Kytann

My Summer vehicle is a BMW Z3 Sport, pretty stiff suspension, short travel, short stiff sidewalls, and short wheelbase. It rides so much better than this it's not even funny.

I hate it when people blow off a comment like this. I'm asking for advice on what to do with the springs and/or shocks to make it ride nicer, not to be told how much you love your head shaking ride.

MontaukRubi

No problem dude. Sorry i pissed you off. Enjoy yourself. You sound like a fun person to be around. Try a softer spring. Theres some advice for you. That was hard to figure out.

TheQuiet1

There is no comparison. The ride of the 4 door is great, no fore and aft rocking at all. You give up a tiny bit of maneuverability on tight trails due to longer wheel base and wider stance but the extra space inside, and ride comfort, is worth the trade off.

If you've got the spare cash that's the way to go for sure. Front and rear bumpers and a winch will totally change the ride.

Mikelkey

My 2 dr. X rides pretty rough. I just replaced the springs with a teraflex 2.5 lift with shock adapters. Slightly rougher. But both are tolerable compared to my old RX-8. Never rode in a Rubi before so I have no means for comparison. However, I do have a set of X springs sitting in my garage if your interested.

Edit: Never mind, we're on opposite ends of the country, shipping would be a killer. Sorry.

johnr41a

Why did you buy a Rubicon?

roadking54

I agree with Triple. PSI and added weight.

The Rubi springs most likely have a stiffer spring constant which is probably designed to more easily accommodate aftermarket bumpers, rock rails, armor, winch, etc, without drastic sag.

I'd also tend to agree on varying your psi and seeing if that makes a difference. Lower it to 28psi and see if that helps.

You sound miserable with the harsh ride of your DD, so i would suggest you quickly make some modifications...

1. trade your rubi suspension for sport or sahara suspension...people want your rubi suspension.

2. invest in aftermarket suspension, do your research on ride quality for different applications on road / off road. I have OME springs and shocks and it's smooth sailing for my daily commute. Many different spring loads to choos from light, medium, heavy duty, etc.

3. lower your psi, invest in some A/T daily driver tires in a load C. Personally, with my tires, there can be a huge difference in the softness of my ride by just adjusting my psi +/- 2-3 psi.

You need to get this fixed so you can enjoy your daily ride!! and that morning cup of coffee.

JKlad

Yep, you are completely right there!

To Largo & MontaukRubi who both have 4-door Rubicons; have you ever driven a 2-door Rubi? There is a HUGE difference between the ride of Sport and Rubi 2-doors compared with the longer, heavier 4-door Unlimiteds (I've driven Unlimiteds that belong to members of my Jeep club so I know first hand). Short wheelbase (as in the 2-door) Wranglers with their high centre of gravity, solid axles front & rear and stiff (compared with road car) springs tend to pitch and bounce far more than the 4-doors, and in stock Rubi soft-top trim (without weighty steel bumpers, hard-tops, etc) even more so.

So let's compare apples with apples here, eh? Comments such as "don't know what your complaining about; my 4-door Unlimited rides just fine" bear the same weight as those replies you see on threads discussing the poor performance and bad mileage of the V6 motor in lifted, modded, big-tired 4-door Unlimited automatics where people quip "my 2-door bone stock 6-speed performs just fine & gets great mileage; stop complaining & get a Corvette if you want a sportscar".

Kytann

I already said why earlier in the thread. For the lockers and the 4:1 transfer case, so I can go really slow when off-road. It certainly helps with the rough ride *lol*

Why did you buy a Rubicon (Or why anyone)? For stiff suspension that's going to be replaced when they lift it anyway? Why would you want such a stiff suspension?
The only reason I can think of is to control wheel travel at higher speeds when off-road. And that scenario is exactly what a solid axle vehicle sucks at.

As to the comment about softer springs, that's the exact reason of my post. Most springs are going to be for lifting the Jeep, and they'll be stiffer. What springs are available that are softer than the Stock 2-door Rubi springs?

Alternatively it seems like alot of the impacts I feel are high speed impacts. That's usually in the shock valving. What about replacing the shocks with something that has a better differentiation between high and low speed compression damping? I'm pretty happy with the performance of the Bilstein 5150's I've got for my old truck, is there an equivalent for JK's?

The question is: Is most of the harshness due to spring rates or shock valving? Or both? 'Cause it'd suck to replace one and still complain about the ride.

Kytann

Hey, glad to see someone actually reads posts and contributes

I've thought about trading it in on a 4-door, but I'd lose a good amount of money that way.

BlueSubmarine

Hey, I know what you mean. My X rides like a race car. It has stiffer shocks than my Ducati Superbike which is built for racing...

That said, I've been looking into suspension companies that make shocks and coils to maintain stock height ( I don't want a lift right now, I know, sacrilege, just want a softer ride) In my research, I have come to the decision that I want King shocks, specifically for their adjustability and good history. Maybe you should take a look at those.