Rough Country N2.0 (ORA +4") Shock length

All shocks have valves. It's the valves that does the magic for a shocks, and differs one shock from another.

The reason why I would prefer other shocks than the ones I have no, is because the Rough Country N2.0 is valved for a very different vehicle, probably some US pick-up truck, And with no possibilty of revalving it to my needs.

This is also why Trailmaster shocks for the Jimny are much more interesting, as they are valved specifically for the Jimny, but still not possible to revalve, like if you want to use the for racing and such.

You can read a lot more about valving here:
www.crawlpedia.com/shock_valving.htm
www.crawlpedia.com/shock_tuning.htm

The Bilstein Shocks I'm looking at can all be revalved to match my exact needs. But only the 7100 series can be revalved by the end-user. The 5125 and 5165 shocks needs to send to Bilstein for revalving.

yea id love to get a set of those 5165, i have tough dog shocks and there rough as guts and dont offer to much length when fully extended....... but yea so the valving is all to do with ride height dampening and compression?

Valving is based on weight of vehicle and use, has nothing to do with height or travel. A 8" shock can easily have the same valving as a 12" shock.

For high speed racing, like Baja 1000, King of the Hammers and such,most run with pretty expensive shocks that not only are valved very stiff, but also can deal with the heat that builds up.

For slow rockcrawling, you can do with perhaps a bit cheaper shock with a softer valving, because the piston travels much slower, perhaps without reservoir, because heat does not build up as much.

Suspension is a bit of science to set up 100% properly, and I only understand a tiny fracture of it. And also that's why a good correctly valved shock costs lots more than the generic OME, Tough Dog, Trailmaster, Rough Country etc.

yea that's it, so the remote resivour is more for high travel shocks and to reduce heat in the shock for 'racing'.. but would also handle for a daily ride..... i might just swing them an email and see what size and valving they recommend......

reservoir is not only for long travel shocks. You can get 6" shocks with reservoir

Note that the 5125 and 5165 shock will have to be sent to Bilstein for revalving. The 7100 series can be revalved on your own, and valve-stacks are pretty cheap. The 7100 reservoir shock is about the same price as the 6165. Trouble is, the 7100 shock only comes with top eye-mount, so you'll need a stem adapter. This makes the shock a bit longer. So might be a good idea to look at the short-body version of the 7100 shock.

But then with a 7100 with reservoir you'll have issues getting room for the hose, because of the little space there is around the front shock on the Jimny.

This is why the 5165 is interesting. There are a few models with stem top-mount, and the hose is fitted with a swivel banjo, making it easier to fit in a narrow place. But I think the valving of the 5165 with stem mount are too stiff for everyday use in the Jimny.

yea it would be tight fitting a res in the front guards....ill just wait and see what Bilstein say about the jim....