New Shocks when?
 

Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
ride.
Thank you for listening
Boris
http://public.fotki.com/borysd/

Re: New Shocks when?
 

You are running rock hard tires! They will rattle out fillings with 35
psi in them.

You should do a chalk test for psi, but I would imagine 26 would be
lots.

To get a good footprint for the best traction, you need to match the
tire with the vehicle weight. One way to do this is to mark across the
tire a bunch of times with chalk, then drive in a straight line. The
best traction and 'feel' should happen when you have about 1/2" of chalk
left on each side of say a 12" wide tire. How wide are your 35's?

When I run 35 psi in my 33x9.5's , I only have 3" of tread touching the
road! I need to drop it to 29 or so to get most of the tread down while
still keeping sidewall stability with my tall skinnies.

When I ran 31x10.5's, I needed 26 to 28 psi for the best footprint.
Those tires wore out perfectly even.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Boris wrote:
>
> Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
> 9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
> previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
> side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
> bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
> figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
> steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
> My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
> attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
> couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
> Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
> trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
> between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
> bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
> is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
> Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
> on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
> bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
> I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
> want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
> Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
> any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
> ride.
> Thank you for listening
> Boris
> http://public.fotki.com/borysd/

Re: New Shocks when?
 

You are running rock hard tires! They will rattle out fillings with 35
psi in them.

You should do a chalk test for psi, but I would imagine 26 would be
lots.

To get a good footprint for the best traction, you need to match the
tire with the vehicle weight. One way to do this is to mark across the
tire a bunch of times with chalk, then drive in a straight line. The
best traction and 'feel' should happen when you have about 1/2" of chalk
left on each side of say a 12" wide tire. How wide are your 35's?

When I run 35 psi in my 33x9.5's , I only have 3" of tread touching the
road! I need to drop it to 29 or so to get most of the tread down while
still keeping sidewall stability with my tall skinnies.

When I ran 31x10.5's, I needed 26 to 28 psi for the best footprint.
Those tires wore out perfectly even.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Boris wrote:
>
> Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
> 9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
> previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
> side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
> bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
> figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
> steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
> My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
> attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
> couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
> Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
> trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
> between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
> bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
> is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
> Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
> on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
> bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
> I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
> want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
> Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
> any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
> ride.
> Thank you for listening
> Boris
> http://public.fotki.com/borysd/

Re: New Shocks when?
 

You are running rock hard tires! They will rattle out fillings with 35
psi in them.

You should do a chalk test for psi, but I would imagine 26 would be
lots.

To get a good footprint for the best traction, you need to match the
tire with the vehicle weight. One way to do this is to mark across the
tire a bunch of times with chalk, then drive in a straight line. The
best traction and 'feel' should happen when you have about 1/2" of chalk
left on each side of say a 12" wide tire. How wide are your 35's?

When I run 35 psi in my 33x9.5's , I only have 3" of tread touching the
road! I need to drop it to 29 or so to get most of the tread down while
still keeping sidewall stability with my tall skinnies.

When I ran 31x10.5's, I needed 26 to 28 psi for the best footprint.
Those tires wore out perfectly even.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Boris wrote:
>
> Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
> 9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
> previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
> side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
> bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
> figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
> steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
> My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
> attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
> couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
> Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
> trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
> between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
> bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
> is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
> Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
> on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
> bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
> I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
> want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
> Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
> any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
> ride.
> Thank you for listening
> Boris
> http://public.fotki.com/borysd/

Re: New Shocks when?
 

When you are done doing Mike's tire tests and get the tire pressure set
right, look at your springs. Odds are good that your 5" of lift are from
some springs that wouldn't bend if you loaded the whole back with
concrete blocks. Have a couple big buddies stand on the front or rear
bumper and see how much movement you get. A stock YJ will move about an
inch for every 200 pounds.

Boris wrote:

> Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
> 9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
> previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
> side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
> bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
> figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
> steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
> My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
> attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
> couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
> Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
> trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
> between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
> bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
> is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
> Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
> on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
> bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
> I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
> want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
> Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
> any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
> ride.
> Thank you for listening
> Boris
> http://public.fotki.com/borysd/
>
>

Re: New Shocks when?
 

When you are done doing Mike's tire tests and get the tire pressure set
right, look at your springs. Odds are good that your 5" of lift are from
some springs that wouldn't bend if you loaded the whole back with
concrete blocks. Have a couple big buddies stand on the front or rear
bumper and see how much movement you get. A stock YJ will move about an
inch for every 200 pounds.

Boris wrote:

> Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
> 9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
> previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
> side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
> bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
> figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
> steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
> My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
> attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
> couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
> Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
> trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
> between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
> bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
> is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
> Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
> on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
> bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
> I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
> want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
> Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
> any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
> ride.
> Thank you for listening
> Boris
> http://public.fotki.com/borysd/
>
>

Re: New Shocks when?
 

When you are done doing Mike's tire tests and get the tire pressure set
right, look at your springs. Odds are good that your 5" of lift are from
some springs that wouldn't bend if you loaded the whole back with
concrete blocks. Have a couple big buddies stand on the front or rear
bumper and see how much movement you get. A stock YJ will move about an
inch for every 200 pounds.

Boris wrote:

> Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
> 9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
> previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
> side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
> bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
> figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
> steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
> My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
> attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
> couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
> Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
> trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
> between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
> bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
> is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
> Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
> on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
> bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
> I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
> want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
> Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
> any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
> ride.
> Thank you for listening
> Boris
> http://public.fotki.com/borysd/
>
>

Re: New Shocks when?
 

If you do have the Rancho 9000, they are adjustable.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/

Boris wrote:
>
> Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
> 9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
> previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
> side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
> bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
> figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
> steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
> My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
> attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
> couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
> Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
> trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
> between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
> bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
> is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
> Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
> on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
> bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
> I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
> want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
> Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
> any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
> ride.
> Thank you for listening
> Boris
> http://public.fotki.com/borysd/

Re: New Shocks when?
 

If you do have the Rancho 9000, they are adjustable.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/

Boris wrote:
>
> Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
> 9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
> previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
> side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
> bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
> figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
> steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
> My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
> attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
> couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
> Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
> trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
> between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
> bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
> is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
> Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
> on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
> bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
> I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
> want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
> Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
> any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
> ride.
> Thank you for listening
> Boris
> http://public.fotki.com/borysd/

Re: New Shocks when?
 

If you do have the Rancho 9000, they are adjustable.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/

Boris wrote:
>
> Have a `88 YJ with a 5" lift with 35" tires, it has Rancho shocks (6000 or
> 9000 don`t remember) and I have 35psi in the tires. When I bought the YJ the
> previous owner had only the right sway bar connected, I replaced the left
> side and the YJ handles much better in turns and recovers faster going over
> bumps at 50mph. Now of course the day I replaced the sway bar is the day I
> figured out that I was driving in 4wd high the past 135 miles. Maybe the
> steering improved simply by my now driving in 2wd...anyway problem solved.
> My old Jeep rides as if you were sitting on a board with wheels...I
> attempted to drink a cup of coffee while driving on patched up highway a
> couple of weeks ago...not going to do again!
> Even small bumps are jarring and I was just reading a post about someone
> trying to figure out a squeak he had....I woudn`t even hear a squeak in
> between the rattles! So I`m thinking shocks but the Jeeps handles the big
> bumps and 4" pot holes with rattles and shakes but that`s to be expected, it
> is the little bumps in city driving at 20-30mph that are bone jarring!
> Anyway I tried to rock the jeep to see /count the bounces but I had to jump
> on the bumper to do this but didn`t get a good count, but I don`t think it
> bounce more than 3 times, and I don`t see any leaks on the shocks. How would
> I buy shocks.....most say up to 4" lift.... mine has a 5" lift. But I don`t
> want to change shocks unless necessary.... I used to have a `79 HD
> Superglide changed shocks, changed fork springs,seals and oil didn`t make
> any difference...never did glide. I can live with it if that`s the way Jeeps
> ride.
> Thank you for listening
> Boris
> http://public.fotki.com/borysd/