To get a basic idea of how a shock works, imagine driving down a road where there are speed bumps. If the car simply has springs, but no shocks, and goes over the speed bump, the springs will continue to move back and forth until they get rid of all the power they gained when they compressed. This will cause the car to sway and bounce, once it has gone over the speed bump.

Now, think of a vehicle that has springs as well as shocks going across the speed hump. The springs would still take in the hump, however, the difference between the two scenarios is that those shock absorbers would absorb the movement of the springs, changing the energy produced into heat and will stop the vehicle’s swaying.

The way the shock works is that it makes use of two valves which increases the effectiveness of it. One of the valves is connected to a piston rod, which is connected to a piston. This piston sits in a tube filled with hydraulic oil. When the car wheel hits a bump in the road, this causes the spring to coil and uncoil. The energy of the spring is transferred to the shock absorber through the upper mount, down through the piston rod and into the piston.

Fluids leak through small holes in the piston as it moves down and up in the tube. As these holes are quite small, a little bit of fluid which is under great pressure due to the movement of the piston, passes through. It then slows the piston and this slows the spring. This process allows the dampening of shock by the spring’s movement to enter the shock absorbers.

All modern shocks are speed sensitive, meaning that the faster the suspension moves, the more resistance the shock absorber provides. This allows shocks to adjust to the conditions of the road and to inhibit all of the dangerous actions that take place in a vehicle, like swaying from side to side and creating problems when braking.

The condition of your shock absorbers should be checked when you start losing control of the vehicle upon braking and trying to enter corners. You will also feel the unevenness when you travel on uneven road surfaces or go over bumps in the road.

The largest online selection of Rancho RS5000 shocks is available at MY4BY OFF ROAD. Rancho RS5128 is a popular choice for Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, and Wrangler applications.

For information on Car Shipping visit MetroGistics.

A suspension lift raises the vehicle’s frame (chassis) away from the ground. This is accomplished with taller springs, lift blocks, spring spacers, lowering the differential, turning up the torsion bars, or any combination thereof.

A body lift raises the vehicle by lifting the body away from the frame with spacers. This keeps the frame at its existing distance from the ground.

A suspension lift is recommended for anyone planning to use their vehicle off-road while a body lift is recommended for anyone that wants to make their vehicle look lifted without the real desire of ever driving off-road. Is this to say a body lifted vehicle can’t go off-road? No. It’s perfectly capable of going off-road. It just won’t perform as well as a suspension lifted vehicle because it hasn’t gained any ground clearance.

Suspension lifts typically range between 2-inches to 6-inches (though there are some companies that produce “extreme” kits in excess of this), while body lifts range between 1-inch to 3-inches.

Suspension lifts are more complicated than body lifts because they alter the suspension components that give the vehicle its factory ride characteristics. Taller springs are typically stiffer than factory springs so the vehicle will have a harsher ride quality than with original equipment factory engineered springs. Longer shock absorbers will be needed. The vehicle will also have a higher center of gravity because the entire weight of the vehicle (everything except the axles) will now be raised further from the ground. Depending on the vehicle, the transfer case may need to be lowered and the rear differential repositioned to minimize driveline vibrations. This is especially true for short wheelbase vehicles such as Jeeps because of their short rear driveline that isn’t readily accepting to increased u-joint angles.

Pros: Increases ground clearance, increased approach and departure angles, allows fitment of larger tires.

Cons: Expensive, longer installation time, increased driveline angles (more susceptible to vibrations), brake lines need to be re-routed or lengthened, longer shocks needed, increased center of gravity.

A body lift is relatively simple in that it primarily consists of a set of spacers that are inserted at the mounting points between the frame and body of the vehicle. This leaves all the heavy parts of the vehicle (frame, engine, transmission, transfer case, etc) at their factory locations so the vehicle’s center of gravity (though increased) will not be increased as much as a suspension lift.

Pros: Cheap, can be installed quickly with basic hand tools, allows installation of larger tires, simple (all components come in a container about the size of a shoe box).

Cons: Appearance (a gap between the body tub and the frame will now be visible), extra leverage is placed on the mounting points (this is especially true for higher lifts), no increase in ground clearance.

Ultimately, the only benefit of a body lift is that it allows for the installation of larger tires. On the other hand, a suspension lift is designed for improved performance off-road (and conveniently allows the installation of larger tires). If cost is a factor and you’re on a budget but want to make your Jeep, truck, or SUV look like an aggressive off-roader with no real intentions of ever going off-road, then a body lift would be adequate for you. However, if cost isn’t a factor and you’re looking to make your Jeep, truck, or SUV more off-road capable and trail ready, then a suspension lift should be your first choice.

Body lift kits are a popular choice for people new to the sport of off-roading. Their ease of installation make them great beginner projects for anyone just starting to get into off-roading and can be used in conjunction with a suspension lift should you decide to move up to something bigger in the future.

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