What Coils & Mods to go with Ohlins shocks?

[Wheelin98TJ]

Ironically Tenneco owns Rancho and also owns the majority share in Ohlins FYI......... Maybe the Ohlins shocks were tuned on a truck riding on Rancho springs? Hmmmmm

Until we see a dyno sheet or actual testing is done, these thing are Russian Rulette except slightly less lethal.

Maybe Rancho springs are great.

I brought up control arms and bushings because I was mainly talking about Rancho suspension links.

Sponsored

 

[CrazyCooter]

And if you know the guy in the video, you know he's an EVO guy.

I think Eddie is a "whoever is holding a cookie" kind of guy..... You don't get to his level of marketing without withholding or embellishing the truth sometimes?

 

[Hagar'd]

I think Eddie is a "whoever is holding a cookie" kind of guy..... You don't get to his level of marketing without withholding or embellishing the truth sometimes?

Yes there is always plenty of this in marketing!

Additionally his is really the only review online, which is concerning.

However a bit of blind faith with Ohlins given past two wheel experiences coupled with my own made in Sweden status got me over the line (Also a solid sale price)

Nothing to do with blingy gold under the guards... (Not that this should ever sway a performance based decision)

I also have a tendency to try things that seem like they should perform that not many other people are using. This has had mixed results through out my life....

 

[CrazyCooter]

I'm very interested in the Ohlins product, but there is no way to know if there is enough damping adjustment built into the product to work well under all conditions or spring rates without testing or them supplying a dyno sheet/sharing what conditions they developed the shock with.

The trouble with this is that IF a manufacturer says "We developed this shock using a F120/R295lb spring on an unloaded gas JT" that would exclude buyers with diesel, heavy overland, or springs of other rates? Best to deceive the public and kill them with marketing like You Tube influencers!

I'm in the business, have tested a few different spring rates on JT's, JL, JK's, and many other platforms involving custom tuning 5 different shock platforms so far, so I have a little bit of a handle on this BS. I started my tuning with diesel JT's, so many people think I only know how to tune Diesel JT's........Same shit different vehicle setup......Its all relative.

Ride is completely subjective. What many swear works great........I would have pull out my first aid pistol during a road trip and relieve the suffering!

If you can get Ohlins easily serviced in your area, I'd go for it.

 

[Hagar'd]

I'm very interested in the Ohlins product, but there is no way to know if there is enough damping adjustment built into the product for to work well under all conditions or spring rates without testing or them or supplying a dyno sheet/sharing what conditions they developed the shock with.

The trouble with this is that IF a manufacturer says "We developed this shock using a F120/R295lb spring on an unloaded gas JT" that would exclude buyers with diesel, heavy overland, or springs of other rates? Best to deceive the public and kill them with marketing like You Tube influencers!

I'm in the business, have tested a few different spring rates on JT's, JL, JK's, and many other platforms involving custom tuning 5 different shock platforms so far, so I have a little bit of a handle on this BS.

Ride is completely subjective. What many swear works great........I would have pull out my first aid pistol during a road trip and relieve the suffering!

If you can get Ohlins easily serviced in you area, I'd go for it.

Agreed information is minimal.

Ride / handling is certainly subjective, as it is to how the vehilce is used and at what speeds etc. Im pretty new to the Jeep / 4x4 susepsnion conversation.

Having worked with MTB suspension and Ohlins, the saving grace from a MTB persepctive is that Ohlins has an extensive DB of damping so that shim stacks can be altered/ tuned to provide the ride feel wanted.

Again an assumption.:

My assumption is that with this level of shock and given Ohlins operating models for their other products this shock should be able to be revalved if the damping capacity falls out of range of the external compression and rebound adjusters.

Im very interested in their end stroke internal bumpstops and how this effects ride quality on overland style vehicles.

 

[CrazyCooter]

I just looked at all of my suppliers again and not a single set of Ohlins in stock for a JT. Wonder if there are any in the states yet not including the ones that were supplied to influencers?

I was working with another member who was on the fence for Ohlins.....Wonder if he pulled the trigger and is waiting?

There are SOOOOOO many new comers in the past few months with Jeep shocks that the market has become super saturated. I don't have high hopes for the products getting better....Just more mediocre and confusing? See who survives this economic downturn......

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

I think Eddie is a "whoever is holding a cookie" kind of guy..... You don't get to his level of marketing without withholding or embellishing the truth sometimes?

I’m sure his vendor memberships on his forums are free.

 

[Hagar'd]

I just looked at all of my suppliers again and not a single set of Ohlins in stock for a JT. Wonder if there are any in the states yet not including the ones that were supplied to influencers?

I was working with another member who was on the fence for Ohlins.....Wonder if he pulled the trigger and is waiting?

There are SOOOOOO many new comers in the past few months with Jeep shocks that the market has become super saturated. I don't have high hopes for the products getting better....Just more mediocre and confusing? See who survives this economic downturn......

Well @CrazyCooter that comment had foresight.

Just recieved an email from the supplier stating that they cant supply. This despite the fact that I emailed them prior to ordering to confirm they had the shocks in stock. Recived confirmation email prior to ordering confirming they had stock ready to go. Very frustrating!

So this entire conversation may have been a waste of digital space )-:

Supplier also commented that the shocks are now discontinued. Unsure if this means with supplier or from Ohlins.

Sigh, this is what curiosity gets you.... Back to the drawing board.

""There are SOOOOOO many new comers in the past few months with Jeep shocks that the market has become super saturated. I don't have high hopes for the products getting better....Just more mediocre and confusing? See who survives this economic downturn......""

More spend for marketing companies, less spend for actual development is the usual outcome. (I know Im involved with a marketing company....)

 

[CrazyCooter]

Well @CrazyCooter that comment had foresight.

Just recieved an email from the supplier stating that they cant supply. This despite the fact that I emailed them prior to ordering to confirm they had the shocks in stock. Recived confirmation email prior to ordering confirming they had stock ready to go. Very frustrating!

So this entire conversation may have been a waste of digital space )-:

Supplier also commented that the shocks are now discontinued. Unsure if this means with supplier or from Ohlins.

Sigh, this is what curiosity gets you.... Back to the drawing board.

Challenges with new products......It's always a little bumpy at first!

What quality shock brands have big support in your area? In the moto world I see a lot of stuff used over there that we can't even get here?

I'm not even sure where I would find parts for these shocks here in the US? I'm sure the valving shims would be easy, but seals, shafts, rod ends?

I'm interested in reliability, performance, parts availability, and cost pretty much in that order. What good is a broken product if you can't get parts in 1-3 days? Gotta keep a spare set of shock around just in case?

 

[Hagar'd]

Challenges with new products......It's always a little bumpy at first!

What quality shock brands have big support in your area? In the moto world I see a lot of stuff used over there that we can't even get here?

I'm not even sure where I would find parts for these shocks here in the US? I'm sure the valving shims would be easy, but seals, shafts, rod ends?

I'm interested in reliability, performance, parts availability, and cost pretty much in that order. What good is a broken product if you can't get parts in 1-3 days? Gotta keep a spare set of shock around just in case?

Yes agreed from taking on potential problems and increasing downtime the Ohlins shocks are gamble. Again reliability I have seen from these guys in MTB and moto was what I was chasing mentally.

If someone had asked advice for MTB suspension I would never professionally recommend something that had unknown or effectively non existent support. You take that on youself when you like to try new things.

Locally OME, Dobinsons, Tough dog etc are big suspension suppliers, however the Gladiator is a very low volume vehicle in OZ so options are minimal. As someone who likes quality suspension many of their offerings are not really at that level or they do not supply for the Gladiator. thats why I'm looking more at higher quality suppliers that are not so common down under. That of course comes with potential pitfalls.

Most likley will now look at Bilstein, however unless you go to the bypass shocks they dont offer external adjustability. I dont believe the bypass shocks will fit with my AEV wheels. Additionally they are another price bracket above locally.

Fox is then the obvious choice however, you pay alot for the brand and marketing and the 2.5's are more $$ than the Ohlins locally.

Given your background and profession, do you have preferred products for Gladiators? My build is orientated to overlanding and will cary some weight. Our overlanding is a lot of ruts, corrugations and dust at mid speeds.

 

[CrazyCooter]

Yes agreed from taking on potential problems and increasing downtime the Ohlins shocks are gamble. Again reliability I have seen from these guys in MTB and moto was what I was chasing mentally.

If someone had asked advice for MTB suspension I would never professionally recommend something that had unknown or effectively non existent support. You take that on youself when you like to try new things.

Locally OME, Dobinsons, Tough dog etc are big suspension suppliers, however the Gladiator is a very low volume vehicle in OZ so options are minimal. As someone who likes quality suspension many of their offerings are not really at that level or they do not supply for the Gladiator. thats why I'm looking more at higher quality suppliers that are not so common down under. That of course comes with potential pitfalls.

Most likley will now look at Bilstein, however unless you go to the bypass shocks they dont offer external adjustability. I dont believe the bypass shocks will fit with my AEV wheels. Additionally they are another price bracket above locally.

Fox is then the obvious choice however, you pay alot for the brand and marketing and the 2.5's are more $$ than the Ohlins locally.

Given your background and profession, do you have preferred products for Gladiators? My build is orientated to overlanding and will cary some weight. Our overlanding is a lot of ruts, corrugations and dust at mid speeds.

Yep, I'm into moto and mtn bike stuff as well and Ohlins has been regarded as pretty much the top. I've just not gone there becuse the lack of support in my area.

Dobinsons has some nice looking product, but has spotty support here. Dobinsons America tried to deceive me into buying some front springs a few years back when I was looking for a solution for the heavier diesel platform, but I wouldn't commit because they won't share the rates. They do however seem to have parts availability for the shocks! Can't tell me what rate I'm buying, then it's a hard NO!

OME has some cool stuff too especially for the Toyota's. They also don't give us the spring rates and no shock parts are available to us in the states. They want us to send them in for service which is 10 days minimum at best for those of us on the West coast, but probably closer to 16+ days for the east coast. That's a NO as well!

There are many others that I won't complain about....In a nutshell........If you aren't transparent, service your product after the sale, sell us in the aftermarket parts so that we modify for certain conditions, and allow us to get people back on the road quickly.....it's a HARD NO!

I lot of what I do is with Fox because they have SO many internal parts and options that allow me to get the results that I and my clients desire. I can usually have a drop ship order of weird parts that the warehouses don't stock from Fox in a few days now. The Elite 2.5 is one of my favorites for a manually adjustable shock because of it's durability, availability, versatility, and I have spent so much time perfecting the tuning for it.

Not sure what size the Ohlins is becuse it's not in the specs, but it looks to possibly be in the 2" range? If you want life from a shock on a vehicle that weighs 6-8Klb and plan to operate it off road in a warm climate......a 2.5"+ is a requirement IMO. 2.0's oil looks pretty smoked after just one season!

Obviuosly things are different on your side of the pond. Ohlins is $3850 here vs $2950 for Fox 2.5". Maybe Dobinson's could be a contender?

 

[Rusty PW]

Tire Rack shows them in stock.

Some info on them.

• 2.25" shock body, fully aluminum design for improved cooling.
• PDS – Progressive Damping System, internal hydraulic bump stops for bottoming out control.
• Two-way adjustable (compression and rebound).
• Internal check valve system for completely separating compression and rebound adjustment.
• Öhlins' industry leading pressure balanced damping for cavitation prevention.
• Compatible with lifted suspensions up to 5".
• Improved top out strength for solid axles and off-road use.
• Spherical ball joints for low friction suspension movement and improved body control.
• Öhlins' custom ball joint seals for long-lasting and free-play resistance even when dirty.
• Rebuildable for custom tuning and PDS stroke.
• Possible to upgrade to Öhlins' two-way adjustable compression valve for adjusting high speed and low speed compression.
• Two-year limited warranty.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Yep, I'm into moto and mtn bike stuff as well and Ohlins has been regarded as pretty much the top. I've just not gone there becuse the lack of support in my area.

Dobinsons has some nice looking product, but has spotty support here. Dobinsons America tried to deceive me into buying some front springs a few years back when I was looking for a solution for the heavier diesel platform, but I wouldn't commit because they won't share the rates. They do however seem to have parts availability for the shocks! Can't tell me what rate I'm buying, then it's a hard NO!

OME has some cool stuff too especially for the Toyota's. They also don't give us the spring rates and no shock parts are available to us in the states. They want us to send them in for service which is 10 days minimum at best for those of us on the West coast, but probably closer to 16+ days for the east coast. That's a NO as well!

There are many others that I won't complain about....In a nutshell........If you aren't transparent, service your product after the sale, sell us in the aftermarket parts so that we modify for certain conditions, and allow us to get people back on the road quickly.....it's a HARD NO!

I lot of what I do is with Fox because they have SO many internal parts and options that allow me to get the results that I and my clients desire. I can usually have a drop ship order of weird parts that the warehouses don't stock from Fox in a few days now. The Elite 2.5 is one of my favorites for a manually adjustable shock because of it's durability, availability, versatility, and I have spent so much time perfecting the tuning for it.

Not sure what size the Ohlins is becuse it's not in the specs, but it looks to possibly be in the 2" range? If you want life from a shock on a vehicle that weighs 6-8Klb and plan to operate it off road in a warm climate......a 2.5"+ is a requirement IMO. 2.0's oil looks pretty smoked after just one season!

Obviuosly things are different on your side of the pond. Ohlins is $3850 here vs $2950 for Fox 2.5". Maybe Dobinson's could be a contender?

OME puts spring rates in their parts catalogs. Here they are:

https://view.publitas.com/arb-4x4-a...nal-application-catalogue-latest/page/280-281

 

[CrazyCooter]

OME puts spring rates in their parts catalogs. Here they are:

https://view.publitas.com/arb-4x4-a...nal-application-catalogue-latest/page/280-281

That's actually a pretty extensive list of specs! Too bad they don't offer coils for a JT?

 

[Zachanadandy]

I'm very interested in the Ohlins product, but there is no way to know if there is enough damping adjustment built into the product to work well under all conditions or spring rates without testing or them supplying a dyno sheet/sharing what conditions they developed the shock with.

The trouble with this is that IF a manufacturer says "We developed this shock using a F120/R295lb spring on an unloaded gas JT" that would exclude buyers with diesel, heavy overland, or springs of other rates? Best to deceive the public and kill them with marketing like You Tube influencers!

I'm in the business, have tested a few different spring rates on JT's, JL, JK's, and many other platforms involving custom tuning 5 different shock platforms so far, so I have a little bit of a handle on this BS. I started my tuning with diesel JT's, so many people think I only know how to tune Diesel JT's........Same shit different vehicle setup......Its all relative.

Ride is completely subjective. What many swear works great........I would have pull out my first aid pistol during a road trip and relieve the suffering!

If you can get Ohlins easily serviced in your area, I'd go for it.

Where would you even find a 295lb rear spring for a JT? Dump truck hard, socks wouldn't matter. From all the oem and aftermarket springs I've seen specs on if say you're only talking maybe a ~40lb difference in spring rates. I'd imagine an adjustable shock would allow enough range to work well with virtually any of them, but they do state they are tuneable so even if you were on the extreme end of weight or spring rate you should be able to get them valued appropriately. If you're running $3k plus in shocks you should have the budget to drop a few hundred dollars on a re-valve? Or if you know you're in those extreme cases you could just order fox 2.5 elites from Accutune after giving them your particular weights and needs/ use case?

Sponsored