Jeep TeraFlex: New Falcon Shocks!

[TRD270]

 

[glockman]

Those are pretty!

 

[Greg]

And my written review...

So the very first thing we noticed was the new handling characteristics on the freeway... between the Nexus steering stabilizer and the Falcon shocks, the entire Jeep felt much more planted at freeway speeds. Hitting a big rolling bump on the freeway, which before would toss & rock the Jeep around, now made the Jeep react composed and stable. The suspension would compress and then decompress and the Jeep would recover with hardly any drama. Within the first 10 miles my wife in the passenger seat mentioned how different the Wrangler now rode. On I70, heading towards Moab in Utah the speed limit is 80 MPH... previously, my JK rode OK but at speeds over 72-73 (actual speed) the Jeep was a little 'wobbly'. Now with the Falcon shocks and Nexus stabilizer, the Jeep was absolutely planted at up to 85 MPH! Driving over bridges and expansion joints before would create a little wobble in the steering wheel and with the Nexus steering stabilizer, the steering wheel is totally firm.... it doesn't show any indication of upsetting the Jeep. We do a lot of on-road driving to get to destinations, from driving out to the Rubicon last Summer to our trip down to Baja and back, having a Jeep that handles well on the road is very important to me. I still need to put some longer road miles on, but I think long drives will be less stressful due to the way the JKU now drives. This is how a lifted Jeep should ride!

Offroad the result is similar, when you hit a big rock or drop off a ledge the suspension does it's thing and the Falcon shocks control the body sway and unwanted movement with little drama. The suspension reacts and the Falcons control the suspension better than any lesser shocks. You don't get that rocking & rolling that sometimes happens offroad. At a few different places in Moab, we were able to shift into 2 High and get some speed up and the control that the Falcons added to an already good suspension was now impressive... I could drive a lot faster than I should! :freak: It wasn't really warm out, but after a little high-speed driving the shocks seemed very liner with their performance. No changes after trying to get them heated up. I still need to do further high-speed driving to get a better feel for their performance at speed.

One of the things I love about the Nexus stabilizer is how it works with the stock (or upgraded) tie rod, but now is relocated above the axle centerline and behind the tie rod, out of harms way. I've destroyed 2 steering stabilizers in the last couple years in the stock location and feel like the raised Nexus will be very well protected. Also, combining the axle end mount of the Nexus stabilizer with the track bar mount/bolt is genius as well, great use of a big bolt hole!

To wrap it all up, I think the Falcon shocks and Nexus steering stabilizer are nothing short of damn impressive. I doubt there is a better JK shock & stabilizer out there, bolt a set on your JK/JKU and you'll instantly see the difference in how your Wrangler works on road and off.

 

[Bart]

Great video Greg. The shocks are impressive to say the least.

 

[Greg]

Great video Greg. The shocks are impressive to say the least.

Thanks Bart, I appreciate the compliment! I'd much rather be behind the camera, but I'm trying to get out in front.

They are truly impressive, I'm amazed at how much difference they made on my JKU.

 

[glockman]

Great video Greg. I have no experience with Jk's, but my Lj has all the squishy traits you mentioned with 9550's. Are the mounts different on Jk's or would these shocks fit a tj/lj.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[Greg]

Great video Greg. I have no experience with Jk's, but my Lj has all the squishy traits you mentioned with 9550's. Are the mounts different on Jk's or would these shocks fit a tj/lj.

Thanks Chad! I had fun making it... I finished bolting the shocks on that morning, drove to Moab and filmed, came home and edited & uploaded that night! Editing could have been better, but it's good enough.

I understand that TJ/LJ Falcons will be in the works soon, once they get all caught up with getting the JK Falcons out the door.... so you'll be able to bolt on the shock that's designed specifically for your Jeep!

 

[Greg]

So I'm up in Utah this week and stopped by TeraFlex HQ to visit... I was given a tour of the facilities and saw the hand-assembled production line where the Falcon's are being made.... I can assure you that these are built from the ground up in West Jordan, Utah by TeraFlex employees. From the CNC machines that are whittling parts from chunks of aluminum to the guys building each and every shock, these are NOT a re-badged Fox shock or anything else.

For those that are worried about back orders, I heard that they're tripling their assembly & production lines to catch up with demand and the CNC machines will be running night-shifts, too. The demand for the Falcon shocks exceeded expectations, but soon they should be caught up with their orders.

I also got to put my hands on the Falcon 3.3 Piggyback shock that Dennis beat the hell out of in his Anger Management video... it survived amazingly well! Still looks usable, from what I saw! :wtf:

 

[thenag]

So what makes these shocks "JK specific"? Is it just weight?

I feel that my 5500lb XJ is much closer to a JK than a TJ.

At some point I am going to get a Teraflex JK Dual Rate Swaybar for the XJ too.

Damn you Teraflex! why do you make such drool-worthy gear?!

Nathan

 

[Greg]

So what makes these shocks "JK specific"? Is it just weight?

I feel that my 5500lb XJ is much closer to a JK than a TJ.

At some point I am going to get a Teraflex JK Dual Rate Swaybar for the XJ too.

Damn you Teraflex! why do you make such drool-worthy gear?!

Nathan

IMO I think it's the combination of the suspension lift sizes on a JKU, plus the fitment (the rear anti-sway bar is very close to the shock, you couldn't run a 2.5" body shock without it hitting) and valving for coil springs, the shock mounts... and finally the weight of the vehicle. Everything about the Falcons says that they're engineered and build from the ground, up for a JK/JKU.

The way they're built and the how they work makes me think they'd be awesome on your XJ! You might have to do some things to make them work for you regarding the mounts, but I think you can handle that.

I just ordered a TeraFlex Dual Rate Anti-Swaybar for my JKU, can't wait to get it on!!

 

[Greg]

Looks like the Falcon Shocks 3 series Piggybacks for TJ's are ready for purchase!

Poor Joe...