Mopar 2" Lift - Fox vs. Bilstein Shocks

[Caspien]

Now, since I had already unboxed it, I figured what the hell.. may as well get photos and part numbers for everything, right?

Springs, rear, I believe:

Springs, I believe front:

Accessory bolts:

Instruction sheet, laughable:

.. and because I've already made this too long, here's the rest of the photos, with as detailed shots of part numbers as I could get.. if anyone wants any more info, lemme know.. lol

Interestingly, this part was hard to make out the part number of, so I decided to see if I could hit it in the right light. If someone actually wants that full on part number, let me know, I'll see if I can tell for certain... though I think Benny from AllMoparParts posted the full parts list, at some point, too.

~ Casp

Sponsored

 

[mx5red]

 

[mx5red]

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.

I’m surprised the fronts aren’t braided. Would they be too hard to curve?
I know the old Mojave shocks aren’t either, but they have pretty good brackets holding them.
HOWEVER if you put Mojave shocks on, say, my Rubicon, things aren’t in the same place and the brackets don’t quite fit so a tougher braided hose would be appreciated.
I suppose this isn’t an issue since not Mojave specific..

 

[OHJeeper]

*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):

Wait, what?!?

I must be living under a rock. I knew the new kits were using bilsteins, but I had NO IDEA they were remote reservoirs. Man, I feel REALLY screwed on my Fox's that came with my kit

 

[DanW]

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

Well, here's my 2 cents on Bilstein vs. Fox. I know the JL and Jk shocks are different than the JT's.....

The Fox shocks on my 2018 JLUR have about 86,000 miles on them. They've been flawless and I love the ride. It's been to Moab 3 times and countless other hard off road trips.

I've got the AEV Dualsport lift on my JK. It has the Bilsteins. One of the Bilsteins is puking its guts out after one trip to Moab. They are less than 2 years old and have had a tiny fraction of the off-roading that the Fox's on my JL have.

I like them both. The Bilsteins are 5100's, so different from what comes on the JT Mopar lift. But they are more firm, but the Jeep handles better on the road at the expense of a rougher ride. The Fox's are mush smoother. They handle fine, but there's certainly a small bit more roll into turns.

Again, just my experience.

 

[Gmac03]

Bilstein is aces. Restored a Mitsubishi Evo years ago and it had Bilstein from the factory, I went with a quality lowering spring and sent the shocks to the Cali factory for refurbishing and revalving. The whole process was phenomenal and the product was quality.

I’d go Bilstein for sure.

 

[Caspien]

So... after a month of having the new Bilstein Mopar lift on, my general consensus is that the "Fox" (in quotes, due to the fact they're Mopar's specs) are MUCH softer overall, and while they are fairly comfortable on slow offroad trails and such, any maneuvers over 35MPH or so, tend to be a bit... wobbly, I guess would be the term I use...

My wife HATED driving the JT with the Fox shocks on, while taking gravel/dirt/back/off roads... she said the entire feeling was that the JT felt like it was going to tip at any point.. it wasn't 'Controlled', in her terms. I partially agree with that statement.


Now.. the Bilsteins are an entirely different experience. Initially, the experience was a bit on the rough side, as we weren't expecting that big of a ride difference. However, in the first week or so, everything settled in, and seems to be less harsh.

There is less road wander, less.. slop... I guess, when operating in higher speeds. No more excessive lean, or wobble at 35+mph.

BUT, at slower speeds... *chuckling* the experience is entirely different, with very little give, almost a rough ride. However, that is an easy fix, by simply airing down and giving the tires a bit of room to soften the impact.

Personally, I prefer this setup, and my wife apparently does too, since she's been driving the JT a LOT more often, now. (even going so far as to joke that I can take her GC, and she'll take the JT... not sure I like the direction it's heading, at this point.. LOL)


Tech who installed them (Dealership) commented that it was the first set of the new Bilstein's they put in, and they took photos of another one with the old Mopar Fox Performance ones, and can't figure out how on earth I have so much more lift, even though they're rated the same, AND I have quite a bit of extra weight in the truck. He and the 2 other techs have said they're 99% certain they're just a re-badged Bilstein 5160, since side by side, they're identical (minus the labels) Lift height.. we gained a little under 3.5" from the Bilstein vs stock Rubicon shocks, but I need to re-measure, again, now that the shocks have had time to settle in. (Tech even said they expect it'd settle about .5" or so)


For appearance purposes, here's 2 photos. First was taken after we replaced the tires with 35" AT3's, and the 2nd photo was after the lift was put on. Similar angles, so they're a good comparison... There is still some rake in it, but it's less noticeable.

~ Casp

 

[DanW]

So... after a month of having the new Bilstein Mopar lift on, my general consensus is that the "Fox" (in quotes, due to the fact they're Mopar's specs) are MUCH softer overall, and while they are fairly comfortable on slow offroad trails and such, any maneuvers over 35MPH or so, tend to be a bit... wobbly, I guess would be the term I use...

My wife HATED driving the JT with the Fox shocks on, while taking gravel/dirt/back/off roads... she said the entire feeling was that the JT felt like it was going to tip at any point.. it wasn't 'Controlled', in her terms. I partially agree with that statement.


Now.. the Bilsteins are an entirely different experience. Initially, the experience was a bit on the rough side, as we weren't expecting that big of a ride difference. However, in the first week or so, everything settled in, and seems to be less harsh.

There is less road wander, less.. slop... I guess, when operating in higher speeds. No more excessive lean, or wobble at 35+mph.

BUT, at slower speeds... *chuckling* the experience is entirely different, with very little give, almost a rough ride. However, that is an easy fix, by simply airing down and giving the tires a bit of room to soften the impact.

Personally, I prefer this setup, and my wife apparently does too, since she's been driving the JT a LOT more often, now. (even going so far as to joke that I can take her GC, and she'll take the JT... not sure I like the direction it's heading, at this point.. LOL)


Tech who installed them (Dealership) commented that it was the first set of the new Bilstein's they put in, and they took photos of another one with the old Mopar Fox Performance ones, and can't figure out how on earth I have so much more lift, even though they're rated the same, AND I have quite a bit of extra weight in the truck. He and the 2 other techs have said they're 99% certain they're just a re-badged Bilstein 5160, since side by side, they're identical (minus the labels) Lift height.. we gained a little under 3.5" from the Bilstein vs stock Rubicon shocks, but I need to re-measure, again, now that the shocks have had time to settle in. (Tech even said they expect it'd settle about .5" or so)


For appearance purposes, here's 2 photos. First was taken after we replaced the tires with 35" AT3's, and the 2nd photo was after the lift was put on. Similar angles, so they're a good comparison... There is still some rake in it, but it's less noticeable.

~ Casp

So you are saying you gained some lift with the move to Bilsteins? Wow.

How do the Mopar springs handle a load. Do you get much sag in the rear?

Have the Bilsteins softened up a bit after getting some miles, or do you feel like you've gotten used to them.

On my JK, I find the 5100's much stiffer than the Fox shocks on my JL. But I would not call them harsh.

If I go with the Mopar lift, I'll be sticking with the stock Rubi LCA's but using a set of Rancho LCA relocation brackets. So that might soften it up a little, or at least take the edge off any harshness on the front end.

 

[Caspien]

So you are saying you gained some lift with the move to Bilsteins? Wow.

How do the Mopar springs handle a load. Do you get much sag in the rear?

Have the Bilsteins softened up a bit after getting some miles, or do you feel like you've gotten used to them.

On my JK, I find the 5100's much stiffer than the Fox shocks on my JL. But I would not call them harsh.

If I go with the Mopar lift, I'll be sticking with the stock Rubi LCA's but using a set of Rancho LCA relocation brackets. So that might soften it up a little, or at least take the edge off any harshness on the front end.

The original Mopar springs that came with the Rubicon would sag a lot more than these one do, that said.. I've not had a change to put much into the back yet, except for 10 servers that I moved from one datacenter to another. (bout 600lbs)

The kit I installed was the new Mopar performance, which included everything that I posted earlier in the thread.

As for the stiffness... mmm.. it depends.. I suppose it's a bit of both, actually.. gotten more used to it, and it's softened up some too. I WILL state, I can't rock the jeep the way I used to be able to, before. I could stand on the rock rails (Ace Engineering) and intentionally rock it pretty heavily from side to side. .. now, I can still rock it.. but it doesn't have anywhere near as much sway.

As for the lift... yeah.. the tech said they usually see 1-2" with the old Mopar performance lift, with the FOX shocks (over the stock Fox Rubicon), but the lift the Bilstein kit gave really took them aback some... they weren't expecting it to be as much.

Overall, prior to the lift and 35s, I was running the stock Falken MT's, and base Rubicon shocks/springs... after moving to the Toyo AT3s and the Mopar suspension, with the Bilsteins, we've gained right under 6" of additional height.. which my wife and daughter HATE.


If you're curious, here's the measurements before the lift, and after:

Front Fender, top leveled, before: 42.25"
Front Fender, top leveled, after: just a hair under 45.75".. if I had to guess, 45.73" or so?

Back fender, top leveled, before: 45.25
Back fender, top leveled, after: 47.75


So, gained approximately 3.5" in front, and 2.5" in back, which lessens the 3" rake to 2", but, like you said.. since it doesn't sag/squat as much with a load, that makes sense to me.

That also said, if I didn't have the Ace rails, the steel bumper, the winch, the Warn stinger, the lights up front... I would imagine the rake would be less, too... I believe most folks have reported a .5" or so sag when loaded with steel bumper and winch... so I'd imagine the rake would be probably closer to 1.5" then.

I discussed adding spacers to the front, to level it out more.. but my wife (being 5'2") has threatened to kill me if I add more height to it. She doesn't seem amused that I tell her it's an easy way to get an upper body workout every day we do something in the JT.. lol




~ Casp

 

[KevinC]

Tech who installed them (Dealership) commented that it was the first set of the new Bilstein's they put in, and they took photos of another one with the old Mopar Fox Performance ones, and can't figure out how on earth I have so much more lift, even though they're rated the same, AND I have quite a bit of extra weight in the truck. He and the 2 other techs have said they're 99% certain they're just a re-badged Bilstein 5160, since side by side, they're identical (minus the labels) Lift height.. we gained a little under 3.5" from the Bilstein vs stock Rubicon shocks, but I need to re-measure, again, now that the shocks have had time to settle in. (Tech even said they expect it'd settle about .5" or so)

Just to be clear, you are not going to gain any additional lift as a result of Mopar changing from Fox to Bilstein shocks. Shock do not lift a vehicle, the coil springs do. With that said, curious if Mopar changed the spring rating to account for changing the shocks to Bilstein. That will net you more lift.

KevinC

 

[Caspien]

Just to be clear, you are not going to gain any additional lift as a result of Mopar changing from Fox to Bilstein shocks. Shock do not lift a vehicle, the coil springs do. With that said, curious if Mopar changed the spring rating to account for changing the shocks to Bilstein. That will net you more lift.

KevinC

Good catch... I've corrected my post to reflect that I meant the new 'Bilstein kit'

~ Casp

 

[DanW]

The original Mopar springs that came with the Rubicon would sag a lot more than these one do, that said.. I've not had a change to put much into the back yet, except for 10 servers that I moved from one datacenter to another. (bout 600lbs)

The kit I installed was the new Mopar performance, which included everything that I posted earlier in the thread.

As for the stiffness... mmm.. it depends.. I suppose it's a bit of both, actually.. gotten more used to it, and it's softened up some too. I WILL state, I can't rock the jeep the way I used to be able to, before. I could stand on the rock rails (Ace Engineering) and intentionally rock it pretty heavily from side to side. .. now, I can still rock it.. but it doesn't have anywhere near as much sway.

As for the lift... yeah.. the tech said they usually see 1-2" with the old Mopar performance lift, with the FOX shocks (over the stock Fox Rubicon), but the lift the Bilstein kit gave really took them aback some... they weren't expecting it to be as much.

Overall, prior to the lift and 35s, I was running the stock Falken MT's, and base Rubicon shocks/springs... after moving to the Toyo AT3s and the Mopar suspension, with the Bilsteins, we've gained right under 6" of additional height.. which my wife and daughter HATE.


If you're curious, here's the measurements before the lift, and after:

Front Fender, top leveled, before: 42.25"
Front Fender, top leveled, after: just a hair under 45.75".. if I had to guess, 45.73" or so?

Back fender, top leveled, before: 45.25
Back fender, top leveled, after: 47.75


So, gained approximately 3.5" in front, and 2.5" in back, which lessens the 3" rake to 2", but, like you said.. since it doesn't sag/squat as much with a load, that makes sense to me.

That also said, if I didn't have the Ace rails, the steel bumper, the winch, the Warn stinger, the lights up front... I would imagine the rake would be less, too... I believe most folks have reported a .5" or so sag when loaded with steel bumper and winch... so I'd imagine the rake would be probably closer to 1.5" then.

I discussed adding spacers to the front, to level it out more.. but my wife (being 5'2") has threatened to kill me if I add more height to it. She doesn't seem amused that I tell her it's an easy way to get an upper body workout every day we do something in the JT.. lol




~ Casp

Right now I'm leaning toward that Bilstein Mopar kit. I'll be running 35's with mine. I like that there is more lift. Gotta improve the breakover angle! Lol.

I'm looking now for a parts list. I have heard that you can buy the components cheaper than buying them together. Not sure that's true, but I could possibly save a little extra by not buying the LCA's since I have LCA correction brackets already.

 

[JTGuy]

My JTR was a soft ride stock. Floated in the rear. Mopar 2 inch lift with the fox 2.5s helped a little

 

[OHJeeper]

I'm trying to figure out how your got so much lift from yours. I checked my MOPAR springs from my Fox kit and the springs are identical part numbers.

After my lift (before I put on the Teraflex leveling pucks) I was at 2" in the front and 2.5" in the rear.

I now have left envy ?

 

[Caspien]

I'm trying to figure out how your got so much lift from yours. I checked my MOPAR springs from my Fox kit and the springs are identical part numbers.

After my lift (before I put on the Teraflex leveling pucks) I was at 2" in the front and 2.5" in the rear.

I now have left envy ?

Honestly... there have been reports on here (and I suspect there was some confusion about it at the dealership, as well) about the lift kits being inconsistent with how much they give. Sure, it depends a lot on what you have on the JT, but I wouldn't expect it to be so varied across the board. We've had some folks with 1" lift over Rubicon, and I thought I saw a few 4's, as well.

If I didn't know better, I would have sworn they had put something on wrong, but I got underneath and verified that everything looks like it should (admittedly, based on multiple videos... since it's been a long time since I did any suspension work, and the last one was a buggy conversion back in my 20s).

Honestly, it's a little weird that a 'factory spec' item would vary so much.. but it's the world we live in, I suppose, where often 'good enough' suffices... even for manufacturers.

The full parts list was posted by Benny at AllMoparParts, and while I wound up finding it cheaper elsewhere than what AllMopar quoted (the MSRP of $2200 (at the time... it's apparently gone up again in the last month.. ??), all of the people that claim they can piece it out, separately, cheaper... I believe they're either taking some shortcuts or aren't considering the shipping costs for dozens of individual parts.


~ Casp

Sponsored