Jeep Information
Jeep Modifications - Suspension
Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 16:00)
In many off-roading situations, higher ground clearance greatly improves the Jeep's performance. Increasing the lift of the Jeep is one of the more costly modifications.
| Control Arm Bushing Replacement - The main reason to have a suspension "tune-up" in 2006 was to eliminate severe squeaking and rattles with the suspension. Over time, the rubber bushings in the Rubicon Express control arms had worn, or ripped. Over time, I replaced a couple of the worn rubber bushings with red polyurethane bushings. These polyurethane bushings were one of the main causes for the extreme squeaking I had. I had all 8 of the control arm bushings replaced with new Rubicon Express bushings. These are rubber again, but they promise not to squeak. My 2005 suspension "tune-up" eliminated all squeaking and rattling, raised the Jeep a bit, leveled it out, and fixed a few other problems. Only time will tell how long I go before the squeaks return. www.rubiconexpress.com | |
| TeraFlex Shock Relocator - One of the problems encountered with a raised Jeep is with the rear shocks. By raising the Jeep, the angle of the shocks is changed. This causes the rear shocks to hit the rear lower spring pad when 4-wheeling. The compression of the springs and shocks makes the shocks hit the pad. I eventually had large dents in the shocks, which I know affected their performance. When having new shocks installed, I also had the TeraFlex shock relocation brackets installed. These brackets move the shock canister away from the spring pad by about 2". it also allows for proper axle rotation. www.TeraFlex.com | |
| ProComp Shocks - Part of the 2006 suspension "tune-up" included new shocks. Nothing fancy, just the ProComp ES3000 off-road shocks. While having new shocks installed, it was also time to make them pretty with yellow shock boots. | |
| Rubicon Express 3.5" Springs - 5 years after having the lift kit installed, it was time for a suspension "tune-up". The springs had started to sag, and the Jeep was leaning to the right. This was caused by 1) lots of bumpy roads, 2) torque fr0m the engine, and mainly 3) the heavy weight on the rear swing-away rack. Since I was having other suspension work done, I had the worn springs replaced with the 3.5" springs. It made a big difference! The Jeep now sits level again, a little higher, and feels better. www.rubiconexpress.com | |
| TeraFlex Sway Bar Disconnect - The JKS Quick Disconnects I had installed a couple years ago had bent under extreme 4-wheeling (when I didn't disconnect them). Recently, one of them just broke off. So I had them replaced with sway bar disconnects from Teraflex. Hopefullym these will last longer. www.TeraFlex.com | |
Rubicon Express 3" SuperFlex Lift - I cringed every time I heard something pound or crunch under the Jeep, all caused by the low ground clearance. The skid plates were earning their keep! I evaluated, researched, and asked others about lift kits. The consensus pretty much came back that the TeraFlex and Rubicon Express kits were both top of the line, and fairly equal. I decided on the Rubicon Express (RE), mainly because I could get a good discount, and I could start with the 3" lift and upgrade to the 4" lift by just changing the coil springs. In addition to the 3" lift kit (Part #7003), I added an adjustable trackbar and adjustable upper control arms. The RE kit also includes longer steel braided front brake lines, a transmission lowering kit, front sway bar quick disconnects, and Doetch Tech shocks. | |
BFG AT KO Tires and Wheels - This was one of the hardest decision to make. I wanted BF Goodrich MT tires, but Wyle E is on pavement more than on dirt (or rocks, mud, ...). So I decided on the BF Goodrich All Terrain 33x12.5 tires. These tires are highly rated, and have a 3-ply sidewall. The sidewall strength is important in rock country. I mounted them on American Eagles "Outlaw" 15x8 wheels. These wheels have a 3.5" backspacing, which was less than I wanted. I was hoping to get around a 4" backspacing, as I don't like the tires sticking out far. But I've grown used to them, and will get wider fender flares soon. On the positive side, I have absolutely NO rubbing of the tires on the suspension. I didn't need to adjust the steering stops, as many others need to do. However, they do slightly rub on the top of the fender flares when fully compressed. | |
DayStar Transmission Mount - After a year, I noticed my manual transmission shift lever would really start vibrating. Either offroad or on the highway, the vibration seemed severe. I knew it wouldn't hurt to change the stock rubber transmission mount for a Polyurethane mount. It was an easy exchange. Even though I couldn't see anything wrong with the stock mount, the severe vibrations of the shift lever have stopped. | |
JKS Quick Disconnects - The quick disconnects that came with the Rubicon Express lift kit had worked well for the past year. Two of the four release pins either got bent, or lost. I had replaced them with other pins. However, they rattled quite a bit. The JKS Quicker disconnects have a good reputation. They are built much stronger, and have a single 1/2" pin to release each side. The install went smoothly, except for two problems. 1) When disconnected, the quick disconnects fold up and attach to a pin to keep them out of the way. This attachment pin required a hole be drilled and tapped into the frame. Although I tried for over an hour, I just don't have the talent to tap a hole. For now, I'll end up strapping the sway bar and disconnects out of the way when disconnected. 2) The passenger side disconnect rubbed on the angle bracket used to mount the steering stabilizer. This made it very difficult to remove the disconnect. I ended up grinding down the stabilizer mount, allowing more room for the disconnect to slide on and off. | |
Energy Suspension Control Arm Bushings - The rubber bushings in my rear lower control arms became extremely worn. There was over 1/2" of play in each bushing. The Jeep had excessive "wandering" while driving. So much, that I was beginning to be afraid to drive on the freeway. The RE arms use stock rubber bushings. Since I didn't have the original arms to re-use the bushings, I replaced the worn bushings with new polyurethane bushings. There's some debate that rubber is better, allowing more flexibility. Time will tell for me. The install went easy. The hardest part was removing the old rubber bushings from the RE control arms. I could have asked for help and used a press, but I simply pried them out and used a Dremel tool to finish sanding the rubber out from the metal sleeve. | |
JKS Shock Bar Pin Eliminator - The tops of the rear shocks on the Jeep TJ uses a pin for mounting. This is a known weak spot, and I finally broke one. Instead of replacing the pin, I eliminated it using this heavy duty replacement. Instead of the weak, hollow pin, this eliminator uses a solid metal rod that the shock attaches to. No more worries about breaking another shock pin. An easy replacement, it took about 30 minutes to replace both shock pins. |
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