Spud Racer

Hey guys, names Tom. I'm looking for suspension recommendation.

I just bought a 13' Sport Unlimited. I've got 5.13 gears on order and 35" BFG on 17" wheels as well. I'm looking for the best suspension for this set-up, which is likely to be different than many of you back in the land of plenty.

I'm a missionary doctor who hails from North Carolina but am now living way up over 5000' in the mountains of Papua New Guinea where I work as a missionary doctor.

The roads around here are made up of stones and small rocks up to orange size and held in place with dirt. It's like a washboard, but on steroids! To make things worse, there's too many potholes to dodge them all. They range from 1' to 5' in diameter, and can be up to 1' deep. You simply cannot drive faster than 10mph on these roads, so it takes forever to get anywhere. A stiff suspension can kill your spine... so you'd think something nice and soft to absorb all the rocks.

But if you drive to the nearest city which is 3-4 hours away, then you'll be driving on a paved road, but again with frequent potholes ranging from a foot to the whole road. They are deep enough that if you hit one at speed, it can literally rip your tire loose. If you drive below 50kph to be safe, it'll take 6-7 hours. If you drive at 100-110kph, you'll get there in 3 hours, but you have to stay sharp. I usually hit 2-4 potholes hard on the way down, so I also need a firm suspension to soak up these bumps.

On weekends I'm on rutted trails with 15" ruts.

Which suspension is best for these roads?

Tom in Papua New Guinea

jordy

What kind of budget are we talking about Tom? What have you got in the area as far as capable shops to do the install, or are you planning on tackling it yourself?

Budget is going to drive it more than anything, so let's start there.

TheDirtman

The main thing to look at are shocks. Something tunable or adjustable. A coil over with internal bypass and compression adjusters will take care of the bumps and allow you to change them up for different road surfaces. Or you could run a bypass shock with conventional coils that would be tuned to your ride. A bypass shock is easier to fit then a coil over by are pricey and many people are intimidated by the tuning of the shocks. King, Fox, Radflo, ADS, Ballistic, Bilstien are some of the shock companies. Watch your shock length as you want as close to a 50/50 ratio to take advantage of the tuning zones that let the shocks work properly. Most coil over kits run too long a shock for the vehicle and you end up to having enough up travel to soak up the bumps unless you run around 6" of lift.

A properly done long arm kit with about 3.5" of lift and a high steer set up is going to give you the best performance as it will reduce axle shift while you are driving fast over the bumps. Most every long arm on the JK has some kind of drawback since they rely on factory axle brackets and work around clearance issues that are inherent to the JK.

This will allow you to run at speed over rough stuff but may tax the front Dana 30 axle causing alignment issues from bending or breaking if you hit a good pot hole at speed. Go fast on a JK is doable but is going to cost you.

Spud Racer

Due to the long list of mods I'm doing, all at the same time, money IS a factor, but I'm not willing to cut corners for the sake of saving money. If I'm doing this, I want it done right.

I will be doing all the work myself, including adding the 5.13 gears. I'm no stranger to adjustable shocks.

Thanks for the help guys..

Tom in PNG

Rock Krawler Suspension

Hey Tom, I'm glad to hear that you're doing such a great thing, I'd love to discuss options for your JKU.

Adam C

Spud Racer

Sounds great Adam, discuss away. I'm eager to hear what you have to say... but don't ask me to call you, unless I can call you collect at 3:00am!

Tom in PNG

Rock Krawler Suspension

Tom, It sounds to me like you need something strong enough to handle those massive pot holes at speed without bending or breaking components and provide you the clearance to fit those 35's you have ordered. My initial thought is our JKU X factor mid arm. That kit will add quite a bit of strength to your jeep's suspension and with our triple rate springs, it should ride comfortably. We can adjust shock valving a bit to soften the jeep up for the big hits too.

Adam C

Spud Racer

Right now I'm leaning toward a RK 3-1/2" X-factor short-arm kit. I've got to make sure the trackbars work with a RHD jeep.

Scratching my head on shocks. Coil-overs look WAY out of my price range. I'm trying to stay around $2500 or less.

I like the Fox remotes with adjusters, but they're just a little too much. I'm hoping the ride isn't too harsh. It's hard enough on our two girls as it is to keep lunch down. A harsh ride may make things intolerable. I'd hate to build up this Jeep and ship it all the way here only for the family to want something softer... you know?

It's all about the family, safety... then comfort.

Tom in PNG (leaving in 2 weeks to NC to build the JK!)

karls10jk

The x-factor lift is a joke and something else not mentioned is the maintenance required. I've got a friend who ran the RK x factor and recently ditched it for a system that didn't have every joint shot in a year's time (deployed for 7 months of that year).

Everybody wants to sell you a kit but you'll have better results from piecing together the best of what each company offers. Yes, RK has "strong" components, but they require maintenance and you won't be making adjustments under the vehicle since they keep the jam nuts so close to the factory bracketry.

Horsebeater

I have the X factor, do some research. I would rather wheel than wrench on my junk. Not happening with this kit.