Strokermjcomanche Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 After several sets of (Monroe and then Gabriel ) shocks going bad on my 99 xj in a short period of time I started looking for a better brand shock . I came across a listing for all 4 mopar shocks at the price of $100 + shipping , which I thought was a great deal . I just received them today and opened the sealed boxes to find out that they are the cheap ( blue) Monroe Matic shocks in the box . If I wanted Monroe I would have gone down to the local parts store and bought them there . So I know there are several people on here that either have or are currently working at a dealership, why or how can Chrysler pass these off as what came on the vehicle from the factory ? I've had the jeep since 36k miles and am positive they had a much better shock ( don't remember what brand though ) but I'm sure it wasn't Monroe . I've bought many mopar parts before and they've always been what the vehicle was born with . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 What were the Mopar part numbers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I have the red JK Rubicon shocks on both a stock height and a lifted MJ and on 2 XJs in my family. The dealerships throw them away when doing lift kits on new Wranglers. You have to fiddle a bit with a few of the ends but no big deal. Quite a difference in ride and handling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Those are available even from the stealer @ about $25/ea. Cheap shocks indeed......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I have the red JK Rubicon shocks on both a stock height and a lifted MJ and on 2 XJs in my family. The dealerships throw them away when doing lift kits on new Wranglers. You have to fiddle a bit with a few of the ends but no big deal. Quite a difference in ride and handling. First thing I did with the two JKs I bought new was replace the stock crappy shocks with OMEs. For grins I tried them on my MJ and they sucked on it too. But I know the Ruby shocks are better than the non-Rubys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Gotta have the red ones from the RUBI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 RUBY. Aye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 There's a big difference in shocks, even from the factory. Both of my 2000 XJs (my Sport 5-speed and my late wife's Classic auto) were bought new with the Up Country suspension option. In addition to the heavier/taller springs, I'm pretty certain the Up Country option used better shocks. My wife's XJ is now at around 115,000 miles and still rides very nicely on the original, factory shocks. (The 5-speed has so few miles that it's not worth using it as an example.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 RUBY. Aye. Oh Ruuuuuby, don't take your love to town. Back on topic, I have some black Rubi shocks that are the same dimensions as the red ones on one of my XJs and they're fine. But there are some smaller black ones that look rather wimpy out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megadan Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 The best luck with shocks I have ever had that were non-factory have always been KYB. My OE Shocks (which were built by Mornoe) went bad on my Crown Vic after just 20,000 miles, so I Upgraded to KYB GAs-A-Just P71 shocks, and they lasted the next 6 years and 50,000 miles before I sold it, and they still rode just as good as the day I installed them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 Thanks for all of the responses . I guess the facts I can't get over is my factory original shocks lasted atleast 5 years with no issues ( they still rebounded when I swapped them out ) but these crap shocks are lucky to last a year or two ( completely stock drivetrain) . The shocks I removed had a plastic bellow and the whole shock was black and DIDNT have a Monroe P/N stamped on them iirc ,shouldn't that be what I recieve in the MOPAR boxes ? I mean I don't get a dayco / gates / Goodyear belt when I order a mopar belt . I know that there are parts that are outsourced and made for Chrysler but I'm feeling I should get the identical black shock and all , am I wrong ? I would gladly buy bilsteins / Ome , but this Xj is getting kind of rusty and it doesn't deserve the $400 shock treatment . I feel the originals would be a nice happy medium . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 The best luck with shocks I have ever had that were non-factory have always been KYB. My OE Shocks (which were built by Mornoe) went bad on my Crown Vic after just 20,000 miles, so I Upgraded to KYB GAs-A-Just P71 shocks, and they lasted the next 6 years and 50,000 miles before I sold it, and they still rode just as good as the day I installed them. KYBs are great shocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 KYBs are great shocks. My brother agrees with you. I don't. At my brother's suggestion, I put a set of KYB Gas-Adjusts on my '88 XJ when it first needed shocks. They were horrible. No control over large bumps and dips, yet extremely harse of small bumps and pavement cracks. I threw them away after less than three months and went to Monroe. More recently, the 2001 XJ I bought (used) for my daughter had KYBs on the front. No difference -- they were about the worst shocks you could imagine. I know KYBs seem to have a following, but IMHO they suck. If you can't afford OME, just buy Monroe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 KYBs are great shocks. My brother agrees with you. I don't. At my brother's suggestion, I put a set of KYB Gas-Adjusts on my '88 XJ when it first needed shocks. They were horrible. No control over large bumps and dips, yet extremely harse of small bumps and pavement cracks. I threw them away after less than three months and went to Monroe. More recently, the 2001 XJ I bought (used) for my daughter had KYBs on the front. No difference -- they were about the worst shocks you could imagine. I know KYBs seem to have a following, but IMHO they suck. If you can't afford OME, just buy Monroe. Maybe they've changed then since I used them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megadan Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 The Gas-A-Just shock valving is a bit harsh for some like you mentioned. I don't mind it personally. The GR-2's are a lot less harsh and are more OE ride quality. I currently have GR-2s on the front my Comanche and I love them. Not harsh at all. The Gas-A-Justs are intended for improved handling so they have much more aggressive shock valving with a monotube design intended for better on-road handling.Monroe shocks have always been crap in my experience. Outside of my crown vic experience, I've also had brand new Monroes with valve failures right out of the box. Currently I have Monroe load helpers on the back of my truck to give them a try, so far so good, but I am waiting for them to crap out. I kept the GR2 shocks I took off and stored them away just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 The Gas-A-Just shock valving is a bit harsh for some like you mentioned. I don't mind it personally. The GR-2's are a lot less harsh and are more OE ride quality. I currently have GR-2s on the front my Comanche and I love them. Not harsh at all. The Gas-A-Justs are intended for improved handling so they have much more aggressive shock valving with a monotube design intended for better on-road handling. Monroe shocks have always been crap in my experience. Outside of my crown vic experience, I've also had brand new Monroes with valve failures right out of the box. Currently I have Monroe load helpers on the back of my truck to give them a try, so far so good, but I am waiting for them to crap out. I kept the GR2 shocks I took off and stored them away just in case. Probably why I liked them. Cut my teeth on sporty cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 So what we've learned from this thread is that all shocks other than Bilstein and OME suck, it just depends on who you ask :D For the record I've had Monroe shocks (sensatrac front, load leveler rear) on mine since 2012 (about 10k miles) and I haven't been disappointed yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted March 11, 2016 Author Share Posted March 11, 2016 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big66440 Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Another vote for KYB "gas adjust" , I want my Comanche to handle like a Viper so I don't mind sacrificing ride quality :rotf: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Cut my teeth on sporty cars. So did I. That's why I hated the KYBs -- they did just the opposite of what a good shock should for for keeping the tires on the pavement at speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megadan Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 I always found them to do a great job, and exactly what they were supposed to do for a sporty car. Admittedly, I never had your complaint/issue with how the behaved, so who knows. I always loved them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjy_26 Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 There's a couple of different types of Monroes out there, too. The blue ones are just cheap, the yellow HD ones are a bit harsh, but the OE Spectrums are alright. Another not-too-expensive option is the Rancho RS5000. A bit soft, but comfortable. Oh, and I HATE Bilsteins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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