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Newbie Shock Question

Scottdip

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Is it possible to get a shock that will increase or at least keep the same road manners as the stock shocks while also increasing the off road capability. I would also like them to be able to adjust the compression for when I tow or will just be driving it on the road as my Gladiator is my DD.

I went to the Silver Lake dunes and felt like the stock Rubicon shocks were bottoming out more than I thought they would, hence the reason for the shock question. My buddy had a JK with fox reservoirs and had absolutely no issues with bottoming.

So is this possible? Recommendations?
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Yellow1098

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Good question...would love to hear some answers...I am only familiar with shocks when it comes to racing and hot rodding muscle cars...I assume for trucks and off roading they have some stiffer adjustable shocks which would be great to turn the knobs for when you want a stiffer ride and won't bottom out and soften them for on road daily use. Idk what the options are here but I have this setup on road race 77 trans am
 

Mjolnir

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Falcon series 3.3 shocks would prob be your best bet, although I do not know if JL ones will correctly fit the JT.

Each shock has a knob on it so you can adjust the compression ratio (I think thats what it does?) depending on what you are going to do.
 

LongTimeListener

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For a very simple solution, you might consider running Timbrens in the rear. They are relatively inexpensive, very effective, and essentially unbreakable because there are no moving parts.

They replace your stock bump stops and are specifically designed to help with towing. I've run them on an Xterra and a JKUR and love them. No more bottoming out, and heavy loads are better controlled. They theoretically would cost you a little bit of compression at the top, but I've been on lots of moderate trails and it has never been a problem.

These are for the JL. If they don't have a JT application, I'm confident they will soon:
https://timbren.com/blog/products-page/jftj/
 

Malarkey21

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Is it possible to get a shock that will increase or at least keep the same road manners as the stock shocks while also increasing the off road capability. I would also like them to be able to adjust the compression for when I tow or will just be driving it on the road as my Gladiator is my DD.

I went to the Silver Lake dunes and felt like the stock Rubicon shocks were bottoming out more than I thought they would, hence the reason for the shock question. My buddy had a JK with fox reservoirs and had absolutely no issues with bottoming.

So is this possible? Recommendations?
There is a lot you can do with shocks and some good brands out there with quality stuff.

I'll start with fox since you mention your buddies Jeep. They could simply have more damping force and are able to maintain body control to keep from bottoming out. Or they have whats know as an "Bottom out control" valve. Put simply, it only works when the shock is close to full compression. Fox also has a internal bypass line (and a external bypass line) that has whats know as position dependent damping. So it can make more or less force depending on if you are topping out or bottoming out. (video below to show you).


King shocks are also a very good off road brand that offer a lot of the same features as Fox including external bypass and lots of adjustment.

Both Fox and King offer adjustable shocks with click adjustments so you can fine tune the ride how you want although I don't think they offer any sort of "quick change". You will have to count the number of clicks in between when you want to switch from your "DD" setting to your "Tow" setting. If you are in to adjusting and playing with nobs then these are a good choice.

If you are not into having to click thru 30 adjustment points to get to your "tow mode" and rather have 3 "pre-set" tunes, Falcon makes a pretty slick solution as posted by @Mjolnir . It has a selector nob that you just rotate between 3 settings. (video below) As a side note, @Mjolnir, close! The adjustments will change the amount of damping force the shock will create aka stiffer or softer. But if you want to change the compression / rebound ratio you will need to change the piston size vs the rod size. So example being people looking to upgrade to 2 inch shocks or 3 inch shocks.



Hopefully this was somewhat helpful!
 
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Scottdip

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Great info, Malarkey21! Very much appreciated.
 

Mjolnir

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There is a lot you can do with shocks and some good brands out there with quality stuff.

I'll start with fox since you mention your buddies Jeep. They could simply have more damping force and are able to maintain body control to keep from bottoming out. Or they have whats know as an "Bottom out control" valve. Put simply, it only works when the shock is close to full compression. Fox also has a internal bypass line (and a external bypass line) that has whats know as position dependent damping. So it can make more or less force depending on if you are topping out or bottoming out. (video below to show you).


King shocks are also a very good off road brand that offer a lot of the same features as Fox including external bypass and lots of adjustment.

Both Fox and King offer adjustable shocks with click adjustments so you can fine tune the ride how you want although I don't think they offer any sort of "quick change". You will have to count the number of clicks in between when you want to switch from your "DD" setting to your "Tow" setting. If you are in to adjusting and playing with nobs then these are a good choice.

If you are not into having to click thru 30 adjustment points to get to your "tow mode" and rather have 3 "pre-set" tunes, Falcon makes a pretty slick solution as posted by @Mjolnir . It has a selector nob that you just rotate between 3 settings. (video below) As a side note, @Mjolnir, close! The adjustments will change the amount of damping force the shock will create aka stiffer or softer. But if you want to change the compression / rebound ratio you will need to change the piston size vs the rod size. So example being people looking to upgrade to 2 inch shocks or 3 inch shocks.



Hopefully this was somewhat helpful!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH so thats what it does. I dont think I was very close but I had somewhat the right idea in mind.

That is wicked information thanks for that man!
 

Gren71

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For a very simple solution, you might consider running Timbrens in the rear. They are relatively inexpensive, very effective, and essentially unbreakable because there are no moving parts.

They replace your stock bump stops and are specifically designed to help with towing. I've run them on an Xterra and a JKUR and love them. No more bottoming out, and heavy loads are better controlled. They theoretically would cost you a little bit of compression at the top, but I've been on lots of moderate trails and it has never been a problem.

These are for the JL. If they don't have a JT application, I'm confident they will soon:
https://timbren.com/blog/products-page/jftj/
These have certainly captured my interest
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