Lunes Off-Road

06/16/2026

TECH TUESDAY

“Your shocks may not be why your Jeep rides the way it does.”

Most people compare:

• Shock brands
• Lift height
• Spring color
• Instagram opinions

Almost nobody compares:

• Bushing design
• Joint technology
• Joint resistance
• Misalignment capability

Here’s the hard truth:

A suspension can have premium shocks, quality coils, and perfect alignment numbers…

…and still ride poorly if the control arm joints are fighting suspension movement.

Every bushing is a compromise.

OE Rubber:
✔ Excellent ride quality
✔ Low maintenance
✘ Limited articulation

Flex Joints:
✔ Increased articulation
✔ More freedom of movement
✘ Increased maintenance

Heim Joints:
✔ Maximum movement
✔ Precise control
✘ Noise, wear, and maintenance

No joint is “best.”

Every design trades something for something else.

And before the comments start…

Yes, shocks matter.

Yes, springs matter.

A lot.

Ride quality is a combination of:

• Spring rate
• Shock tuning
• Control arm geometry
• Track bar geometry
• Joint design
• Tire pressure

But a suspension joint can only move as freely as its design allows.

Articulation isn’t just travel.

It’s resistance.

06/15/2026

New product arrived in our hands. Metalcloak HD cast iron knuckles for JL & JT. Initial thoughts are good. I like em.

06/15/2026

Most people blame ride height.

That’s usually not the problem.

A vehicle can sit 3”, 4”, or even 6” taller and still ride well when the suspension system was engineered around proper geometry, quality springs, quality shocks, adequate travel, and alignment correction.

The problem is that too many lift kits are designed around achieving a height measurement instead of improving suspension performance.

The result?

• Harsh ride quality
• Poor handling
• Excessive tire wear
• Reduced suspension travel
• Alignment compromises

Bigger height numbers on the box don’t automatically mean a better suspension system.

06/13/2026

Toyota enthusiast Kai aka YT Tinkerer’s Adventure put together a pretty thorough video on the different lockers. Good watch.

Save 50% off onX with code MemDay50 till June 9! ://geni.us/onXOffRoadDeep investigation for this age old air vs e-locker debate, and I...

06/13/2026

I am not the biggest fan of this channel because I disagree with enough of his opinions BUT this particularly is generally a good video with another Jeep shop owner. In this video, I don’t agree with everything said. Overall, there is a lot of good information.

We’re here to help educate and share our opinion too. If you have questions, ask. We put A LOT of time with products on our own Jeeps as well as yours. We are enthusiasts too. We see a lot of different setups. We touch three Jeeps a day at minimum. It’s not crazy to believe we see 750 or more Jeeps and trucks a year. We love sharing some of the knowledge.

They cover in this video:
• Oil cooler / oil filter housing failures (and the aluminum fix)
• Rocker arm & camshaft ticking
• Coolant reservoir cracks
• Rear differential spider gear pitting & bearing noise
• Ball joints and Death Wobble prevention
• Thermostat housing & water pump
• FAD (Front Axle Disconnect) failures
• Auxiliary battery issues & the delete option
• Maintenance
• Serpentine belt & tensioner
• Frame crack inspection points
• Full suspension & steering checkup

TrailRecon, thank you for putting out a good informative video.

Your Jeep is past 100,000 miles, now what?Jerry and I go through ...

06/12/2026

If a product needs twenty influencers to explain why it’s good, it probably isn’t. The loudest opinions usually come from the least experienced people. Don’t buy in to the marketing of a subpar product.

06/11/2026

We are excited to see them back!

We are also happy to announce that as of TODAY; we are now a DIRECT FROM THE MANUFACTURER DEALER for Poison Spyder. We sell and install their products. Fenders, bumpers, sliders, etc.

Great products, trail tough, and products I personally have run in my past/current Jeeps. Glad to see their return!

Give us a holler if you're looking at Poison Spyder for your future Jeep needs. Products shipping out as early as July 2026.

Poison Spyder is officially back! If you’ve been around Jeeps long enough, you know what that means. For years, our armor, fenders, and bumpers have shown up on rigs that actually got wheeled. These were the ones taking the harder lines, the ones covered in rock dust, the ones that always ended up...

06/11/2026

Great demonstration of steering and DW inspection. Exactly how we do it at our shop.

06/09/2026

Which sensor has cost you the most headache?

* Wheel speed sensor
* ABS module
* Steering angle sensor
* TIPM
* Cylinder Misfire
* EVAP leak
* Thermostat Irrational