Ride is super stiff

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808inthe949

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Hey everyone,
I have an 05 3.7 4x4 and my suspension is feeling really stiff. I have OME 927 heavy duty springs with bilstein 4600 shocks, JBA UCA's, teraflex bumpstops, and mood sway bar links +bushings. The rear is OME heavy duty springs with bilstein 5100 shocks, hockey puck bump stops, and extended brake line bracket. I have full clearance with my wheels and no coil contact. Every bump is felt through the cabin and going over speed bumps or potholes feels like the springs are too stiff or maybe the shocks. There's also what seems like spring binding noise but im not sure as im listening from within the cabin. I have a custom plate bumper up front (weighs ~60lbs) and no winch. No rooftop cargo, but i do carry about 200-250lbs of tools all the time.
My rear boomerang shaped UCA got replaced about a year after the lift was done (lift was done back in late 2021) and I checked today while doing my oil change and both bushings are torn. Which explains the sound i hear and jolting i feel when trying to tow anything.
Do I need an aftermarket UCA in the rear?
Is the OME 927 and 4600 combo too stiff for the front and ome 948 (i think rhats the heavy one) 5100 combo too stiff for the rear?
From what ive read on here it seems like the 4600 and OME combo is popular (or at least common).
 

duderz7

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I'm running nearly the same setup and I don't feel it's too stiff. How long have you had the new setup? Maybe it needs to settle in a bit. Were the suspension components tightened after Jeep was back on its own weight. Having torn bushing on uca will definitely be felt. I'm running the Iron Rock upper control arm in the rear and have been very happy with it.
 

808inthe949

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Thanks for the reply. Odd that my setup feels super stiff and yours doesn't. I've had the lift installed for over 3 years. I thiught the same thing after the install, that it was going to need some time to settle. Could my top plate (the plate that holds the spring on the strut) be tightened too much? Is spring binding a common thing? My alignment is solid still and no odd tire wear or pulling to either side while driving.
I saw that rear UCA (i think its the adjustable on) but I wasn't sure if it was necessary.
 

u2slow

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Torn boomerang bushings is common with lift. Too much angulation on them. I went with JBA's tri-link extension to get it back to level. If I'd had more time to d!cker around I would have built my own version instead of buying.
 

JMichael2006

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The yhing to remember with any suspension work is tighten the bolts with the full weight on the suspension. If you tighten while unloaded the bushings will be in a loaded condition when sitting static, which will cause them to fail quickly. The lift will also put the rear K member in a bind at ride height because of the twist from the lift. The OE K member is designed for stock height without releaf for the angles. The JBA or Ironrock replacement account for the angles better.
 

mercdudecbr600

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IMO, you have too stiff of springs (in the rear). But also, Bilstein shocks are very stiff with few reasons to call them a compliant ride. I have OME CRD's in front (winch) with OME soft in the rear. Even so, I gained just about 3" in the rear. But, they feel great on the backside. My fronts are maybe 50lbs/inch too stiff and remind me of that fact every time I hit a bump.
 

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