[qnyla]

Anybody running the Teraflex-tuned Elka shocks?

| TeraFlex Suspensions

I am wondering how they compare to the Teraflex-tuned Fox shocks?

| TeraFlex Suspensions


Most of the comments I have read about them indicate better on-road ride with almost as good high-speed off-road performance as the Fox shocks. Anybody have experience with Elka? I know the Fox shocks are awesome at speed in the desert, but I am a bit worried the Fox shocks will be a tad too-stiff on-road on a 2013 JKUR with a 3" Teraflex lift.

I know the Fox shocks are rebuildable, not sure about the Elka shocks.

 

[kjeeper10]

Our Teraflex rep on here runs the Elka's. says they are a better shock.
Iirc, they are a softer shock as well.

 

[qnyla]

Our Teraflex rep on here runs the Elka's. says they are a better shock.
Iirc, they are a softer shock as well.

Thanks, that is the info I have as well. Just looking for a wider perspective before pulling the trigger since they are so expensive.

 

[HK_Runner]

Your Fox shocks were softer than the 5100s, right?

 

[HK_Runner]

And yeah, I have no experience with either but if the Elkas are softer on road, I'd be running those over the Fox shocks.

 

[kjeeper10]

Your Fox shocks were softer than the 5100s, right?

Me ? Yes
Out of all of the shocks I ran. The 5100's were the harshest. Just could not get used to them.

 

[HK_Runner]

Well, it's a damn good thing you didn't get my RRD shocks. They were dumbfounding. I will post up on Monday afternoon then. I have used these 5100s for a while, and the new ones should be an easy comparison.

 

[jrussblues]

It depends on the use...fox if you plan on beating it and elka if you plan on streeting it. Both are good choices. If I was going to be streeting it I would run the 9550's though. Relatively cheap and have a great ride on road.

 

[HK_Runner]

Strange why some of these leading companies only focus on this desert pre-running use. I realize it may be their background but 99% of JKs will see the street and maybe the trails. Why stiffen it up so much? Why not make a more compliant shock and work the low and high speed compression to accommodate off-road drops (mainly where the shock needs to stiffen up)? I guess 4-door Wranglers just handle stiffer shocks so much better than 2-door Wranglers and there are many more 4-door JKs around.

 

[kjeeper10]

I never understood ...... Well, ill make this easy. The "Beat or street" comments.
Most of us have to street... before we beat
4-5 drive on road with stiff as f*** shocks, and one will hate life. Shocks need to be more valved for street unless the jeep is 100% off road and/or a trailer rig.

And yes ..... 4 doors can get away with a stiffer shock. The Bilsteins for example. So many 2 door owners I see complain, whereas the 4 door folks don't as much.

 

[jrussblues]

I never understood ...... Well, ill make this easy. The "Beat or street" comments.
Most of us have to street... before we beat
4-5 drive on road with stiff as f*** shocks, and one will hate life. Shocks need to be more valved for street unless the jeep is 100% off road and/or a trailer rig.

And yes ..... 4 doors can get away with a stiffer shock. The Bilsteins for example. So many 2 door owners I see complain, whereas the 4 door folks don't as much.

Ill further explain.
There are many Jeepers that build their jeeps and never take them off road. That will be someone that is strictly streeting their vehicle, which is fine...it's their jeep and their hobby, for those guys I would recommend a softer shock.
For those who will be taking them off road...beating, I would recommend a slightly more firm (not stiff) shock, like the fox. They provide a great smooth ride on road but also handle better offroad and at higher speeds on beat up dirt roads. That way, even if you're on road 99% of the time and you do take it out from time to time you can still get a great balance of performance for both uses. They are also less likely to overheat and fade.
For someone that is only going to be doing light offloading or over landing, the Elka may be a better choice.
There are a lot of options out there, but much like the other guys have said, I wouldn't run 5100's on my 2 door. They are great on my other jeeps but I have not been impressed with the jk ride.
I run fox on mine based on my conversations with the guys from teraflex and my experience with customer rigs. Mine is built to be beaten on. I ran 9550's for a little while, which were great on road, and for very low speed offloading, but did not do as well with rougher stuff.

 

[TeraFlex]

My Elka's got a pretty good workout this weekend. Did a quick run to the rocks and the road leading to the rocks had a lot of pot holes and was out's and even the rocky trail had a few areas where I could get some speed. There were a few times where having something a little more aggressively valved like our fox shocks would have been nice but I can't complain about my Elka's one bit. It handled being flogged quite well and I never felt like I was not in control of the Jeep.

When I had my Shop out east I didn't push remote reservoir shocks much because there was little room to get good speed out there and utilize them. But out here in the west I will be adding some to my wife's JK when she moves out in a few weeks.

Remember guys dual reservoir shocks are sexy, I agree, but really they come into use in high speed applications. A monotube shock will more than perform in street driving and normal rock crawling, mudding or expedition driving. If you get to run wash board roads, fire roads and rocky river beds quickly then I'd suggest looking into the remote reservoir shocks. Our Fox shocks were specifically designed with prerunning in mind. Our Elka's were designed more as a dual sport shock.Hope this helps.

 

[TeraFlex]

Strange why some of these leading companies only focus on this desert pre-running use. I realize it may be their background but 99% of JKs will see the street and maybe the trails. Why stiffen it up so much? Why not make a more compliant shock and work the low and high speed compression to accommodate off-road drops (mainly where the shock needs to stiffen up)? I guess 4-door Wranglers just handle stiffer shocks so much better than 2-door Wranglers and there are many more 4-door JKs around.

The Fox shocks were designed for prerunning and the Elka's are more of a dual sport shock that rides great on the street. Unfortunately to get the rebound stiffness that you need to run fast over bumps. :thumb:

 

[HK_Runner]

So how do the Elkas compare to the Bilsteins 5100s? Since the 5100s are so common, I figured you may know.

 

[TeraFlex]

My wife runs the 5100's I find them very firm, firmer than the Elka's for sure.

 

[mmatheson85]

i have the 6 inch lcg from teraflex with the elca shocks. im not too rough with my rig but every time before a drive i move the little bumpers on the shock all the way up to see how much they are moving and 9 out of ten times they are all the way at the bottom. i do have to steal bumpers and a roof rack on my jeep. the ride is nice but i do believe that they (teraflex) did not tune the elca's for that much weight in mind

 

[HK_Runner]

i have the 6 inch lcg from teraflex with the elca shocks. im not too rough with my rig but every time before a drive i move the little bumpers on the shock all the way up to see how much they are moving and 9 out of ten times they are all the way at the bottom. i do have to steal bumpers and a roof rack on my jeep. the ride is nice but i do believe that they (teraflex) did not tune the elca's for that much weight in mind

Do you have 2-door or a 4-door? Winch? Steel line? Rear tire carrier? Sliders? Armor?