Folks complain that the ride of my 2002 Grand Cherokee Limited is too "bouncy". Anyone know if there's a reasonable way to "stiffen" the ride of my WJ? New shocks maybe? Thanks!
1) You can replace your shocks, because bouncy rides usually mean that ur shocks need to be replaced given that yours is a 2002 than you have some good miles on it and the OEM shocks are complete garbage. for this I highly recommend bilstein.
2) you can get some lowering springs that will drop the ride by an inch and also add the new shocks then your ride will be real stiff and just the stance overall looks so much better.
- My honest opinion is go with the bilstein shocks, and if the ride is still too bouncy then lower it by an inch with some good set of lowering springs ... that should help
Look up addco sway bars they are said to really improve the handling and stop the sway side to side when going over a bump. Like when you pull into a gas station or your driveway on a angle. This is the motion most people complain about in SUVs. There is a write up about these on www.wjjeeps.com/swaybars
Shocks go a long way, I too would recommend Bilstein.
Beyond that, I'd look into at minimum a used set of low mileage coils (preferably Upcountry), if not a combination of Eibach springs + coil spacers to bring the height back to factory levels so as to not upset the drivetrain/suspension geometry.
Went with the 5100 Bilsteins and Addco rear swaybar on my 2000 Upcountry WJ Laredo. Whole new ride. Also gonna check all my bushings for wear now that I'm at 130K. EnergySuspension will be the place for replacements.
Shocks and Sway Bars will do the trick. For shocks, a popular choice is the Bilsteins and for sways Addco is another popular choice. I have the rear sway bar w/ Energy bushings and it really stiffens it up nicely. Im sure the combo of the front and rear stiffens it a lot. Theres also Eibachs if your looking into the sway bar route. But shocks will really help.
I went into summit and bought the Addco front & rear sway bars. I asked about bilstein shocks and they do sell them. The parts rep looked into his book and pulled up the bilstein shock part numbers for my year WJ. They weren't 5100's like most of you had tho. He called some other place and said the 5100's are for lifted jeeps only not for stock WJs. I passed on the other models just to be sure this is correct before I purchase. Should I go with what summit has or look for the 5100s elsewhere? http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BSN-F4BE52964H0/
HI there...I have posted here before fie a bobbling noise in rear. Never completely went away.
I would love any and sell suggestions.
Woman here who loves her 2002 wj RWD. Have an excellent mechanic, but he can not find this issue, 2 fold.
Here are the parts replaced in the past year.
Front and rear sway bar links with poly bushings
Front steering stableizer
All 4 coil springs with factory Chrysler parts
Rear sway bar went up to 1 inch Addco
4 new shocks Roth is n past 2 years Monroe heavy duty truck.
I have a factory tow hitch .
The entire suspension has almost been replaced.
I have a side to side motion when going over a less then smooth roads. It's like there is no integrity to the ride in rear. There is a dropping sound and feel in the tires going over a bump. Like a washing machine ride.
This is a find the issue or going to get rid of it. It use to drive great.
Never been wrecked!
Thanks boys
You should find a good mechanic that can diagnose a problem before he starts throwing parts and your money at it. He hasn't even isolated the problem to determine if it's the front or rear causing your problem. Either your Jeep was worn slap out or he's just throwing parts all over the place and wasting your money. How many miles are on your Jeep? Has all this parts chasing made any difference at all?
Hi guy?Just to be really, really clear. My brother who has had several jeeps has advised me on many of these parts. But truth is NO ONE can find the problem be it the bobbling noise or the side to side. Both are soooooo irritating. And answer to your question No, No, and No. None of the parts have helped one bit!
I can tell you this...last year ear my bother put those rubber chocks between
Coils and I loved the firm ride.
But seriously ....if I can't figure it out in 6 months . I'm selling
I'll throw my 2 cents in here as well since I've owned a couple of WJ's.
Everything posted above is good advice. What I've discovered is that if you have the Up Country Suspension (UCS) package then you really need to pay attention to the replacement shocks you choose. You can really kill the ride quality and/or experience the symptoms described above with the wrong shock. Not all HD shocks work well with UCS. The Bilstein 5100 series are excellent with UCS, so I'd recommend them as well.
Hey Bones!
I don't believe I have up country.? Just a 2002 2wd LaredoSport with factory hitch.
I must say this...I really enjoy this jeep and have taken very good care inside and out. I drive respectively. Not hard on my vehicles . This is my 4th jeep!
Luv-um
But these issues are getting very expensive. I feel like I'm chasing a ghost.
Thanks for your 2 cents...worth lots more
Indeed the upper A-arm ball joint and the A-arm bushings are known to wear out and cause a sloppy feeling.
In fact, all the suspension bushings should be checked for wear. Also the track bar bushings cause a very sloppy feeling in the steering when worn.
Ok... At 175k miles there would be a list of things to replace simply because of age and mileage. In the last 60k miles I have replaced the following on my '04.
- Bilstein 4700 shocks (replaced at 85k miles and improved handling)
- Lower control arms (125k miles)
- Upcountry spring upgrade with new isolators (125k miles)
Parts waiting to install to complete the transformation:
- Rear upper a-arm bushings (go with Mopar and install properly)
- Upper ball joint on top of rear axle
Each repair has improved handling but trying to isolate to one part or another has not worked for me. I suspect between the lower control arms and the rear upper a arm bushings/ball joint you would find improvement.
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