Help with my stiff rough jku

Braxtonsag

Braxtonsag

Member
Iv been working to get the jeep ready for traveling season and Iv always been one that believes getting rid of excessive weight makes for a better traveling vehicle. In this case I got rid of so much that it screwed me. I’ll statt with a run down of my current setup and what parts have affected the weight of the jeep.

My current suspension setup is a Rock Krawler 3.5 with fox adventure 2.0 shocks. All control arms stock except front lowers. Stock track bars on brackets, rhd drag link. That’s all that I believe would affect ride quality. As far as lighter parts I have a bestop trektop nx, Line X instead of carpet, evo rear fascia instead of a bumper, double rotopax mount instead of a spare tire, and on top of it it’s a base sport no power options.

A few of my complaints are that bumps are extremely jerky and the Jeep sits higher than I imagine it should. Iv weighed it and it weighs 4520 lbs with 37s and heavy slabs so we’re talking 400+ lbs in just wheel and tire.

Obviously fixing my problem is going to be a combination of different springs and shocks. Just wanted some input from you guys. I’ll attach a pic of current ride height as well. C0D53F30-6DAC-4DF0-A2C7-FE7293F88E56.jpg
 
In my opinion, the Rock Krawler springs are probably making the biggest contribution to your poor ride.

3" EVO plush rides will get you a much improved ride in comparison. I have those, and they ride great, plus I haven't heard any poor feedback on them from others.
 
You didn't mention what pressure your running your tires.

Also as mentioned above the RK springs have been reported to be on the stiff side, so maybe they'd feel better if paired with a conventional rather high pressure gas charged shock.

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I keep the tire pressure at 28.5 up front and 28 in the rear, I knew I was going to forget to include that. Are the evo springs the same length uncompressed? I’m going to do some digging and see if I can find actual spring rate numbers as well.
 
Tire pressure is easy to experiment with. I think you can go lower than that - I run my 35s at 28-29. Softer tires will absorb a lot of the roughness, more so than springs and shocks. You can do a chalk test to see if you're overinflated now.
I'm running the 3inch plush rides with Rancho RS9000XL shocks. I think it rides nice, but the front control arm angles are fairly steep and I do get a bit of a jolt transmitted through going over bumps at speed. I think only long arms or drop brackets would fix that. Everything's a compromise.

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Braxtonsag said:
Iv been working to get the jeep ready for traveling season and Iv always been one that believes getting rid of excessive weight makes for a better traveling vehicle. In this case I got rid of so much that it screwed me. I’ll statt with a run down of my current setup and what parts have affected the weight of the jeep.

My current suspension setup is a Rock Krawler 3.5 with fox adventure 2.0 shocks. All control arms stock except front lowers. Stock track bars on brackets, rhd drag link. That’s all that I believe would affect ride quality. As far as lighter parts I have a bestop trektop nx, Line X instead of carpet, evo rear fascia instead of a bumper, double rotopax mount instead of a spare tire, and on top of it it’s a base sport no power options.

A few of my complaints are that bumps are extremely jerky and the Jeep sits higher than I imagine it should. Iv weighed it and it weighs 4520 lbs with 37s and heavy slabs so we’re talking 400+ lbs in just wheel and tire.

Obviously fixing my problem is going to be a combination of different springs and shocks. Just wanted some input from you guys. I’ll attach a pic of current ride height as well. View attachment 325386
Click to expand...

I tend to run very light as well and our set up is almost identical. I would start with springs. I have 4” plush rides on mine but I wanted the extra up travel. Wait till you take the doors off. They are heavy. Compensated for camping gear nicely though. Oh and get a spare. If I ever see someone out on the trail with no spare guess who I’m not loaning one to. It’s just stupid not to carry one.

Ride height fully loaded with gear for Rubicon.Image1555854543.595934.jpg


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OverlanderJK said:
I’m just impressed someone actually knows what they keep their tire pressure at down to half a pound.


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Click to expand...
Lol the digital pressure gauge I use measures in half psi increments and I always like to have the front slightly higher than the rear. That’s the only reason I know.

A.J. said:
I tend to run very light as well and our set up is almost identical. I would start with springs. I have 4” plush rides on mine but I wanted the extra up travel. Wait till you take the doors off. They are heavy. Compensated for camping gear nicely though. Oh and get a spare. If I ever see someone out on the trail with no spare guess who I’m not loaning one to. It’s just stupid not to carry one.

Ride height fully loaded with gear for Rubicon.View attachment 325413


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Click to expand...
I’ll have one eventually, most likely when I buy new tires. I just don’t really do THAT hard of trails that puncturing is a big worry of mine. I HAVE however nearly ran out of gas 3 times in remote Utah and Nevada. That’s my reasoning for gas > spare. Once I buy new tires I’ll probably pick up an extra wheel and one of these 4 will be the spare.


So with my setup would you guys suggest 3” or 4” plush rides?
 
Spring rates are also important as is the type of spring. A 3” lift spring from one company may give you more than a 4” spring from another company. As an example I was running a 4” spring and recently installed some AEV 3.5 dual sport springs and actually gained some height. Granted the 4” springs were about a year old so no doubt they had some sag in them. But it should be noted that spring rate and type of spring should be considered as well as shock valving. Some companies are a lot better at matching shocks with spring rates in their kits than others. The best kits have multiple shock choices and let you choose based on what you’re wanting to do.
37”coopers and chopped flares. It all fits with the 3.5 AEV springs and while the ride is firm, it’s not harsh or sharp. The shocks are matched perfectly and it rides exactly how I want it to empty or loaded.
IMG_1086.jpg
 
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wjtstudios said:
It all depends on your flares and bumps. I’ve seen 37s on 3” with cut flares and no rubbing and 37” on 4” and (mine) with stock flares and it will rub at full flex. Just need to dial it in which ever you choose.


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iv got my bump stops set nearly perfect. 3" front and rear and with the rear raised shock mounts i use all but 1/2" of up travel on them with slight tire clearance / no rubbing. Up front is about the same, tire stuffs into the fender using almost all of the shocks up travel while not being able to go higher and rub.

RESURECTIONJK said:
Spring rates are also important as is the type of spring. A 3” lift spring from one company may give you more than a 4” spring from another company. As an example I was running a 4” spring and recently installed some AEV 3.5 dual sport springs and actually gained some height. Granted the 4” springs were about a year old so no doubt they had some sag in them. But it should be noted that spring rate and type of spring should be considered as well as shock valving. Some companies are a lot better at matching shocks with spring rates in their kits than others. The best kits have multiple shock choices and let you choose based on what you’re wanting to do.
37”coopers and chopped flares. It all fits with the 3.5 AEV springs and while the ride is firm, it’s not harsh or sharp. The shocks are matched perfectly and it rides exactly how I want it to empty or loaded.
View attachment 325432
Click to expand...
yeah thats what im scared of, These are a 3.5" lift spring. I *think* going to the 3" plush ride would be the right choice given that i already feel it sits a tad high, it may bring it down right to where i want it or sit the same. I originally picked this kit up as a flex kit and i was able to choose the shocks. i ended up choosing the 4-6" lift fox adventure series monotube and wish i wouldve gone with the performance series remote res. I can only imagine how hot the oil in these gets out west.
 
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