Choosing Shocks for Your 2018-2022 Jeep Wrangler JL
Bilstein - 5100 Series, 46mm Piston
Daily Driver, Off-Road
$$$$
One of the best selling shocks for the Truck, SUV, and Jeep market, the Bilstein 5100 excels at daily drivability mixed with off-road capability. Slightly firmer than the 4600 series, and firmer than a stock-like shock, these high-pressure gas shocks offer improved handling on lifted vehicles and improved response with larger wheels & tires.
Pros
- Leveling-Kit ability for certain apps
- Great off-road capable shock upgrade
- Durable, long lasting
- Improved handling on & off-road
- Heavy Duty, Tow, Haul capable
Cons
- Firmer than stock-like shocks
- Performance Shock, higher price
Rancho - RS9000XL
Daily Driver, Off-Road
$$$$
The adjustable RS9000XL shock has been around for decades at this point, proving just how versatile and useful these shocks are to the truck and Jeep market. Being able to adjust the ride quality from soft to firm at will provides big benefits to drivers of heavy duty rigs, offroaders, and workhorse vehicles.
Pros
- Control for soft or firm compression damping
- Thick bodied, large oil volume
- Excellent adjustable shock for the price
- 90-day Ride Guarantee by Rancho
Cons
- Knobs prone to breakage, we replace them for free
- Adjustment settings are imperceptible for some drivers
Bilstein - 5100 Series, 46mm Piston
Daily Driver, Off-Road
$$$$
One of the best selling shocks for the Truck, SUV, and Jeep market, the Bilstein 5100 excels at daily drivability mixed with off-road capability. Slightly firmer than the 4600 series, and firmer than a stock-like shock, these high-pressure gas shocks offer improved handling on lifted vehicles and improved response with larger wheels & tires.
Pros
- Leveling-Kit ability for certain apps
- Great off-road capable shock upgrade
- Durable, long lasting
- Improved handling on & off-road
- Heavy Duty, Tow, Haul capable
Cons
- Firmer than stock-like shocks
- Performance Shock, higher price
Bilstein - 5100 Series, 46mm Piston
Daily Driver, Off-Road
$$$$
One of the best selling shocks for the Truck, SUV, and Jeep market, the Bilstein 5100 excels at daily drivability mixed with off-road capability. Slightly firmer than the 4600 series, and firmer than a stock-like shock, these high-pressure gas shocks offer improved handling on lifted vehicles and improved response with larger wheels & tires.
Pros
- Leveling-Kit ability for certain apps
- Great off-road capable shock upgrade
- Durable, long lasting
- Improved handling on & off-road
- Heavy Duty, Tow, Haul capable
Cons
- Firmer than stock-like shocks
- Performance Shock, higher price
FOX - 2.0 Performance IFP
Daily Driver, Off-Road
$$$$
The Fox 2.0 IFP high performance shocks are for a go-fast attitude offroad, providing significant handling improvement on & off-road over typical street-shocks. These shocks excel in aggressive terrain and the dirt, and are a great performance upgrade over factory or Bilstein.
Pros
- Coilovers provide Leveling-kit ability
- Excellent High Performance entry level shock
- Handles hard hits well
- Improves handling and traction in all terrains
- Rebuildable / Serviceable
Cons
- Higher price point compared to similar offerings
- Requires servicing for optimal performance
- Firmer than factory and other factory-like upgrades
ICON - Stage 1 Coilovers
Daily Driver, Off-Road
$$$$
Step into improved handling and comfort for your daily drive and dirt activities. Through ICON’s digressive valving, this leads to improved handling without sacrificing too much ride comfort in the pursuit of spirited driving and high performance.
Pros
- Improved handling on and off-road
- Built for moderate to high speed
- Rebuildable and serviceable
- Can upgrade through higher stages
Cons
- Requires servicing for optimum performance
- Off-road focused, may be too firm for daily-driver only
FOX - 2.5 Factory Series
Off-Road, Tow/Haul
$$$$
Stepping up to the Fox 2.5 Factory Race series shocks brings significant improvements in both comfort and ride control. The increased size of the 2.5” shock offers increased shock oil, lower operating pressures, and allows high speed driving on aggressive terrain while maintaining great control of the vehicle through race-level tuning.
Pros
- Huge improvement to road comfort and off-road handling in one package
- Adjustable & Reservoir options
- Serviceable, Rebuildable, Custom Tuning Available
- Excellent handling in high speed environments
Cons
- Requires servicing between 30-50k miles for optimum performance
FOX - 3.0 Factory Series
Off-Road, Tow/Haul
$$$$
Fox has combined their top shock technologies into a single package, using an internal bypass feature to provide excellent comfort for every day driving and easy trails. Their Dual Speed Compression adjustment allows further damping refinement for various terrains, speeds, or vehicle loadouts in terms of gear or equipment. The Fox 3.0 IBP DSC Reservoir shocks are unmatched.
Pros
- Ultimate ride comfort from Internal Bypass technology
- Extreme damping refinement through DSC features
- Unstoppable with top of the line heat dissipation
Cons
- Limited application availability
Teraflex - Falcon 2.1
Daily Driver, Off-Road
$$$$
Designed with the weekend warriors and trail heroes that need their rigs to keep them comfy on the street as well, the Digressively Valved Falcon 2.1s offer a firm yet supportive ride on the trail, with supple ride and astute control on the road. Featuring a 2.25” diameter monotube design and Teraflex’s patented SP2 two mode adjustability, you can set the shocks for max compliance and comfort in the soft setting while retaining optimal performance tuning so that handling is not sacrificed with the softer ride, or set them to their Performance setting for maximum control and support on and off the road. Although these parts are designed with the daily driver in mind, they are more than up to the task of meeting the needs of even hardcore enthusiasts.
Pros
- Vehicle Specific Digressive Valving for Optimal Ride and Handling on and off the road
- SP2 Mode adjust allows you to adjust between soft and performance settings all while maintaining low speed compression stiffness to retain handling and control
Cons
- Although Digressive valving lends itself to great handling and a nice soft ride over bumps, they do lack some of the support on bigger hits that a linear shock would. The performance mode does allow for greater support however some small bump sensitivity is lost and exposes the limitations in terms of consistency and resistance to heat and cavitations of the 2.25” diameter shock body and lack of external reservoir.
- Adjustment only possible with the shocks fully extended
Teraflex - Falcon 3.1
Off-Road, Tow/Haul
$$$$
The Teraflex 3.1 combines the benefits of the SP2, two position adjustable 2.1 shocks, with the 3.0s, adding on all the benefits of their Piggyback Reservoir design. The additional adjustability makes up for some of the performance left on the table of the non adjustable 3.0s making the rig that much more capable on the trail, and that much more comfortable on the street.
Pros
- SP2, two position adjustability allows for better performance on the trail and on the road.
- Piggyback Reservoir design allows for superior heat dissipation, resistance towards cavitation, and consistency over rough terrain when compared to a standard monotube of similar diameter
Cons
- Adjustment only possible with the shocks fully extended
- Although Digressive valving lends itself to great handling and a nice soft ride over bumps, they do lack some of the support on bigger hits that a linear shock would. The performance mode does allow for greater support however some small bump sensitivity is lost