may be better off shopping for a kit which includes the shocks and springs since you'll tend to pay less overall, and get some added benefits.
Information which came from Fox of the differences between their off the shelf shocks and the included Mopar kit. Likely OME has a kit with similar attributes if you're looking at their springs.
Fox 2.0 performance series aftermarket vs Fox 2.0 performance series Mopar kit.
- The only difference is internal valving (mounting and length are the same)
- The 4dr shock is slightly stiffer that the 2dr (one step more low speed and high speed compression damping)
- Compared to the off-the-shelf FOX shocks you can buy for 0-2in lift, the stiffness of the MOPAR shocks is lower. So the standard FOX JK shock is stiffer than 4dr shocks in the MOPAR kit.
- FOX does not differentiate between the 2dr and the 4dr for their shocks. MOPAR made a custom tune for both the 2dr and 4dr JKs and created MOPAR specific shocks for the lifts. This means you can't buy the "MOPAR tuned" FOX shocks for the 2in lift from FOX. They can only be purchased through MOPAR.
Last edited by Rednroll; May 1, 2018 at 05:34 AM.
JK Jedi
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 6,222
Likes: 376
From: Southwest Reno, NV
If the owner is concerned about cost just buy the cheap off the shelf Monroe shocks for the jeep or whatever the cheap brand is over there. In a blind test most people would not be able to tell the difference in two different shocks and most people over here buy shocks based on looks. The OME shocks ride nice on my JKU, less jarring ride then my 5100's were but are $$ compared to the cheap stuff. Some people also don't like the yellow paint on them. If the owner doesn't have a budget issue throw some fancy bypass shocks on it and really tune in the ride. BTW don't buy the OME HD 2" coils unless you want it to ride really high 3"+ stick to the no load coils that will give a softer ride and will be closer to a true 2" lift.
JK Freak
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 724
Likes: 5
From: Florence, SC
For cost effectiveness, good ride, and functional off road, it's tough to beat the Rancho 2" sport lift with RS5000X shocks. The newest version has springs front and rear instead of springs in the front and spacers in the rear like the old version. Check it out. I went with that a couple years ago when I was on a budget, but with RS9000XL shocks. I have recently swapped to the 5000X shocks and Metal cloak springs when I upgraded, and I have no regrets. They ride great and perform good on and off the road.
JK Jedi
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 11,362
Likes: 2,089
From: Willow Park, TX
Those 9000 are adjustable with a quick flip of a knob. Worth the extra cost for most people, and they get glowing reviews from most on here who have em. Biggest complaint is always just that it's easy to knock the knob off while wheelin'...so possibly mount the rear lowers so the knob faces in instead.