Is it supposed to ride like this?

[Aaron]

Hello,
Just yesterday I purchased a 75 CJ5 . I knew it wasn't going to be a smooth ride but it seems a little ridiculous. Small pot holes literally knock the glove box open and shake the door open. It has a RC 2.5 inch suspension lift and it has hardly been driven (so I am told). I was wondering if this will soften up or if I should just pull a leaf spring or two. There are nine leaves on the front and back. Also I checked if the shackles where too tight and they where fine.
Has anyone had similar issues with this lift? If so how did you fix it? Or am I just not man enough to handle my jeep?

Thanks in advance,
Aaron

 

[Torxhead]

Making sure the spring mounting bolts are correctly tightened would be the first thing to check. The spring pivot bolts should be pretty tight since there is a sleeve in there. Aftermarket spring shackle bolts should be just snugged up, unless they are the oem type with a metal sleeve inside. then moderately tight. The shock absorber bolts should just be snugged up also.

 

[Old Dog]

IMO you should buy a good lift and get rid of the "Rough" Country.

 

[Aaron]

Thanks for the reply,
I just checked all of the bolts you mentioned but I am not sure if the shackles are oem type. If you can't tell from the pic how could I tell?

Sorry, I am new to jeeps.

 

[Aaron]

IMO you should buy a good lift and get rid of the "Rough" Country.

Are Rough Country lifts junk? Not to insult anyone that has one. All the springs and shocks are brand new (still have stickers on em)
As for now I would like to get it more drivable as I would like to tend to other things first.

 

[IOPort51]

shackles are after market and lifted, I would guess 1 or 1 1/2". try flexing them a bit. Use a fork lift to lift each wheel in turn. Make sure you do not run out of brake hose when you lift it. I suggest this because mine rode so much smoother after a week on the Alpine loop. I used to have a FSJ Cherokee with Rancho suspension that rode like a sheet of 3/4" plywood. My CJ has Sky jackers that are smoother than the OEMs. A good set of springs and/or shocks can make all the difference in the world when it comes to how much you enjoy driving your Jeep.

 

[Old Dog]

Are Rough Country lifts junk?.

Let's just say they live up to their name "Rough"

 

[Torxhead]

Another factor involved in getting a good ride is tire pressure. Using a 33" tire on a mid year CJ5 , I would say starting with around 26 p.s.i. could help.

 

[Dan86CJ7]

i dont think my 4"RC is that bad, deff stiff and i got 33s..do run 24-26 psi.

 

[Neuner]

Another factor involved in getting a good ride is tire pressure. Using a 33" tire on a mid year CJ5 , I would say starting with around 26 p.s.i. could help.

Was just going to mention that. Ditto on the 26 for now and then do a chalk test.

 

[Hedgehog]

Before buying a whole new set of springs try pulling a couple springs from each stack. 9 are a lot of springs. My Jeep had an adder spring added to each rear spring stack, I pulled them and the ride wat MUCH better. Removing the springs will lower the Jeep by a little over a 1/2" just in the spring thickness.

 

[IOPort51]

Try some decent shocks, Skyjacker nitros , maybe.

 

[Posi]

Not a fan of RC
Loosen your shackle bolts to 20 ft lbs

 

[DHugg]

Hello,
Just yesterday I purchased a 75 CJ5 . I knew it wasn't going to be a smooth ride but it seems a little ridiculous. Small pot holes literally knock the glove box open and shake the door open. It has a RC 2.5 inch suspension lift and it has hardly been driven (so I am told). I was wondering if this will soften up or if I should just pull a leaf spring or two. There are nine leaves on the front and back. Also I checked if the shackles where too tight and they where fine.
Has anyone had similar issues with this lift? If so how did you fix it? Or am I just not man enough to handle my jeep?

Thanks in advance,
Aaron

Aaron, my CJ7 was a kidney-bruiser with the Procomp lift-curve spring set and shocks. I took the 2nd-from-bottom leaf from the five-leaf rear spring pack and softened the crashes to just bumps. Sometime in future after some must-do work, I'm gonna look around for softer shocks.

The front is pretty bouncy, not really hard but reacts to every roll or dip in the road. I control it with tire pressure down around 18 (35's), but will look into a spring reduction. Daylight savings jeep - spring up.... fall back.

 

[Aaron]

Was just going to mention that. Ditto on the 26 for now and then do a chalk test.

I have lowered my tire pressure and it helped a little. What is a chalk test?

Thanks

 

[mtnwhlr]

I have lowered my tire pressure and it helped a little. What is a chalk test?

Thanks

https://www.google.com/url?q=http:/...twIwAg&usg=AFQjCNE18Cj85aw-GmGRztFIsXtpSk3QCQ

 

[DHugg]

I have lowered my tire pressure and it helped a little. What is a chalk test?

Thanks

Aaron, you can do the same inflation test with wide tape, like duct tape or wide masking tape. Just run a piece across the width of the tire, with some overlap up the sidewall to be sure it stays fastened.

Now drive around, just as you normally would. Every five or ten minutes, pull over and look at tape wear. If the tape wears in the center of the tread but not the outer lugs, you have the tire over-inflated. If the tape wears mostly on the outer edges but less or not in the center, under-inflated.

Once you see the pattern, you'll know what to do.

 

[hdgapeach]

Check your caster angle on the front axle. Mine had a mind of it's own until I got that angle correct.

With yours having longer than stock shackles and lift springs, I have a feeling you're going to find you have more than one specific issue causing the bad ride. Just a wild guess....

 

[Aaron]

I think I found the problem. I didn't bother pulling up the shock boot but I am pinching the very bottom of the shock body. I have about 2 inches of travel in the back. I am no jeep ninja but these have to be the wrong size shocks.

Thanks to everyone for there help!!

 

[IOPort51]

I think I found the problem. I didn't bother pulling up the shock boot but I am pinching the very bottom of the shock body. I have about 2 inches of travel in the back. I am no jeep ninja but these have to be the wrong size shocks.

Thanks to everyone for there help!!
View attachment 17272

I think they are upside down too.

Homepage / Skyjacker Suspensions

someplace in this site it will tell you what the stroke of the diferent skyjacket shocks is.

http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f7/bump-stop-extensions-16280/


this thread may help deciding on a size of shock.

2" upward travel is pretty close to what you need, actually. stock suspension only had 1" upward travel. I would , ideally want a max of 3 1/2" but I don't think you would ever use it.