ShastaJT6
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Hey all,
Replaced the Skyjacker M9387 front shocks and Skyjacker M9396 rear shocks that came with my lift kit recently. This was the 3.5" front / 2" rear skyjacker kit - I also have a Teraflex 1/2" coil spacer installed on each front coil. This puts me at 4" lift in the front and 2" in the rear, gives me an overall 2" lift and leveled stance. I have run this setup for.. probably 15,000 miles and multiple offroading trips and no problems.
Recently installed Fabtech Dirt Logic 2.25 FTS801402 reservoir shocks, and was really excited. They looked really nice and were really beefy. Ride quality was great - until my very first offroad trip, about 1 month after install, when both of the front shocks failed. The shocks blew out, was spraying oil all over my wheel well, had to cut my trip short and limp it home. Was really frustrated here (obviously), especially since I contacted Fabtech before purchasing these shocks and they confirmed they were a proper fit for my truck & lift. These shocks are also included in the Fabtech 3" AND 5" lift kits, so they should have worked well for me.
Just for the record, its not like I was jumping dunes in Moab - this trip was forest roads and crawling over one or two rocks. The $100 skyjacker shocks went through 10 times the abuse these $480 Fabtechs took, and the skyjackers are still working just fine. Pretty embarrassing for Fabtech.
This sent me down the rabbit hole researching different shocks and their lengths. Skyjacker doesnt list the collapsed and extended length of the M9387 front shocks on their website - I did not take the time to measure them before re-installing them to my JT, was rushing to get the truck back in driveable condition before work on monday.. but it seems like manufacturers are all over the map for recommended lengths.
Examples:
Bilstein 5100 Front shocks for Gladiator with 3-4.5" of lift
Collapsed Length: 18.52"
Extended Length: 28.76"
https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/...-5-front-shocks-for-2020-2021-jeep-gladiator/
Fabtech FTS801402 Front Shocks (Included in their 3" and 5" lift kits)
Collapsed Length: 17.39"
Extended Length: 27.05"
https://fabtechmotorsports.com/product/dirt-logic-225-resi-shock-fts801402/
Rancho RS7MT Front Shocks for Gladiator with 1.5" -3" of lift
Collapsed Length: 18.39"
Extended Length: 28.58"
https://www.4wheelparts.com//p/rancho-rs7mt-monotube-front-shock-absorber-rs77067/_/R-BCKM-RS77067
Rancho RS9000XL Front Shocks for Gladiator with 2"-3.5" of lift
Collapsed Length: 18.16"
Extended Length: 25.21"
https://www.cjponyparts.com/rancho-...Yg1fjZrOtrDNL6XaqSwTlYCsxGM8ZqMcaAtvWEALw_wcB
Teraflex Falcon SP2 2.1 for Gladiator with 2"-3.5" of lift
Manufacturer website fails to list collapsed and extended lengths
https://teraflex.com/jt-falcon-sp2-2-1-monotube-shock-kit-2-3-5-lift.html#
Just among these options, weve got a pretty significant amount of variance in the collapsed and extended lengths of the shocks, and I have found that some manufacturers dont even list the specs of their shocks (Skyjacker and Teraflex for one).
The Rancho example is my favorite - their "RS7MT Front Shocks for Gladiator with 1.5" -3" of lift" are 3 inches LONGER than their "RS9000XL Front Shocks for Gladiator with 2"-3.5" of lift", which seems utterly backwards.
Also, the Bilstein 5100 Front shocks for Gladiator with 3-4.5" of lift are nearly the same specs as the Rancho RS7MT Front Shocks for Gladiator with 1.5" -3" of lift ??
So... I want to upgrade the shocks that came with my Skyjacker kit.. but Im really not sure what to get, since these values are all over the map.
To those of you with a frankenlift, how are you determining the proper shocks for your use case? I need a beer..
Edit 4/11/22:
Reached out to Radflow for the extended / collapsed length of their 2.5" - 3" front shocks and they responded that they dont have that information. If you dont even know the specs of the parts you are selling.. thats kinda scary.. so theyre not going on the list.
https://www.radflo.com/i-823-oe-rep...ght-w-remote-reservoir-radflo-suspension.html
Contacted Icon for Collapsed / Extended of their 2.5" front shocks, awaiting response
https://www.iconvehicledynamics.com...essories-18-up-jl-20-up-jt-25-front-20-vs-ir/
Edit 4/12/22:
Icon responded that they cannot share the specs, proprietary info blah blah, scratching them off the list of potential replacements.
Replaced the Skyjacker M9387 front shocks and Skyjacker M9396 rear shocks that came with my lift kit recently. This was the 3.5" front / 2" rear skyjacker kit - I also have a Teraflex 1/2" coil spacer installed on each front coil. This puts me at 4" lift in the front and 2" in the rear, gives me an overall 2" lift and leveled stance. I have run this setup for.. probably 15,000 miles and multiple offroading trips and no problems.
Recently installed Fabtech Dirt Logic 2.25 FTS801402 reservoir shocks, and was really excited. They looked really nice and were really beefy. Ride quality was great - until my very first offroad trip, about 1 month after install, when both of the front shocks failed. The shocks blew out, was spraying oil all over my wheel well, had to cut my trip short and limp it home. Was really frustrated here (obviously), especially since I contacted Fabtech before purchasing these shocks and they confirmed they were a proper fit for my truck & lift. These shocks are also included in the Fabtech 3" AND 5" lift kits, so they should have worked well for me.
Just for the record, its not like I was jumping dunes in Moab - this trip was forest roads and crawling over one or two rocks. The $100 skyjacker shocks went through 10 times the abuse these $480 Fabtechs took, and the skyjackers are still working just fine. Pretty embarrassing for Fabtech.
This sent me down the rabbit hole researching different shocks and their lengths. Skyjacker doesnt list the collapsed and extended length of the M9387 front shocks on their website - I did not take the time to measure them before re-installing them to my JT, was rushing to get the truck back in driveable condition before work on monday.. but it seems like manufacturers are all over the map for recommended lengths.
Examples:
Bilstein 5100 Front shocks for Gladiator with 3-4.5" of lift
Collapsed Length: 18.52"
Extended Length: 28.76"
https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/...-5-front-shocks-for-2020-2021-jeep-gladiator/
Fabtech FTS801402 Front Shocks (Included in their 3" and 5" lift kits)
Collapsed Length: 17.39"
Extended Length: 27.05"
https://fabtechmotorsports.com/product/dirt-logic-225-resi-shock-fts801402/
Rancho RS7MT Front Shocks for Gladiator with 1.5" -3" of lift
Collapsed Length: 18.39"
Extended Length: 28.58"
https://www.4wheelparts.com//p/rancho-rs7mt-monotube-front-shock-absorber-rs77067/_/R-BCKM-RS77067
Rancho RS9000XL Front Shocks for Gladiator with 2"-3.5" of lift
Collapsed Length: 18.16"
Extended Length: 25.21"
https://www.cjponyparts.com/rancho-...Yg1fjZrOtrDNL6XaqSwTlYCsxGM8ZqMcaAtvWEALw_wcB
Teraflex Falcon SP2 2.1 for Gladiator with 2"-3.5" of lift
Manufacturer website fails to list collapsed and extended lengths
https://teraflex.com/jt-falcon-sp2-2-1-monotube-shock-kit-2-3-5-lift.html#
Just among these options, weve got a pretty significant amount of variance in the collapsed and extended lengths of the shocks, and I have found that some manufacturers dont even list the specs of their shocks (Skyjacker and Teraflex for one).
The Rancho example is my favorite - their "RS7MT Front Shocks for Gladiator with 1.5" -3" of lift" are 3 inches LONGER than their "RS9000XL Front Shocks for Gladiator with 2"-3.5" of lift", which seems utterly backwards.
Also, the Bilstein 5100 Front shocks for Gladiator with 3-4.5" of lift are nearly the same specs as the Rancho RS7MT Front Shocks for Gladiator with 1.5" -3" of lift ??
So... I want to upgrade the shocks that came with my Skyjacker kit.. but Im really not sure what to get, since these values are all over the map.
To those of you with a frankenlift, how are you determining the proper shocks for your use case? I need a beer..
Edit 4/11/22:
Reached out to Radflow for the extended / collapsed length of their 2.5" - 3" front shocks and they responded that they dont have that information. If you dont even know the specs of the parts you are selling.. thats kinda scary.. so theyre not going on the list.
https://www.radflo.com/i-823-oe-rep...ght-w-remote-reservoir-radflo-suspension.html
Contacted Icon for Collapsed / Extended of their 2.5" front shocks, awaiting response
https://www.iconvehicledynamics.com...essories-18-up-jl-20-up-jt-25-front-20-vs-ir/
Edit 4/12/22:
Icon responded that they cannot share the specs, proprietary info blah blah, scratching them off the list of potential replacements.
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