2.5 res shocks / coilover advise

desertrunner

desertrunner

Hooked
Jerry, Ben and I were discussing this on my build thread but figured I might be able to pull some more advise on the JK specific thread.

Looking to address some suspension upgrades when I pull my axles for the 1 ton swap. Im currently avoiding larger weld on projects for a future stretch plan but I have room in the budget for something like the Evo bolt on coilovers.

Seems like the general consensus on JK bolt on coilover set ups is they don't quite reach the potential of what a coilover should be particularly in the rear and may not be too far above the performance level of something like an evo plush ride paired with king 2.5 res shocks.

My stretch plan is 10 years down the line and I definitely wanna get more potential out of my current suspension with a V8 and 1 tons for the time being but with the flooded market of high performance shocks and the relatively close in price to a bolt on coilover, I'm looking for some advise from people who have actually run the bolt ons VS something like a 2.5 res shock and coil and what is really worth it for the money for the time being before I cut it up and 4 link the rear.

For context my jeep is not a DD maybe sees 2-4k miles per year mostly off road with a 6.2L V8 and on the way a set of 1 tons and 38s
 
For what it’s worth, I’m in a similar build stage although I have made up my mind so here is what I can tell you and, what I have decided in hopes it helps.

I currently run a 4.5 RK spring and a set of 6” lift spec Falcon 3.3’s that allow me to cycle exactly 13.25 inches (based on how I have things mounted and setup). I’ve got a few friends running the EVO bolt ons with long arms and I have more down travel but, they can go faster.
If you’re not wanting the complexity of a coilover and, don’t haul ass then a good coil and shock setup with a 1 ton swap can net you a lot of travel if you se lt it up correctly.

If you’re wanting to do a rear 4 link down the road then you’re going to have to outboard a set of Coilovers anyway. Depending on if you’re planning to do a junk yard 1 ton swap or crate axles you may want to just budget that in now. It’s a big job but, it’s one that sucks doing twice. I’m doing a junk yard swap which means moving my tank to the rear anyway.

For my 4 door I’m doing a super duty 60 front with a sterling 10.5 rear and an RPM 3 link front and DT 4 link rear and I’m not even going to mess with coils and shocks which is why I’m taking my time.
I highly recommend future proofing your setup even if that means having to budget more and wait a little longer.
 
I just ordered a set of crate axles from fusion. Went with their 60/14 bolt set up, just getting what I can ordered now while they are on there way.
The 4 link down the road is a totally separate subject just is the reason for not wanting to do bigger weld on stuff for the time being. Just trying to get some better performance out of what I have to wheel and i can afford the bolt ons if they are worth it for the money.

Seems like it's hit or miss on the bolt ons VS a good coil and res shock, i just don't have experience with either
 
desertrunner said:
I just ordered a set of crate axles from fusion. Went with their 60/14 bolt set up, just getting what I can ordered now while they are on there way.
The 4 link down the road is a totally separate subject just is the reason for not wanting to do bigger weld on stuff for the time being. Just trying to get some better performance out of what I have to wheel and i can afford the bolt ons if they are worth it for the money.

Seems like it's hit or miss on the bolt ons VS a good coil and res shock, i just don't have experience with either
Click to expand...
They have pros and cons but you can get good performance out of both. If I was in your boat I’d stay coil and shock with a good resi shock that has some good travel. King and fox both offer shocks that will give you plenty of travel and ride really nice.
 
Either one is gonna ride like relative shit in a two door with 60’s. You’re going to out drive the suspension with that motor or at least try and it’s going to drive rough because of the wheelbase. Coilovers are harder to rebuild than standard shock too. I would just get so king 2.5’s and call it a day.

Aren’t the bolt on coilovers still 2.0’s anyway? So smaller. The king 2.5’s have always rode better than the bolt on coilover. The bolt on in my opinion is for people who just want coilovers. It’s not a better setup.
 
OverlanderJK said:
Either one is gonna ride like relative shit in a two door with 60’s. You’re going to out drive the suspension with that motor or at least try and it’s going to drive rough because of the wheelbase. Coilovers are harder to rebuild than standard shock too. I would just get so king 2.5’s and call it a day.

Aren’t the bolt on coilovers still 2.0’s anyway? So smaller. The king 2.5’s have always rode better than the bolt on coilover. The bolt on in my opinion is for people who just want coilovers. It’s not a better setup.
Click to expand...
All of this^^^^
 
The V8 and 1 tons are definitely steps on the way to a 110" wheelbase build in the future.
Not trying to pretend it's something it's not by throwing coilovers on it for the sake of having them.

Of all the conversations I've had the last few days sounds like king 2.5 res shocks is the better route for me
 
Are the new axles a need or a want? To switch over to the 4 link/3 link you’re gonna need to strip the axles of all brackets from a coil/std shock setup. Not a huge deal but it is a lot of fab work. Not telling you to not do it but you can buy the parts incrementally over time & do it once

Believe me, it adds up quickly
 
Ddays said:
Are the new axles a need or a want? To switch over to the 4 link/3 link you’re gonna need to strip the axles of all brackets from a coil/std shock setup. Not a huge deal but it is a lot of fab work. Not telling you to not do it but you can buy the parts incrementally over time & do it once

Believe me, it adds up quickly
Click to expand...
Truly a want. It's something I have the money and the time for at the moment, something that I want for the piece of mind wheeling with the V8 since I'm often alone.

I'm well aware that to 4 link it I'm gonna be stripping and fabing things I could just buy done from fusion. However my kids are 1 and 3 so I have quite some time before I can do the 4 link the way I want to cutting up the rear. In 10 years I may be in a totally different financial state or go a different route.

V8 came first since I figured my current axles would survive. 1 tons next so I can push it a bit harder, then last full 4 link big coilovers to really open up the hardest of trails i can find. Thats the progression I went with to increasing have fun while not dropping 150k at once
 
Anyone got any longer term performance and durability info on various 2.5 res shocks out there. Seems to be a few out there with King, Fox has a few "levels", blistien, icon, falcon etc...

Feel like id lean on the rep of king or fox above the others but I only briefly ran fox 2.0s and never owned king
 
desertrunner said:
Anyone got any longer term performance and durability info on various 2.5 res shocks out there. Seems to be a few out there with King, Fox has a few "levels", blistien, icon, falcon etc...

Feel like id lean on the rep of king or fox above the others but I only briefly ran fox 2.0s and never owned king
Click to expand...
I can speak to the Falcon 3.3’s I’ve been running since early 2019. Over 80k miles on them and just recently had them rebuilt and revalved. Some folks don’t like that the rear shocks motion upside down but, there are skids available or, you can flip them like I did.

I have also ran the Fox 2.5’s in the past but I kept breaking shock shafts. For the money, the falcons have been great for me and I haven’t had any issues. The adjustments actually work and they have put up with all the abuse I’ve thrown at them.
 
RESURECTIONJK said:
I can speak to the Falcon 3.3’s I’ve been running since early 2019. Over 80k miles on them and just recently had them rebuilt and revalved. Some folks don’t like that the rear shocks motion upside down but, there are skids available or, you can flip them like I did.

I have also ran the Fox 2.5’s in the past but I kept breaking shock shafts. For the money, the falcons have been great for me and I haven’t had any issues. The adjustments actually work and they have put up with all the abuse I’ve thrown at them.
Click to expand...
Which fox 2.5s were you using?

From what I can see they have 3 different ones with the "performance elite" the "factory race" and the "factory race internal bypass"

Couldn't tell you the performance difference between the 3 though
 
desertrunner said:
Anyone happen to know the 3-5" lift Evo spec King 2.5s extended and collapsed length?

The person I was emailing at Evo didn't seem to know
Click to expand...
I think it’s the same as a jeep standard king 2.5, just valved different, so maybe king website has that info for their off the shelf shock, but not entirely sure, you’d think EVO would know though lol
 
I run the evo bolt on coilovers had them for almost two years and I have no complaints. Mine is a 4 door. same engine and trans your running with one tons. Ride is subjective but they feel firmer and more planted to me on and off road. Seems I have a bit more down travel than the shock and coil set up and no worries about a coil coming out of the cup. I like the adjustability of the coil overs especially in the rear.
You can play with spring rates fairly cheap and fine tune them for your needs.
I don’t think the rebuild is a big deal. I mean you can probably go several thousand miles before needing to rebuild them.
 
benatc1 said:
I think it’s the same as a jeep standard king 2.5, just valved different, so maybe king website has that info for their off the shelf shock, but not entirely sure, you’d think EVO would know though lol
Click to expand...
Right? I asked the question if they were the same length as regular kings just different valving and who ever was running the email for the day just said they are built to evo spec not sure how they compare to the off the shelf kings 🤔 SMH
 
desertrunner said:
Right? I asked the question if they were the same length as regular kings just different valving and who ever was running the email for the day just said they are built to evo spec not sure how they compare to the off the shelf kings 🤔 SMH
Click to expand...
Thank you? lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom