Anyone have these

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/mambo2...=118&Itemid=37

Yikes! Those are really big and crazy looking.
I would suggest you move the lower shock mounting position up on the axle with the RK brackets, and then trim the bottom of the LCA mounts.
That would give you more ground clearance and save you from buying such a silly product.

Just carry a spare shock when you go wheeling in rocky areas.

You can't stop it from happening. Even if you relocate the shock higher you will simply find a larger rock to kill it on.

When moving the shock up doesn't that limit the travel of the shock then

I'm not in the habit of carrying spare shocks nor do I wish to start, not when a skidplate at the price of a shock can preclude the need to carry spares. Install once, no spares needed, more space for toys and tools.

Relocating shocks and trimming LCA mounts is not in my book either as I would like to retain as much of the stock suspension configuration as possible. Since I don't have the skills to do all the work, I'd have to pay someone hundreds of dollars to do that custom work and after all that, I just compromised the suspension design. No thanks.

I suppose there is a market for such silly products.

Mine have some rock rash on them from the last time I went through some rock strewn trails. Intuitively, I would say those rock rashes are a good thing, since they are on the skid. I feel better knowing that the skids are taking a beating instead of the factory mounts even if it may only be cosmetic damage. For the price of a shock, it is my preferred method.

it enables more down travel but restricts up travel. do not move your lower shock mounts up without afterwards checking your bumpstop distances so you're not bottoming out on your shocks.

Does kind of seem like bringing a Howitzer to a spitball fight. Co4Lo is right.

Now, having said that....mine is set up with said chopped and raised mounting brackets (as it should be). But the design of mine if the older Poly style mount without the plate under the shock eye.....and granted it is getting beat to shit in a big way. If I had to do it again I would make sure the skid portion protects the underneath of the shock eye like the newer Poly mounts.

meh.... don't really see the need for the skid or a spare shock. I've busted shocks on the trail and wheeled fine without them, then driven a hundred hwy miles to buy a replacement. that works for me. 'course now that I'm running Kings I guess I'd have to drive home and order parts online....

Being a street legal jeep, you drove on the highway with a missing/broken shock? I know it's doable, but safety is a bit of an issue, No? Not just for yourself but your passengers and other drivers. God forbid you have to make an emergency maneuver in that scenario.

Relocating seems like the best way for off-road purposes but is the most complex and expensive way to do it. To set it up properly, I believe you need to buy a properly sized shock for the new mounting location. This still doesn't protect your LCA mount which will get deformed over time, necessitating re-welding a new mount eventually (more $$$).

For less than a couple hundred dollars, I can solve or at least mitigate ALL of these problems. Yes, I'm defending my purchase of such a 'silly' product, but I think my reasoning is valid. The saving grace for these skids is the boxing and slide-ability of the LCA mount. Admittedly, this is where my Jeep is getting the most beatings. The rear shock portion of the skid is practically untouched...I'm just lucky to not have dropped on a big rock yet, I suppose.

i think there good if you dont feel comfortable cutting the oem mout for the poly one.

I got them, they have done me good so far

I have there prototypes on my jeep!!!!!!!!!!

I bought a set and killed one so they sold me there prototypes

Shocks don't do much...in the way of being a critical component. You just get the Caddy float without them. Of course, missing all four shocks would be an interesting ride, but one shock isn't a big deal, and it's usually the rear shocks that take the hit. I had a busted shock for a while on a stock JK 2-door and only noticed when I saw the fluid on the garage floor. It wasn't providing any dampening.

Isn't the production piece supposed to be as good or better than the prototype?
Why wouldn't they just replace it with a production piece? Isn't there some kind of warranty on it?

Shocks are for wimps that like a good ride. when i did the v8 swap in my yj i was missing a rear shock and wasent paying attention when i did the exhaust and ran it right where the shock was supposed to be, never did change it, ran it that way for a few years

I'm speechless.

Are you guys just putting on some kind of macho act or do you both really believe what you're saying? Being that most of our jeeps are street legal or at least driven on the street, emergency maneuvers (pretty critical in my book) are a possibility and also our responsibility to prepare for. Having a busted shock can adversely affect such maneuvers and affect not just your ignorant views but also the health of those around you.

It's really cut and dried. Shocks are an integral part of handling and just because you can do something doesn't make it smart to do so. You can screw hookers without a rubber for years without catching anything, but is it a smart thing to do? You can also jump without a reserve parachute, but just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Likewise, you can drive on the road for years with busted shocks and never have to make emergency maneuvers, but that ranks pretty high on the irresponsibility chart, especially for impressionable people that get on these forums to learn.

If you're driving trailer queens that's one thing...if you're sharing a public road with said jeeps, get your handling components fixed and stop extolling the non-existent virtues of driving with busted/missing shocks as if that is some proof of your machismo.

Think about it.

The parts that are really going to help you with those evasive maneuvers are the sway bars. Shocks only provide ride quality. Now, a baja truck with no shocks landing a 5ft jump wouldn't be pretty because the shocks are dampening the impact.

Shocks aren't a "load bearing" component. I'm not trying to be macho. I've provided some examples other than just saying "shocks aren't an integral part of handling." Please enlighten us with some detail to support your point.

Teach me how shocks are a critical component and how the vehicle will flip and roll without them. I could be wrong, it's happened before.

The intent of my first comment was really focused on getting the damaged vehicle home from the trail but you've turned that into consistantly driving without shocks. I'm cool with that though. Let's hear it.

I DD my Jeep 64 miles round trip every weekday at 70MPH on the highway and then over some of the crappiest roads you've seen, and wheel it hard about 2 weekends a month. I've broken rear shocks twice, and both times it was operator error (trying to bump forward over an obstacle while forgetting to shift from reverse to drive).

The first time I broke a rear shock I drove it for over a week until I got a replacement. Really didn't notice it was missing. The second time it was on the first trail of the first day of a 4-day wheeling trip and I continued to wheel for two days and drive over 100 miles on the highway between locations, again with little noticeable difference in handling.

If I was going to do something to try and protect the shock I would move them up 2 inches as suggested above, possibly getting new shocks to match the change in compressed length. I believe Poly Performance sells brackets to do this, but you could easily do the same on your own if you have a welder and some experience (or know someone who does).

I have boxed-in the mounts with 1/4" steel plate so they don't bend when I drop them onto or drag them across rocks. If it weren't for my unintended high-speed reverse maneuvers, I would never have broke either shock, even in the stock position.

Yeh you might get a floaty feeling in the body but what you also get is a tyre which provides negligible traction because it is bouncing so much.

Yup, that's certainly a factor. I didn't account for that.

Being a reasonable person, I would never suggest that a vehicle be driven without four shocks on purpose for the life of the vehicle. Being the same reasonable person, I understand that driving a Jeep with a missing shock until the dealer or your favorite supplier gets a shock in isn't going to kill every innocent sedan driver on the road.

They sold them to me REAL CHEAP and they matched my real ones exactly. They said that the holes "may be" off just alittle bit and that they were just sitting on the shelf wasting away. That was 3 years ago and well worth the price. I'm running fox shocks that are alot of money in themselves.

I had those on my JK for about a year. Kind of goofy looking, but they do protect the shocks well. They add a lot of unsprung weight and tend to trap dirt & muck. I took them back off and have had no issues with shock damage, etc. I might put them back on for something like the Rubicon or Mt Blanca, but would not run them again full time.