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[That Oily Rag]

So one of the front shocks is leaking on the XJ so it is time to replace them both, possibly all 4 depending on price etc.

I have always found the ride very hard, so would prefer a softer shock.

I do not do any extreme off-roading.

The XJ is stock height, stock suspension.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I was looking at these:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=503682&cc=1434213&jsn=875&jsn=875

 

[gazjeep]

Old Man Emu (OME) have always given a good on & off road ride, not cheap but highly recommended.

Had them on our TJ

[Brynjaminjones]

I don't have any recommendations on which to go for, but I definitely recommend getting them from RockAuto! I recently replaced all four on our Grand Wagoneer and it only set me back about £120, including 2 day delivery.

I used KYB Excel-Gs by the way and have been happy with them, although it's a different vehicle so that's probably no help to you!

[XJ Fan]

OME or Bilstein; you won't go wrong.

[That Oily Rag]

Old Man Emu (OME) have always given a good on & off road ride, not cheap but highly recommended.

Had them on our TJ

I have read before that OME offers a softer, more comfortable ride, although they seem to do them complete with springs as a package and my wallet recoiled into the corner shaking at the price. 

I don't have any recommendations on which to go for, but I definitely recommend getting them from RockAuto! I recently replaced all four on our Grand Wagoneer and it only set me back about £120, including 2 day delivery.

I used KYB Excel-Gs by the way and have been happy with them, although it's a different vehicle so that's probably no help to you!

Yep, I was tempted the most with the KYBs!

OME or Bilstein; you won't go wrong.

I have not yet seen Bilstein available from the places I have checked. 

____

Other options I have found which I would like your opinions on:


Rough Country N3 Shocks


Cheapo Chinese Complete Shock Set £93.50

Thanks for the help and comments so far guys, very helpful 

[JamesH]

Old Man Emu put time into research to get the valvong spot on for the vehicle. Others are good too and I’ve been impressed with Bilstein. Monroe also get good reviews and make the shocks for OME but you won’t find a stock Monroe shock that is the same as the OME one for a specific vehicle.

I’ve heard enough negatives about Rough Country to avoid them. They seem to be very similar to the Pro Comp shocks that were popular and cheap 10 ish years ago - they aren’t specifically valved per vehicle so you could get 8” travel shocks that are the same for a 3.2t Landcruiser as a 2t Jeep. I could be wrong on this of course but the price point and lack of different model numbers for different vehicles does make sense in my head.

[That Oily Rag]

Old Man Emu put time into research to get the valvong spot on for the vehicle. Others are good too and I’ve been impressed with Bilstein. Monroe also get good reviews and make the shocks for OME but you won’t find a stock Monroe shock that is the same as the OME one for a specific vehicle.

I would be tempted with OME, but I cannot find them on RockAuto and the suppliers here have them listed for £125 each. 

I’ve heard enough negatives about Rough Country to avoid them. They seem to be very similar to the Pro Comp shocks that were popular and cheap 10 ish years ago - they aren’t specifically valved per vehicle so you could get 8” travel shocks that are the same for a 3.2t Landcruiser as a 2t Jeep. I could be wrong on this of course but the price point and lack of different model numbers for different vehicles does make sense in my head.

This is a very good point, I think I was getting distracted by the branding. 

________

Unless anyone has any obvious objections, I think I will go for the KYB MonoMax from RockAuto, might as well do the front (KYB 565053) and rear (KYB 565054) at the same time.

Link to fronts here if anyone is interested in the full spec.

I think I just need to check the heights to ensure they fit a stock XJ. 

 

[Dave69]

OME are good, same as well for bilstein,

rough country are cheap and many in the states call then ruff purely for that reason as they are made to a budget

[That Oily Rag]

OME are good, same as well for bilstein,

rough country are cheap and many in the states call then ruff purely for that reason as they are made to a budget

Cheers, I could only find Bilstein rear shocks listed for some reason.

[XJ Fan]

Cheers, I could only find Bilstein rear shocks listed for some reason.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/362996206153?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-153316-527457-8&mkcid=2&itemid=362996206153&targetid=4584894773047591&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=398226958&mkgroupid=1300722490880853&rlsatarget=pla-4584894773047591&abcId=2145997&merchantid=87779&msclkid=216bbdcac6fc1f98991fe25b9424d702

I'm not affiliated with the above, just did a quick search on your behalf....

[XJ Fan]

From what I hear about Rough Country suspension, it's (relatively) cheap, and is designed for those who add a lot of weight to their car through aftermarket mods, heavy duty bumpers, armour, winches, tyre carriers, roof racks, etc.

Horses for courses really.

[That Oily Rag]

Cheers, I could only find Bilstein rear shocks listed for some reason.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/362996206153?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-153316-527457-8&mkcid=2&itemid=362996206153&targetid=4584894773047591&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=398226958&mkgroupid=1300722490880853&rlsatarget=pla-4584894773047591&abcId=2145997&merchantid=87779&msclkid=216bbdcac6fc1f98991fe25b9424d702

I'm not affiliated with the above, just did a quick search on your behalf....

Thanks for looking.

I assume that seller is using a generic picture of Shocks as they have the base for coil-springs, which obviously the XJ does not need.

I am sure they are worth every penny, but the price is still a bit too much of a barrier for me, a full set of KYBs from RockAuto, delivered all duty paid etc is around the £250 mark. I am sure the KYBs will still be a huge improvement over the stiff and leaking OEM ones. 

From what I hear about Rough Country suspension, it's (relatively) cheap, and is designed for those who add a lot of weight to their car through aftermarket mods, heavy duty bumpers, armour, winches, tyre carriers, roof racks, etc.

Horses for courses really.

I like what they do, but I am looking for comfort rather than heavy-duty / off-road modified and from what you and others say, they will just be too hard.

[bgbazz]

For what it's worth, I have used Monroe on my LWB Nissan Patrol; KYB on my KJ  and Golf 4Motion Estate and found the ride and reliability to be very good in all applications...the roads over here vary from donkey tracks to B class, when compared to yours.

[That Oily Rag]

For what it's worth, I have used Monroe on my LWB Nissan Patrol; KYB on my KJ  and Golf 4Motion Estate and found the ride and reliability to be very good in all applications...the roads over here vary from donkey tracks to B class, when compared to yours.

Fully welcome your opinion and experience of them, so thanks for sharing. 

[That Oily Rag]

An update for this, the KYB Shock Absorbers arrived really quickly once I had ordered them, good service from Rock Auto. 

I'll hopefully fit them this weekend and find out if they improve the ride!

[bgbazz]

Looking forward to your comments...after a decent trial run, of course.

[Brynjaminjones]

Looking forward to this too. Which KYBs did you go for?


Turns out I've got a rear one blown in my XJ too, so need it sorted by its MOT in January.

[That Oily Rag]

Looking forward to this too. Which KYBs did you go for?


Turns out I've got a rear one blown in my XJ too, so need it sorted by its MOT in January.

KG5464 and KG5465 (Front / Rear).

I did not get time to install them as I was too busy welding   So I cannot comment about them yet.

[Brynjaminjones]

Have you had the chance to install them yet? I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on some, so very interested to hear! 

[That Oily Rag]

Have you had the chance to install them yet? I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on some, so very interested to hear! 

No, sorry, they are still sitting in the box! All of the lockdown stuff is making it difficult to plan as I will use the lift etc at a garage I know. 

[Brynjaminjones]

I've ended up ordering the same ones, which arrived this morning!
I've now learned the hard way to be careful when installing the rears. I've snapped one of the upper bolts so far (to be expected), but have also snapped one of the lower mounts too!



One question I've got - what colour are the front shocks you received? I got one white, one silver!

[bgbazz]

Being a bit of a KYB fan, I've been following this thread with interest. Bryn, check those front shocks carefully, before you fit them...two different colours suggest to me that they may not be the same spec. On the 3 vehicles that I have fitted with KYBs, the front ones were Yellow and rear ones were Black, except on the Patrol which were Yellow all round. I seem to recall that the different colours applied to different load and travel specs...but my memory may be fading somewhat. 

[Brynjaminjones]

Thanks Bazz, that's what I'm worried about too.


Based on the boxes and part numbers, it looks like they just changed the colour at some point and I got one from old stock, but I've raised it with RockAuto to see what they say.

[Dave69]

those shock bolts always seize as people dont use a grease on the bolt shaft before assembly

[That Oily Rag]

One question I've got - what colour are the front shocks you received? I got one white, one silver!

I just checked for you and mine are all silver, front and back.