Stiff Riding in JKU
 

Hey everyone,

I own a 2008 Jeep Wrangler with 35" BFGoodrich KO2 tires and what I think is a 3" or 3.5" suspension lift. I've been noticing that my rig seems to be riding stiffer than other jeeps with similar tires/lifts. Almost any bump in the road has the potential to launch you out of your seat. I was curious if anyone could point me in the right direction for getting this thing to ride a little smoother on the road? (I know it's a jeep, not a luxury vehicle. However, I feel the stiffness is excessive for even a Jeep).

The current lift kit installed is by Skyjacker. I'm running Skyjacker Nitro 8000 shocks with Skyjacker JK40FS-SR springs. My guess is the kit has about 80,000 miles or so on it currently since the installation. I also have full metal front and rear bumpers, a winch, and a tire carrier installed. I would think that added weight would help more than hurt the ride quality. I've also noticed that it seems to be smoother when I have more passengers. So, I'm thinking it's a stiffness issue.

I'm honestly stuck as to if I can replace just the shocks, or if the springs should be replaced as well to make it ride better. Hopefully some of you guys' experience can point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

1st item, what air psi in your 35s.. what wheel size .. do a chalk test, look for the utube and set psi accordingly. Did you have the kit installed or it came on it .. yes with that mileage on the shocks they have a high probability of being worn out..

I run them about 30 PSI. Chalk test was good at that pressure. Been running that pressure for about a year and a half now with about 40,000 miles on these tires. Nice even wear.

I'm using 18" wheels for the tires.

I installed the lift kit myself back in 2016.

What load range are your tires?

They are load range E.

Thought so. That is likely the cause of your rough ride. That load range is for one ton trucks.
Try running about 15 PSI and see if that helps. Likely will.

Run 15 on the road? Just making sure. I'm used to hearing to air down that low when off-roading.

Yes, 15 on the road. Just try it and see how your jeep behaves. You'll see that even down to 15 the tires won't even look low.
I would suggest getting new tires. A light truck tire, not load range E.
I have load range E for off-road use. Got a set of five used, 35" nearly new Nitto Trail grapplers for $300, because of how rough they ride. I use them for off-road so it doesn't matter to me. I have another set of cheap 35's for the road.
This is why I knew what was going on with your ride quality.

Ahh I see. I’ll definitely give that a try. Thanks for the recommendation.

Regarding shocks, I’ve heard good things about the Bilstein 5100 shocks. What are some other good “reasonably priced” shocks?

Given the mileage on the shocks: