"Best" shocks for both on/off road

John Davies wrote:

> I really like the Old Man Emus for all-around use. Never tried them on
> a Wrangler tho.....

The OME shocks on the Wrangler are just great, I tried them for a while.
However the adjustability of the Rancho can't be beat.

Also note the the comfort level depends more on the springs rather than
the shocks.

A.B.
ShortWheelbase.com

John Davies wrote:

> I really like the Old Man Emus for all-around use. Never tried them on
> a Wrangler tho.....

The OME shocks on the Wrangler are just great, I tried them for a while.
However the adjustability of the Rancho can't be beat.

Also note the the comfort level depends more on the springs rather than
the shocks.

A.B.
ShortWheelbase.com

A.B. wrote:
> Also note the the comfort level depends more on the springs rather than
> the shocks.

I certainly disagree with that. Shocks have far more impact on ride
quality than springs do, within reason.

Jerry
--
Jerry Bransford
PP-ASEL N6TAY
See the Geezer Jeep at
http://members.cox.net/jerrypb/

A.B. wrote:
> Also note the the comfort level depends more on the springs rather than
> the shocks.

I certainly disagree with that. Shocks have far more impact on ride
quality than springs do, within reason.

Jerry
--
Jerry Bransford
PP-ASEL N6TAY
See the Geezer Jeep at
http://members.cox.net/jerrypb/

Jerry Bransford wrote:
> A.B. wrote:
>
>> Also note the the comfort level depends more on the springs rather
>> than the shocks.
>
>
> I certainly disagree with that. Shocks have far more impact on ride
> quality than springs do, within reason.

Well, I've driven a YJ fitted with Rancho 9000 and the ride was horrible
no matter which setting they were on since the YJ also had horrible
Procomp leaf springs. Changing the springs to OME made a world of
difference still with the same shocks.

Remember the shocks are there just to control the bouncing movement of
the springs and nothing else. Take off your shocks and drive around for
a while, you'll notice you have the same comfort level as with the
shocks fitted. The drive will be very bouncy mind you, which is why the
shocks are there in the first place, to control the bounce. If the
shocks valving are properly tuned for the weight of the vehicle and the
driving style, then the shock will 'let' the springs absorb bumps and
articulate well while still controlling spring bounce. If the shock
valve setting is too hard the shock will fight the spring and will try
to limit its movement and hence the harsh ride. However that doesn’t
mean that a properly valved shock gives you a better ride, it means that
a properly valved shock will not fight the spring which does almost all
the work and will let it absorb bumps while controlling bounce and not
hindering articulation.

A.B.
ShortWheelbase.com

Jerry Bransford wrote:
> A.B. wrote:
>
>> Also note the the comfort level depends more on the springs rather
>> than the shocks.
>
>
> I certainly disagree with that. Shocks have far more impact on ride
> quality than springs do, within reason.

Well, I've driven a YJ fitted with Rancho 9000 and the ride was horrible
no matter which setting they were on since the YJ also had horrible
Procomp leaf springs. Changing the springs to OME made a world of
difference still with the same shocks.

Remember the shocks are there just to control the bouncing movement of
the springs and nothing else. Take off your shocks and drive around for
a while, you'll notice you have the same comfort level as with the
shocks fitted. The drive will be very bouncy mind you, which is why the
shocks are there in the first place, to control the bounce. If the
shocks valving are properly tuned for the weight of the vehicle and the
driving style, then the shock will 'let' the springs absorb bumps and
articulate well while still controlling spring bounce. If the shock
valve setting is too hard the shock will fight the spring and will try
to limit its movement and hence the harsh ride. However that doesn’t
mean that a properly valved shock gives you a better ride, it means that
a properly valved shock will not fight the spring which does almost all
the work and will let it absorb bumps while controlling bounce and not
hindering articulation.

A.B.
ShortWheelbase.com

> Well, I've driven a YJ fitted with Rancho 9000 and the ride was horrible
> no matter which setting they were on since the YJ also had horrible
> Procomp leaf springs. Changing the springs to OME made a world of
> difference still with the same shocks.>

I agree, the springs make up the basic suspension dynamics, the shocks
simply provide the fine tuning. For example, two years ago I installed a
Skyjacker 2.5" kit on my '76 CJ5 restoration project. The vendor only had
the "matching" Skyjacker Nitro (gas) shocks for the kit so I opted for them.
The ride quality was dreadful. To see what was the basic cauise of the harsh
ride I removed the shocks entirely and drove it around. The result was that
the springs were far too stiff for the little 6 banger cJ5, the shocks just
made the condition worse. The vendor swapped out the Nitros for a set of
Hydro (standard) shocks and ther was just a small bit of improvement. After
12k miles the springs have sftened a bit, but still aren't to my liking.

> Well, I've driven a YJ fitted with Rancho 9000 and the ride was horrible
> no matter which setting they were on since the YJ also had horrible
> Procomp leaf springs. Changing the springs to OME made a world of
> difference still with the same shocks.>

I agree, the springs make up the basic suspension dynamics, the shocks
simply provide the fine tuning. For example, two years ago I installed a
Skyjacker 2.5" kit on my '76 CJ5 restoration project. The vendor only had
the "matching" Skyjacker Nitro (gas) shocks for the kit so I opted for them.
The ride quality was dreadful. To see what was the basic cauise of the harsh
ride I removed the shocks entirely and drove it around. The result was that
the springs were far too stiff for the little 6 banger cJ5, the shocks just
made the condition worse. The vendor swapped out the Nitros for a set of
Hydro (standard) shocks and ther was just a small bit of improvement. After
12k miles the springs have sftened a bit, but still aren't to my liking.