Mopar 2" Lift - Fox vs. Bilstein Shocks

[mopar 1957]

I have two questions here;

I am looking at the Mopar 2" lift kits and noticed that they may be purchased now with either the Fox or Bilstein shocks. Anyone with knowledge of which set of shocks will provide for the better overall street (daily driver) and off-road ride in both comfort and handling.
How does the 2" Mopar lift (with added adjustable front track bar) compare with the Icon Stage 4 lift on the Gladiator?

Any knowledgeable answers will be greatly appreciated!

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[AstroZombie]

Fox branded Jeep shock are crap!! Bilsteins have always been very reliable. The stock ones on my Tacoma lasted almost 20 years no issues at all, i swapped them when i lifted it (tacoma) with BIlsteins again.
I was going to go with the Mopar lift only because if the dealer installed it it would not affect my manufacturer warranty. Lots of great info here in G-Forum. Everyone claims to have teh best shocks. lol

 

[Rahkmalla]

Fox branded Jeep shock are crap!!

to my knowledge, and you're welcome to correct me if i'm off base, JTR shocks are jeep shocks with fox stickers, meanwhile JTM and 2" lift shocks are actual fox units.

 

[BUZZHEAD]

I have the mopar 2 inch lift and just installed bilstein 5100 shocks about a month ago.
I am impressed better off road stability.

 

[KevinC]

to my knowledge, and you're welcome to correct me if i'm off base, JTR shocks are jeep shocks with fox stickers, meanwhile JTM and 2" lift shocks are actual fox units.

Mopar/Jeep does not make shocks, they are going to be from a name brand.

The JTR Fox shocks are aluminum body shocks with Fox stickers. I would venture to guess they are indeed made by Fox, albeit maybe to Mopar specs.

KevinC

 

[Mr._Bill]

The FOX shocks that came on the Rubicon were custom manufactured by FOX to Jeep's specifications. There is no equivalent shock in the FOX retail lineup that they can be compared to. The specs were never made available to the public.

The FOX shocks in the Mopar Lift Kit are supposed to be retail versions. Either FOX and Jeep had a falling out, or Bilstein made them a better deal.

Bilstein provides good shocks. I put them on my Duramax when the OEM shocks started leaking, and then drove them for 100k miles.

 

[Timjoe]

I just replaced the mopar 2.5 fox shocks with the 5100s and the ride has improved. The bilsteins are definitely a little more firm but the truck feels more planted. I did not like the floating feel I got from the mopar fox shocks.

 

[Badunit]

I've read through a few long threads and haven't seen much said about the red OEM shocks vs Fox 2.0 and Bilstein 5100. Maybe I missed an entire thread on the subject or scrolled too fast past a post or something. These shock discussions get very long. Anyway, my stock, non-lifted JT Rubicon came with red shocks and I am looking to buy something better. The rear is very underdamped, even when the bed is empty. On bumps, the rear compresses way too far then rebounds above ride height far before settling down to ride height. An example "bump" would be a speed hump (not a parking lot speed bump) taken at 25mph. Other examples are bridge expansion joints, other road imperfections, and dips on off road trails/fire roads. The front feels like it is damped properly, or at least good enough for me, but the rear is awful. In general it makes the rear end feel unplanted and wobbly.

My questions are

1. Are the Fox 2.0's better damped in this respect or will they also overshoot on compression and rebound and still feel wobbly and unplanted? How do they compare in ride "quality" to the red shocks? More "smooth" on the small-to-medium bumps or more harsh or about the same?
2. Will the Bilstein 5100's fix this damping problem without being jarring over speed humps and potholes and railroad crossings or on jittery on washboards?

My Jeep is a daily driver plus is used on my farm. I don't do much 4-wheeling on trails these days.

 

[Reddout99]

Mine came with the Mopar 2" lift with Fox shocks and 35s. I was talking with a guy getting ready to buy a Mojave and we started talking about my lift. He said he had another JTS with my lift for a few days as a loaner and said he didn't like it because it "wandered" a bit too much.
I have to be honest, I have not experienced anything like that at all. Mine feels planted and rides great for a daily driver. I just put a set of 37s on this weekend and was wondering if it would change the ride quality and it hasn't at all.

 

[bleda2002]

The FOX shocks in the Mopar Lift Kit are supposed to be retail versions. Either FOX and Jeep had a falling out, or Bilstein made them a better deal.

Negative, I talked to the jks guys the Mopar lift are also non-retail jeep spec specific shocks. The new jks(family company of fox) exclusive 2.5 gladiator and wrangler shocks are actually Mopar lift bodies revalved to completely different specs by fox. Any shock Mopar branded (including the Mojave shocks) are jeep specific and jeep tuned and are not fox tuned\retail equivalent

 

[Mr._Bill]

Negative, I talked to the jks guys the Mopar lift are also non-retail jeep spec specific shocks. The new jks(family company of fox) exclusive 2.5 gladiator and wrangler shocks are actually Mopar lift bodies revalved to completely different specs by fox. Any shock Mopar branded (including the Mojave shocks) are jeep specific and jeep tuned and are not fox tuned\retail equivalent

So, are the Bilstein shocks in the new Lift Kit retail versions or custom manufactured for Jeep?

The Rubicon and Mojave shocks have always been custom manufactured for Jeep. Only the shocks in the Lift Kit were rumored to be retail versions.

 

[Caspien]

So, are the Bilstein shocks in the new Lift Kit retail versions or custom manufactured for Jeep?

The Rubicon and Mojave shocks have always been custom manufactured for Jeep. Only the shocks in the Lift Kit were rumored to be retail versions.

It's a good question.. I thought someone said the Fox shocks were a variety of the 2.0s, but tuned differently.

I believe the consensus on the Bilsteins was that they're actually the 5160s, rebadged.

I literally have a crate that showed up, yesterday, with the Mopar Bilstein lift. (To be installed, next week) Let me know if you want me to produce any information.

 

[mx5red]

It's a good question.. I thought someone said the Fox shocks were a variety of the 2.0s, but tuned differently.

I believe the consensus on the Bilsteins was that they're actually the 5160s, rebadged.

I literally have a crate that showed up, yesterday, with the Mopar Bilstein lift. (To be installed, next week) Let me know if you want me to produce any information.

Sure! Just have those Mopar Bilsteins bench tested so we can all know if they are off the shelf 5160s or have unique valving.
or, at least measure them to see how long their equivalent 5160 is.
Thanks

 

[Caspien]

*chuckling* I'll not be having MINE ripped apart, but good idea!

However, you DID ask for measurements, and I suppose I'm nothing if not thorough. (Let me know if you want weight, too



First up.. interestingly enough, there's actually 3 parts to the shocks. Seemingly the front left and right are different parts, but the rears are the same parts.

REAR SHOCK PARTS NUMBERS ON BOX:

Front Shock parts on boxes... didn't actually check which side is which, but here they are, nonetheless:

So, that brings us to the shocks.. rears first, with measurements of the main shock.

The main shock appears to be just a hair over 21 inches long while compressed, total. Actual shock tube is roughly 16.5" long:

The reservoir is just a bit over 8" long:

The reservoir diameter is approximately 2".. (huh.. I guess I COULD have used my calipers for this):

The braided hose for the rear is right at 1 ft:

Main diameter of the primary shock is also 2":

Finally, radius of both is right at 6.25":

 

[Caspien]

Moving on to the front shocks -

The length of the primary shock is approximately also 21" long, and the tube itself is a little less than 16.5" collapsed:

The reservoir is again, actually a little smaller than the rear, at approximately 7" long... maybe a bit longer:

Diameter is again 2" on both:

No photo of this, but the hoses are NOT braided... which is a bit weird, but they are 18" long.

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