Looking for suspension advice for a 2019 Jeep Rubicon

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Dorian

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I have been slowly building out my 2019 Jeep Rubicon for multi-day overlanding trips. Have the stock Rubicon suspension and 33" KO2's. Love longer routes like the Mojave Trail and the Rimrocker Trail. Nothing really difficult. Easy to moderate long trails.

I installed a drawer system and refrigerator slide into the back just before my last trip and am starting to notice that fully loaded my Jeep's rear bumper is starting to sit lower than the front. The new drawers, shelf, slide and fridge weigh about 220lbs before they get loaded up. Looking for advice on the right upgrade to deal with the extra weight. Looking for the right solution. I'm not planning on going to larger tires at this point so the ride is more important than just lifting the car to get more clearance.

All help is appreciated. Thanks so much.
 

Red Rock Overlander

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I have been slowly building out my 2019 Jeep Rubicon for multi-day overlanding trips. Have the stock Rubicon suspension and 33" KO2's. Love longer routes like the Mojave Trail and the Rimrocker Trail. Nothing really difficult. Easy to moderate long trails.

I installed a drawer system and refrigerator slide into the back just before my last trip and am starting to notice that fully loaded my Jeep's rear bumper is starting to sit lower than the front. The new drawers, shelf, slide and fridge weigh about 220lbs before they get loaded up. Looking for advice on the right upgrade to deal with the extra weight. Looking for the right solution. I'm not planning on going to larger tires at this point so the ride is more important than just lifting the car to get more clearance.

All help is appreciated. Thanks so much.
JKS Makes an Adjustable Rear Spring Spacer so you can level it when loaded... set and forget much cheeped that Springs etc. Works great!
 

smritte

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The question I have is, do you drive around with the back loaded, or do you drive with the back empty then load it for a trip?
If you drive with it loaded all the time, then you need to find a heavier spring. If not, you can install some poly air bags into the rear springs. Normal driving i run about 10 psi, when I load the back for a trip, 40psi. If I tow my trailer, 80 psi. You can use these also to add a bit of spring rate if you don't want to buy new springs. They don't really lift, just make the spring stiffer.
I ran them on mt TJ and have them on my Cruiser. Very easy install and you don't have to take he springs out. Squish em down and slip them into he spring. Both vehicles have been run off road fairly hard for several years with no issues.
 

Dorian

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The question I have is, do you drive around with the back loaded, or do you drive with the back empty then load it for a trip?
If you drive with it loaded all the time, then you need to find a heavier spring. If not, you can install some poly air bags into the rear springs. Normal driving i run about 10 psi, when I load the back for a trip, 40psi. If I tow my trailer, 80 psi. You can use these also to add a bit of spring rate if you don't want to buy new springs. They don't really lift, just make the spring stiffer.
I ran them on mt TJ and have them on my Cruiser. Very easy install and you don't have to take he springs out. Squish em down and slip them into he spring. Both vehicles have been run off road fairly hard for several years with no issues.
I don't normally have the car loaded up, but I am not planning to take out the drawer system or fridge slide. That's almost 200lbs even without the fridge.

I have never heard of "poly air bags". Sounds like an interesting option.

Thank you.
 

Red Rock Overlander

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I have been slowly building out my 2019 Jeep Rubicon for multi-day overlanding trips. Have the stock Rubicon suspension and 33" KO2's. Love longer routes like the Mojave Trail and the Rimrocker Trail. Nothing really difficult. Easy to moderate long trails.

I installed a drawer system and refrigerator slide into the back just before my last trip and am starting to notice that fully loaded my Jeep's rear bumper is starting to sit lower than the front. The new drawers, shelf, slide and fridge weigh about 220lbs before they get loaded up. Looking for advice on the right upgrade to deal with the extra weight. Looking for the right solution. I'm not planning on going to larger tires at this point so the ride is more important than just lifting the car to get more clearance.

All help is appreciated. Thanks so much.
JKS Makes an Adjustable Rear Spring Spacer so you can level it when loaded... set and forget much cheeper than New Coil Springs etc. Works great!
Another point it does exactly what you need... it levels the Jeep and doesn’t alter your ride performance. We like the tiny lift in the rear when we aren’t loaded without the risk and hassle of an airbag which can stiffen your ride.
 

El-Dracho

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The whole susepnsion setup of a vehicle is a very complex system. All components need to be adjusted to each other to have a perfect suspension setup that works and the first defects do not appear after a few kilometers of trails. In my opinion, it doesn't make sense to simply install other colorful shock absorbers just to change something. Especially with regard to the suspension setup I often see this and that people just keep trying something and it doesn't really work out. In the end, so much money is being sunk for shock absorbers, springs, bump stops and much more...

As said, the suspension is a complex system. For many applications the original susepnsion setups are absolutely sufficient, sometimes with small changes. In case something different is really needed, for example for competitions or heavy overlanding vehicles or simply because the woner wnats to have it (which is fine of course), from my experience it makes sense to go to a suspension specialist, who has a lot of experience with that and is able to properly adjust the whole setup to the needs. There weights, wheel loads, intended use, etc. are taken into account. It´s for example not the best solution to just by high-quality shock absorbers, they need to be adjusted properly. Same with bump stops, they need to be selected in dependence of the vehicle and use to have suitable bump stops that really absorb the energy and so on. That is a one-time higher investment, but it should work for a long time. High-quality shock absorbers can then, for example, be completely revised and do not have to be replaced later.

This is just my experience from many kilometers of overlanding and offroad.

Cheers, Bjoern
 
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Pathfinder I

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I agree with El-Dracho, but of course it very much depends on the OP's budget.

For Wranglers, though, there's a suspension solution for every budget, but if it were me, I would go with a "buy once, cry once" approach. Because when I had a jeep, I didn't, so I bought a few times and cried a river!

The "best" suspension for a JK, in my opinion and experience, is one that is engineered and tuned for the activity you are doing -- you mentioned nothing too technical, so some of the "rock crawler" lifts that focus on articulation may not be for you. Instead I would check out suspension systems that are engineered specifically for Overland travel -- AEV and ARB both offer full suspension replacement kits. But any good suspension job will have three components to it: Springs, shocks, and overall geometry.

Your best friend before you buy any suspension is a good scale (Commercial truck scales are all over the place and work great). You need two weight readings to make the best suspension decision -- first, you need your "every day weight". This is the weight of your rig in it's every day format, which is likely heavier than stock -- you'll have racks, bumpers, winches, fridge and slide, etc. that are likely permanently mounted to your rig. The second weight you need is your "Trip weight" -- what do you weigh when you are on an actual trip? Once you have that, consider each of these categories:

1) Your Springs: The two weights described above give you the range of weight that you need your vehicle to be "Sprung" for. The ARB and AEV systems both use progressive springs. A progressive spring, like the name implies, gets progressively more stiff as weight is added, so your vehicle can be properly sprung for a range of loads. But, this range is often sold as "low", "medium", or "hard" so talking to a specialist or consulting the manufacturer will tell you what weights those ratings are associated with.

2) Your Shocks: Shock absorbers are a bit of black magic, but the two most important parts for Overland travel are valving and oil volume. Valving speaks to how quickly a shock responds -- the "valves" are inside the shock, and they allow fluid to move from one part of the shock to the other, and it's the motion of this fluid that actually absorbs the impact of the road. Valves are tune-able and should be matched to the spring rate (which is why going with a kit is nice -- it comes already matched). The other part is the oil volume. Oil being pushed through those valves gets very hot. Hot oil gets very runny, and runny oil doesn't do a good job of dampening bumps. A wider-bodied shock absorber will have more oil volume, which means the oil will have more surface area with the shock wall to dissapate heat, which means the oil will maintain it's viscosity and performance. Another solution is to have remote resevoir shocks, which do the same thing as a wider body shock (heat control), for the same reason.

3) Suspension geometry: Most vehicles can get away with a modest lift for better flex, tire space, and in some cases load carrying. But even at 2", and especially beyond it, you are changing the geometry of the suspension and how all the parts line up. This introduces greater wear and tear on joints, bearings, seals, etc. -- the whole system, really. So, consider ways of addressing this too -- the AEV I think offers the 'best' geometry correction brackets for the JK, and that can be had as part of the AEV kit (which is why a lot of people like that kit) but they can also be used with other lifts.

So, to echo El-Drach -- go to the manufacturer, explain what you are doing and at what weight, and listen to their recommendations. If they are speaking roughly the same language as I've used in this thread, you are on the right track. If they use sales talk or don't take your technical questions seriously -- "Oh yeah don't worry about spring rates. Ours are good" -- tread carefully!

If all of this is overwhelming....go buy the AEV or ARB system and you'll be happy.
 
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Dlnuckolls

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I agree with El-Dracho, but of course it very much depends on the OP's budget.

For Wranglers, though, there's a suspension solution for every budget, but if it were me, I would go with a "buy once, cry once" approach. Because when I had a jeep, I didn't, so I bought a few times and cried a river!

The "best" suspension for a JK, in my opinion and experience, is one that is engineered and tuned for the activity you are doing -- you mentioned nothing too technical, so some of the "rock crawler" lifts that focus on articulation may not be for you. Instead I would check out suspension systems that are engineered specifically for Overland travel -- AEV and ARB both offer full suspension replacement kits. But any good suspension job will have three components to it: Springs, shocks, and overall geometry.

Your best friend before you buy any suspension is a good scale (Commercial truck scales are all over the place and work great). You need two weight readings to make the best suspension decision -- first, you need your "every day weight". This is the weight of your rig in it's every day format, which is likely heavier than stock -- you'll have racks, bumpers, winches, fridge and slide, etc. that are likely permanently mounted to your rig. The second weight you need is your "Trip weight" -- what do you weigh when you are on an actual trip? ....
I completely agree with this assessment. There are several kits that help in this area and I have my eye on a Terraflex S/T kit. It addresses all of these things as well.

The biggest challenge you will face is defining what you are looking for in the lift kit, and why you really need it. Getting good advise you can trust is always a wise choice for something you are going to drop some coin on!
 

smritte

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Very well written. Show me a spring that you can easily adjust to different loads.
The answer is an air spring or a torsional spring. The statement about air springs stiffing up the suspension is correct but, if you increase weight you increase spring rate to compensate. The obvious answer here is, he needs a stiffer spring to compensate his added weight.
When I was racing, you bet I worked the suspension to where it was perfect. I also went through several spring rates dialing it in. Change the weight and new springs again.
Th OP wanted a simple solution to a simple issue. I would bet 90% of the modified vehicles on the road don't have the correct spring/shock combo.
 
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Pathfinder I

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Very well written. Show me a spring that you can easily adjust to different loads.
The answer is an air spring or a torsional spring. The statement about air springs stiffing up the suspension is correct but, if you increase weight you increase spring rate to compensate. The obvious answer here is, he needs a stiffer spring to compensate his added weight.
When I was racing, you bet I worked the suspension to where it was perfect. I also went through several spring rates dialing it in. Change the weight and new springs again.
Th OP wanted a simple solution to a simple issue. I would bet 90% of the modified vehicles on the road don't have the correct spring/shock combo.
Thanks smritte -- I agree with you that air springs are the most versatile over a range of loads. I think the trouble that most folks run into is they go buy air bags to help their existing spring rate, but they don't pay mind to the shocks and geometry. I think you are incredibly generous with your 90% figure -- I think it's probably higher!

Often, it's easier to go with a progressive coil spring kit from something like ARB or AEV on the wrangler because it's all just a complete package, with step by step instructions, and can be done in an afternoon in a driveway, so in a way that's pretty simple solution -- it's a known quantity that works well. If the OP wanted to do a bit more leg work, I think air helper springs would be fine and in some ways better, I would just say they'd want to make sure they have a shock tuned to that setup, and that they pay attention to their geometry (if lifted) to get the best performance. The only downside in my mind to air systems is that they have slightly higher complexity, which can (rarely) introduce a greater likelihood of failure that can't be fixed trailside.

Coils can really only fail two ways -- they can crack, or they can over time lose rebound. If they crack, I've seen people use a full pack of zip ties to keep a coil spring together as a bush fix. If they lose rebound, they still work, just not as well. Air Bags have a few more failure points -- the bag itself can be punctured, the compressor can fail, the control module can go on the fritz, or even if they are "dummy" bags without a control pack (i.e. just a direct valve on the side), the fill tubes or valves can fail. And the vehicle electrical system has to work. Many of these can be fixed trailside too, but its harder. And honestly it's a pretty academic debate, because in the real world both air systems and coil systems are very good these days in terms of reliability.

My next rig is about 90% likely to be a Defender with air suspension, so you and I are in agreement on the superiority of a proper air system for sure!
 
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smritte

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The poly bags that I posted, I have been using in a couple of my vehicles for years. I was a bit apprehensive at first. I was afraid i would wear them out due the the amount of off road I do. Obviously they didn't go in my Crawler Jeep and i never ran them in any of my desert truck's but, for what I do now they work great. The nice thing here is, you still have the coil if the air spring fails.
 
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tjZ06

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I might be in the miniority, but I like bypasses and coilovers for Overlanding. My current WJ setup only has front c/o's, but at least that would allow me to level it for different load-outs if it was drastically uneven. The bypasses are huge in allowing for fine tuning for the weight and terrain on a particular trip, and in different parts of the suspension travel.

-TJ
 

Billiebob

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I've had 3 AEV suspensions and 2 RE suspensions. My travel has always been higher speed FSR never crawling. Both RE an AEV have been flawless fot me. The biggest lift I've done has been 3". Today I am back to a fully stock Rubicon suspension. I'll never do another lift. Having been there, I see zero advantage. Today I run 31s on my completely stock Rubicon and love it. Jeep did a real good job balancing what most of us do and getting it right. I'd say wait until you find a need for something "more?" If it works stock, stick with it.

Rubicons are already the best.
 

LumixLab

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I have been slowly building out my 2019 Jeep Rubicon for multi-day overlanding trips. Have the stock Rubicon suspension and 33" KO2's. Love longer routes like the Mojave Trail and the Rimrocker Trail. Nothing really difficult. Easy to moderate long trails.

I installed a drawer system and refrigerator slide into the back just before my last trip and am starting to notice that fully loaded my Jeep's rear bumper is starting to sit lower than the front. The new drawers, shelf, slide and fridge weigh about 220lbs before they get loaded up. Looking for advice on the right upgrade to deal with the extra weight. Looking for the right solution. I'm not planning on going to larger tires at this point so the ride is more important than just lifting the car to get more clearance.

All help is appreciated. Thanks so much.
First, my rig is a Gladiator Rubicon. I have a bed rack with iKamper MIni tent and extra fuel and water stored over and in the bed. Rear seat delete with Goose Gear storage system which holds all my tools underneath and Dometic frig and recovery gear box above. I went from 5,300lbs with just me and fuel to 6,410lbs completely loaded with the above and supplies. I had Jeep install the 2" Mopar lift which has so far worked out perfectly. I running 35's and don't need any more height as I'm not a rock crawler. I only added the lift for weight support. The Mopar lift was just right for supporting the additional weight and as a bonus doesn't alter the truck's warranty. The ride was a little stiffer in the rear but settled nicely when the tent and bed rack were added.
Lots to think about, good luck!