shocks again

[NAILER341]

well, i tore into my jeep again. i built some fancy, cool guy u bolt movers to get the bolt ends, and all that stuff out of the rocks. in order to do this, i had to cut off the shock mounts on my dana 30. this will get all of that crap out of the rocks. [thanks to my helpers!]
i guess, i'll be looking into the ford shock mounts to replace the front mount on my yj. this will change the shock from the pin type top to the bolt type, so.. i guess i am into a pair of new shocks.
i have been running the rancho 5000 shocks, which are pretty stiff. this is fine for me on road, but i guess something softer off road would be nice.
i am contimplating the 9000 series shocks, but confused, and possibly considering the fancy fox shocks.
i am wondering what the real benefits of the fox shocks are compared to the 9000's. i did search this subject, and didnt find any difinitive answers to my question.
i did see in my search that a lot of people are switching from the 9000 to the fox though. why is this?

[mrblaine]

Originally posted by NAILER341
well, i tore into my jeep again. i built some fancy, cool guy u bolt movers to get the bolt ends, and all that stuff out of the rocks. in order to do this, i had to cut off the shock mounts on my dana 30. this will get all of that crap out of the rocks. [thanks to my helpers!]
i guess, i'll be looking into the ford shock mounts to replace the front mount on my yj. this will change the shock from the pin type top to the bolt type, so.. i guess i am into a pair of new shocks.
i have been running the rancho 5000 shocks, which are pretty stiff. this is fine for me on road, but i guess something softer off road would be nice.
i am contimplating the 9000 series shocks, but confused, and possibly considering the fancy fox shocks.
i am wondering what the real benefits of the fox shocks are compared to the 9000's. i did search this subject, and didnt find any difinitive answers to my question.
i did see in my search that a lot of people are switching from the 9000 to the fox though. why is this?

The Fox seem to be readily available. That said, the main reasons to use the emulsion Fox for me were rebuildability, better valving at the expense of trial and error, more perceived value for the money spent.

Case in point. As you know, scooting around at 50 miles an hour on the roads to the trails kicks up a lot of sand and gravel. So much so that I had pitted the hard chrome plating on my rear shock rods. I yanked them off, handed them to Rich at McKenzies and for 60 bucks he swapped out the plated shafts for solid stainless, rebuilt, and resealed them. I'm good to go for another 2 years unless I damage them in which case, I can replace the damaged parts.

I think this would hold true for any of the higher end shocks. SwayAways, King, Fox, the Edelbrocks, and probably the new Rancho and Bilsteins too.

[Robert J. Yates]

Look at the cost of the Ranchos. While they are good shocks, they have pretty much hit the top end of what their value is. At $70 each, the 9000's are a great value. At $90 each with more adjustability and less travel, they aren't such a great value.

Look at it this way, for $50-70 more, you can get a high end resevoir shock which is a big step up in performance. I just picked up a full set of the Edelbrocks for $160 each over the net.

[NAILER341]

ok... well, i am on my way with this. i have ordered the shock brackets.

with these fox shocks, what would be a good valving set up for the rocks, and a bit of street? bear in mind that i am on coal cart springs if that makes a difference.

[Robert J. Yates]

Hard to say what your valving should be. Probably depends on your springs. For example, I understand OME leaf springs are quite plush so if I were running them, I might look at a firmer shock. Could be the opposite if I were running Rancho springs which I understand are quite firm in a YJ.

[Matt Pascoe]

FWIW...

I run Bilstein 5125 series shocks. 12" front, 10" rear with OME (J1R) leafs. The valving is 255/70 and I have been very happy with the on/off road ride.

HTH

MP

[blkTJ]

I saw a site list the fox "rockcrawler" valving at 40 Compression - 90 Rebound FWIW.

[NAILER341]

thanks for the wildly varying tips

brian, i picked up our shock mounts this morning.
those really are perfect for this stuff.

[blkTJ]

Originally posted by NAILER341
thanks for the wildly varying tips

brian, i picked up our shock mounts this morning.
those really are perfect for this stuff.

awesome!!! now to find the shox cheap... yeah right.

whadaya gonna do for your lower mounts, fab something?

[NAILER341]

yes.. i'll make something for the lower mounts. i'll put it right in the center of the tube so it is out of the rocks.