sdebol

I have a stock 2010 Sahara Unlimited with 70K miles and it is essentially a mall crawler. Have read many positive posts about people buying Rubicon shocks and springs and installing them on their Saharas so I was planning to buy a 2014 Rubicon Unlimited set off Craigslist from a local guy who did a lift at 9000 miles. He's asking $50 for the set of shocks and springs. The dealer quoted me $925 just to install a set of new Sahara shocks so I figured this would be a good way to save some money.

I can do simple maintenance (fluid changes, tire rotation, etc) but not shock/spring replacement so I've been asking local shops and my local dealer for quotes to install them. This is how the dealer responded:

------ "I did some checking and this is what I was able to find out regarding the changing out of the shocks/springs from the Rubicon: It is possible that it can be done but there is no way for us to know if the mounts are the same on the vehicles. Also, there is the potential that the length of the brake lines could be a problem, and may have to be replaced with longer brake lines. Also, the trac bar on the front has to be checked to see if it can be adjusted. The estimate they gave me for labor was about $1000.00 + tax and shop supplies which is rough and doesn’t include any additional parts items that may be needed. They advised that the best thing to do was come in with your vehicle and the shocks/springs that you wanted to put onto your vehicle so that we can do an inspection and get the pertinent data figured out about the trac bar and brake lines. The inspection would be $59.99 + tax and shop supplies and would be about 45 minutes."
-----

Is this info accurate? From the forum reading I've done, I had the impression that the only potential consequence of using the Rubicon shocks and springs was that the springs might result in a small lift (1/2-1"). Obviously it will defeat my attempt to save money on new Mopar shocks if I end up getting hit with the other charges the dealer has described above...

I also checked with a local 4x4 shop (I live in the Minneapolis area) and they quoted me $360 for the install. The only thing they cautioned me about was that I may end up with as much as a 3" lift. Don't really want that either. I've read about the different spring numbers, and that some may be stiffer than the ones on my Sahara Unlimited. I'm okay with that and a small difference in lift (less than 1 inch, I guess) but don't really want any other significant changes from my current stock setup.

Would appreciate any input and whether I should scrap this idea or not.

Vladimer

Unless you took your springs off an pickup and trying to install them into your JK, I'm not really sure what the stealership would have to go 'investigate".

If all you are doing is putting rubi springs and shocks into your sahara or sport then you can do that with hand tools and a floor jack or jack stand. The shocks you can do without taking anything else off besides the shock itself. The springs have a few more steps but there are a lot of good write ups on it. I wouldn't discourage yourself if you know how to do basic maintenance.

Putting in rubi shocks/springs will net you somewhere around 1-1.5" I believe, honestly don't remember exactly so I am sure someone else will chime in with personal experience. It is a popular thing to do with sports and saharas.

You definitely do not need to change your brake lines, track bar. The only difference between the rubicon/sahara/sport's suspension is the springs and shocks. They use the exact same control arms, brake lines, track bars, etc...

sdebol

Thanks for the quick reply. Wouldn't/shouldn't the Jeep dealership service dept know how similar they are?!

TheNoob

LMAO what a joke, that dealership is trying to take you for a ride. It is really easy to swap out springs and shocks. Watch a couple of videos on youtube or DIY write up so you can get an idea. Also the important thing to look for on rubi take offs (if you want to add height) is the part numbers on the springs. I believe 19s fronts/60s rears are the tallest from factory and i don't think all rubis come with them, I think it depends on what the jeep is equipped with from factory and if its a 2 door or a 4 door. The shocks are all the same though. Hope that helps.. Oh yeah and you won't be getting anywhere near 3" off factory springs.

tjkamp

There are no springs specific to a Rubicon or a Sahara or any other model for that matter. With the springs, it is all dependent on the weight of the Jeep. You will need to know the numbers from the strings you have, and then compare them to the numbers for the sprigs you are planning to purchase. They heavier the Jeep the higher the numbers.

The larger gains in hight are when people take high number springs from a heavy JKU and install them on a light JK two door. If you have an auto transmission, and a hard top, you probably already have close to the highest, if not the highest, numbered springs you can get, so be careful not to get a set with lower numbers as this will actually lower your jeep instead of raising it, also the ride will become more wobbly.

Rubicon shocks are stiffer than shocks from the other models, and would be the way to go if you are looking for a quick easy stock replacement shock.

As mentioned above, swapping out the shocks is super easy. Changing the springs is a touch more difficult, but not too bad.

Everything is directly interchangeable, and there will not be enough of a difference to worry about extending the brake lines, or adding an adjustable track-bar (the stock track-bar is fixed non-adjustable).

These are all things the technicians at the dealer should know, but in my experience the folks at the dealers generally have not one clue about anything on any of the vehicles they are selling. (They let mine run substantially low on manual transmission fluid for 30,000 miles until I started checking and changing the fluids myself).

Happy Jeeping!

nthinuf

1. It sounds like that dealership has never done a lift. Find a shop that has a clue.
2. Why are you even considering paying dealer rates?
3. Why do you think that you can not swap the coils/shocks yourself?

Go up to the Writeups area, click the Index stuck right to the top, scroll down to the suspension section (links are broke, just scroll down...), open a few and read. They all have steps and pics, and it doesn't matter a bit which mfg the lift belongs to, same basic steps. It may seem difficult, but it really isn't, just time consuming if you have never done it. And of course your next statement will be "but I don't have the tools!!!" Guess what, you can buy a full set of tools and then spend 700-800 on other mods for what they are charging in labor.

If the writeups aren't enough information, check youtube, there are plenty of install videos to watch.

You could even go down to the Staging Area, find your local section, and drop a post to see if there is anyone in your area that might be willing to lend a hand. An offer of pizza and beer is usually all it takes. Many people just like helping out and meeting new jeepers, and are very likely to have tools already.

Or, pay outrageous rates at the dealership and hope that they get it right...

Mad Dog 21

I did the swap about a year ago. The coils have a tag on them with the last two numbers being your reference point. You should be looking/striving for 18's in the front sets and 59's in the rear sets. They will net you 1 1/4-1 1/2" but it really doesn't do too much. I highly recommend you do it yourself. 1 you get to understand your rig better 2. Pride of doing it yourself and 3. Save yourself a lot of $$$ and BS that the dealership wants to take/give you.

I had never attempted such a task like this with any vehicle. But I took the plunge and did exactly what everyone else mentioned. Find the write up and do it on a weekend off. It took me and my neighbor 6hrs because we were taking our time. Had a great time doing it and it rides like I want it to. Best of luck to you.

Mad Dog 21

Forgot to mention that it's a direct swap so no other needed parts or etc. Just make sure you torque everything back to spec (via internet or buy the mechanical book).

sdebol

Thanks for the feedback.

Just to respond to the "why use the dealer" comment--I work a lot of hours and this dealership's location makes it easy for me to drop the Jeep off in the morning, bike to work, and then bike back to pick it up at night. I do oil, differential, transfer case changes myself. Had them do automatic transmission and coolant. I just assumed shocks and springs would be beyond me but I'll look more carefully.

One other question: Should I consider just replacing the shocks and not the springs? Do the springs last longer than shocks? Will I end up having to replace them anyway half way through the life of the new shocks?

Thanks for the help, everyone!

shredd_guy

I would not do just the shocks. unless you need new shocks. springs should way out last your shocks. You shouldnt ever have to replace your springs. Put them both in and do it your self go get a jack from Northern tool and get e done. if you get stuck you have your bike

Is the dealer in Hopkins?