Falcon Shocks SP2 3.3 Video Review-Jeep JL

Let's take a deep dive into Falcons' SP2 3.3 Adjustable Shocks for the Jeep JL(U). We'll share first hand our thoughts on ride and performance both on and off-road. We will also share an interview with Dennis Wood on how the Falcon shocks came to be.
#teraflex #jeeps #jeeplife #jeep #jeep4x4 #jeeprubicon #jeepsuv #jeepwrangler #jeepwranglerjl #jeepwrangler2023 #jeepmodified #wranglerjl #outdoortravel #jeepjl

[@williamh6547]

Best review ever 👍👍thanks for the in depth overview. Nice jeep 😎😎

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Thanks William! Appreciate your comment✌🏻

[@13bellhop]

great review and also the first ive seen someone explain the adjustable sp2 mode

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hey Bellhop, great hearing from you. Appreciate your comments✌🏻

[@Quelm1]

These shocks are fantabulous!! I don’t own em yet but I will soon enough hopefully gotta have em to match my steering stabilizer. On-site testing on another lvl shows the dedication. These guys are passionate and they put their name on it literally. Knowing who built em. Bravo! And thank you for an awesome shock.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi Quelm! We love the Falcons...amazing shocks. Sounds like you're already running the Falcon Nexus Steering Stabilizer, another great product.

[@denniswood5554]

Dang those shocks look awesome...I think I'll get a set 😁😁 great video

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

HaHa, appreciate you Brother✌🏻

[@XHover]

Great review!! One of the best I’ve seen on shocks! On the Metalclock did you have to get a new front driveshaft?

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi! I'm still running my stock front driveshaft. This is something that I will be doing soon. I've wheeled Rubi quite a bit (full articulation) and the stock driveshaft is still holding up (no grease slinging from the rubber boot which is the sign it's going out). Good hearing from you✌🏻

[@JeepinBailey]

Great vid and content Steven! 👍🏼

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Thanks, really appreciate that✌🏻

[@kurtjensen7930]

Good info!!! Well covered

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Thanks Kurt, great hearing from you!

[@ixibladeixi2639]

Nice video. Great company. For now, I'll stick with Fox adjustable 3.0 for my 392XR. Jush wish it has a bronze gold finished to it for 392.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Thanks BLADE! Enjoy that 392XR Brother✌🏻

[@pauld4930]

Did you have to install the Metalcloak Outboard Shock Bracket up front? Awesome build btw. I have the 3.5” Gamechanger on my ‘21 JLUR and my Falcon Piggybacks just arrived, but wasn’t sure if the Outboard Bracket was necessary as Metalcloak recommends. Much thanks and great video

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Thanks Paul! With the offset already built into the Falcon shocks, I did not need the offset brackets.

[@herbdeets6930]

Have an 08 4drjku just wondering if you needed the shock relocation bracket from Metalcloak for the 3.5” game changer lift mine is on the way and wondering if I need that piece thanks for your great info in this video. Oh I see there called the outboard shock mount

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi Herb, great hearing from you. Yes, on the JK, run the outboard shock mounts which will keep the shock body from contacting the frame under full flex/articulation. You are going to love the 3.5" MC Changer lift. Are you going to run the Falcons as well?

[@herbdeets6930]

Yes I had already ordered them before I saw your video and some others really solidified my choice thanks so much for your reply!!!

[@davephelps8271]

Great video. Two questions though. 1. I see you have Fox bump stops so what's your opinion on the shocks during high speed dirt road driving? 2. Have the bump stops caused any negative effects while driving on the street? Thanks!

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Thanks Dave! A couple of thoughts as I answer your questions. 1) If i'm going fast offroad, I'd select a firmer setting...high 2's or even 3's on the shocks depending on terrain. The increased firmness would slow bottoming and then the Fox bump stop can handle the end of up travel. The Fox 2.0 's have been great slowing the axle. The effect is a nice controlled absorption of the impact, something you can actually feel. 2) No negative effects form the Fox 2.0's, only positives. They are expensive, but they quietly do their job and give me peace of mind on rough terrain. On the street, they rarely come into play so you don't even know they are their.

[@davephelps8271]

Thank you! Time to order then.

[@jjwiggs28]

Added 35" Nitto Recons to my JKUR, now I need shocks and lift. Looking at these 3.3 Falcons and a Clayton 2.5" lift for my next Moab trip... Time to save!

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Sounds like your build is coming along nicely. I think you'll love the Falcon 3.3's Jayson.

[@tyronevalentino8475]

Jayson did you ever get the lift and the Shocks? How did the build turn out if so?

[@alsulaiti]

What are those amazing looking red wheels? Those concave deep wheels look so great

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi, good hearing from you! The red wheels are Fuel Offroad Covert Beadlocks, 17x9.

[@networkguy3152]

Been looking at these. Would you recommend them for a daily driver/overland build? Going from fully loaded down with gear, wife, kids and all our camping stuff is quite a difference from driving to work empty on Monday morning. Just wondering if the adjustments would help with the large weight difference.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

I would recommend them. They have been great on my build. They offer a good range of adjustability so they adapt well from fully loaded overland to light(er) weight daily driver. One performance aspect of the SP2's I really like is their ability to quickly arrest body motion. As I covered in the video, I run them on soft/cold setting at the bottom of the shock. What shock are you running now?

[@networkguy3152]

@@ExpeditionBuilds stock. Just picked up a 21 rubicon JLU and I am planning my build. I think I will pile everything else on and then decide on what I need for a lift since I plan on only running 35s. Still trying to decide if I want to build a off-road teardrop or throw a rooftop tent on it. I would be fine with the tent but I’m sure the wife would prefer the teardrop.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

@@networkguy3152 Congrats on your new 2021...very exciting! Are you thinking 2.5" lift for the 35's?

[@networkguy3152]

@@ExpeditionBuildsYes. I don’t really want to go higher than that with 35s for what I need it for.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

@@networkguy3152 I think that will be perfect for 35's. Extra ground clearance and I think the proportions work better with 35's.

[@brandonsharpe4053]

Great video man, I’m from Chicago too. I have a 2020 rubicon jlu. I have the Teraflex ST3 3.5 in lift but I went with the 9550 mono tube shocks. I should’ve gotten these. They cost 2 grand though.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hey Brandon, always good hearing from a fellow Jeeper from Chicago✌🏻 The SP2's are great, maybe you upgrade to them at some point?

[@brandonsharpe4053]

@@ExpeditionBuilds that’s the objective, I’ve been looking but they all are about 2 grand man lol

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

@@brandonsharpe4053 I hear ya', no small thing. There's a chance I may be switching to the new Falcon Coil Over in the future. If that happens, my current SP2's would be for sale. Keep in touch Brother.

[@brandonsharpe4053]

@@ExpeditionBuilds I definitely will, are you on any social media?

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

@@brandonsharpe4053 Yes, on InstaGram and Facebook as well.

[@KevinGarcia-nc9ff]

just ordered these for my 21 eco diesel gladiator. my question is I plan on going with a currie Anti-Rock but I'm worried about body roll on highway do you think if I run them on the stiffest setting it would help with that?

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi Kevin. Running them on the stiff(er) setting s will definitely help with the body roll that comes with the Anti-Rock. Post back what you find, I'd love to learn from your experience. Good hearing from you!

[@williamstephens3351]

Hi Kevin. I’m running the Rock Jock 4” prints and the front and rear AntiRock on my 2008 JK. Since JK upper shock mount is inboard of the frame rail it has less dampening due to the angle. I originally had the Stealth shocks from Fabtec. I live in Big Bear, CA so I’m frequently on the mountain twisty roads. I DID NOT notice the body roll in the turns that I hear everyone complain about. I think there might be a little extra body roll but it might be power of suggestion. The AntiRock system works extremely well through the rocks and extreme articulation. So if that’s your plan for wheeling, I highly recommend them. What I did notice is while driving off road, even before the AntiRock, that I would get body roll at slow speeds. Enough to get a look from my wife like I meant for her to hit her head on the window! I knew I needed better dampening. I purchased and installed the Falcon 3.3s and started at the number 3. I was tired of getting flopped side-to-side. Wow! What an improvement. They were a little more firm than I needed at level 3. I backed them down to 2.4. Worked great but still had a little more body roll than I wanted. I settled in on 2.6. For my weight (about 5600 lbs) my tires (Nexen Roadian MTX 37/12.50 17”) at 29 PSI it rides great on the road and the trail. I plan on running John Bull tomorrow so it will be great to see if I get that look from my wife. Since you have a JL, your shocks mount outboard of the frame rail which allows the piggyback cylinder to be mounted in the upper position. My JK doesn’t have room for that configuration so it’s mounted with the shock body and piggyback mounted low. I do a lot of rock crawling so I’ll be installing the Teraflex H-D skid plates to protect the shock body. Good luck with your build. I hope this information helps. Look us up on Trails 411 on KZbin. Lots of tips, tricks and information. P.S. The Nexen Roadian MTX are an F rated sidewall but have a significant amount of sidewall flex. To get the same sidewall flex as a Falcon MT at 10-11 PSI the Nexen are aired down to 14 PSI. Much better tread contact patch, sidewall flex, and traction at 14PSI, than most of the other brands at 10 PSI. Might save you the expense for headlock wheels.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

@@williamstephens3351 Hey Will, thanks for the in-depth insights on how your using your shocks, etc! I found the Falcons to be a little more compliant on my JK than how they perform on the JL, so keep that in mind if you've had some experience going from one platform to the other.

[@williamstephens3351]

@@ExpeditionBuilds Thanks. The main reason for the better compliance on the JK over the JL is that the JL has the shock mounted outside the frame rail Vs inside the frame rail on the JK. There is a bit more leverage on the shock with the JK geometry. Huge performance difference from the other shock I’ve run and the adjustability is great to have.

[@tyronevalentino8475]

I'm doing my 2012 JK and have been considering Clayton as well as Metal Cloak I am so confused what to do. I want to be able to a Roof Tent down the Road and maybe some other Equipment. Can you suggest a set up for me. I would love to run The Falcon Adjustable SP3.3 to give me the versatility. I want ride comfort as it is my Daily. I run 33" Tires and don't think I will run 35,s but who knows one Day maybe. BTW JKU 4 DR Sahara and I bought it in Detroit from a bad Man who sold me a POS so trying to get this girl right. THANKS

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi Tyrone! I'm on my 3rd MetalCloak lift (2 JK's, 1 JL) and swear by them. The ride handling will surpass your stock suspension set-up. The secret to the MatalCloak is their DuroFlex bushings. They run perfectly quiet and provide an amazing amount of flex/articulation. The addition of the Falcon 3.3's will be perfect, giving you lots of options for dial in your ride. If you're going to run 33's, a 2.5" lift will work great and you'll be built for 35's eventually. Take a look online for some pics of that set up so you can see the proportions. What wheel/offset are you running? I'm not knocking Clayton I just don't have any experience with their lifts. Keep reaching out with any additional questions, happy to help✌🏻

[@tyronevalentino8475]

@@ExpeditionBuilds Thank You so very much for the reply. I've wandered down this crazy Rabbit Hole on Suspension and I am more confused than ever. Now considering the SDI Eclick's Shocks or going Accuair Suspension. I appreciate the feedback. Thank You

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

@@tyronevalentino8475 Hi, my pleasure. Start with a quality lift, I'm recommending Metalcloak but also look at TeraFlex. Any quality shock will be a great upgrade. The Accuair system is new and I don't have any direct experience with it so I cannot recommend it. However, Jeep just used it on a couple of their 2023 Easter Jeep Safari Concept vehicles and I think that says a lot.

[@sspruill9606]

I bought a 2017 JKU which had a Pro Comp 4” lift installed. Two shocks started leaking so I purchased the Falcon 3.1’s and kept the Pro Comp springs. It handles much better but it’s a pretty harsh ride. If I heard you correctly you had a JKU with the Falcons and ran Metalcloak 3.5 springs. I’ve read varying reviews that the Falcons don’t pair with the Metalcloaks very well but I value your opinion. Why did you not go with Teraflex springs? Was it because they are linear? I was about to go with the Rockkrawler triple rate but now I’m more confused. Sorry for the long question but any help would be appreciated.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi, great hearing from you! My previous Jeep was a 2016 Rubicon. I ran a 3.5" MC Game Changer lift on that with Falcon 3.3's This was a great combination that I would recommend. I'm a huge fan of Metalcloak lifts...Duroflex joints and True Dual Rate springs. Now, you bring up an interesting point, that being matching spring rates with shocks. I bring this up because it sounds like you might be at a place where you could spec TeraFlex springs with Falcon shocks? For me, I'm on my 3rd MC lift on 3 different Jeeps...I like them that much. Running the 3.3's allows me to tune the ride to whatever terrain I'm running.

[@sspruill9606]

@@ExpeditionBuilds Thanks for the reply. I’ll probably go with Metalcloak. That’s who I was looking at in the beginning anyway.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

@@sspruill9606 Good choice. I think you'll really like it.

[@tyronevalentino8475]

@@sspruill9606 Did you end up doing that lift love your feedback. Thanks

[@sspruill9606]

@@tyronevalentino8475 yes I installed the Metalcloak 3.5” springs with the Falcon 3.1 shocks. Rides great. The only thing I would have done differently would have got the shocks valved for a 2 door instead of the 4 door.

[@alwaysboatin659]

We also live just outside Chicago. My wife has a 2022 Sahara Altitude. She only drives on road. We put a 2.5" lift and 295/70/18 Nitro Terra Grappler G2 SL load rating. The thing rides pretty good. However, on occasion on these great highways we have, she can get a slight death wobble. I say slight because it isn't what I've seen others complain of. A half second shimmy maybe. Enough that it gets her heart racing, which in turn concerns me some. I have so many questions I could ask (our first Jeep). First, the research I have done points to installing heavier duty drag link and tie rod. Then to assist with a loose steering, adding an upgraded stabilizer. Lastly shocks. Keeping in mind only on road and mostly in Chicagoland, I was looking at the Falcon 2.1 monotubes. They still have the soft and performance adjustment, just not the orange lever adjusment. What are your thoughts and assessment? Thanks

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi, thanks for reaching out neighbor! Ok, death wobble can be tough to find some times, but as your Jeep is so new, I'm going to rule out worn parts. Let's start with the low hanging fruit. Did you install the lift or have a shop do it?

[@alwaysboatin659]

@@ExpeditionBuilds I had a shop do it. I must preface it with two things. The shop is not a Jeep Custom Build shop, but a very reputable street performance hot rod shop. Second, it’s was a less expensive lift (RC 2.5 with all extended links and shock extensions).

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

@@alwaysboatin659 Hi, thanks for the update. I asked because it's common practice to check that the sway tight/properly torqued. The next thing to check will be alignment specs.. I run a 1/16"-1/8" toe in. Toe in seems to settle the steering at speed. Last two items that will contribute to DW would be worn ball joints and tires out of balance. Let me know if you want/need a great Chicagoland shop that I use to help diagnose your issues. I have my Jeep(s) set-up so that they are one finger on the wheel easy at interstate speed. My wife drives a lifted Jeep as well and it can't be a 'scary' experience to get behind the wheel. Keep hitting me up if you have more questions, glad to help.

[@alwaysboatin659]

@@ExpeditionBuilds thanks. I’ll check the toe.

[@alwaysboatin659]

@@ExpeditionBuilds forgot to ask, what about continuing to run the stock shocks vs changing to the 2.1 mono tubes?

[@johnshirbini5801]

How they feel when you use them as a daily driver. My Jeep is a daily drive as well not only off road. Are they going to be stiff even with the soft settings?

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi John, good hearing from you! I daily drive my Jeep as well and I love the ride and control the Falcons offer. I would recommend setting the SP control to 'Soft' at the bottom of the shock. For daily driving I run mine at the #2/#4 setting. It provides really nice control (body motion) without being too harsh/stiff. Lastly, keep in mind that your build weight and tire pressure will have a big effect on how your jeep rides. Try and run a softer sidewall and keep the tire pressure somewhere between 26-32psi.. Hope this helps✌🏻

[@johnshirbini5801]

@@ExpeditionBuilds Thank you for the information; I really appreciate it. I am planning to upgrade my shocks next month. I've already placed the order, and hopefully, they will arrive by the end of this month or in the first week of January

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

@@johnshirbini5801 My pleasure. Be well!

[@KAREKINFPV]

Nice so these fit on the game changer 3.5 from metal cloak.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi Chris! Yes, running these with my MC 3.5" Game Changer. Because of the design of the Falcons, you don't need the lower MC Shock Mount Spacer Kit.

[@bk6271]

What is the overall Jeep height? Looking at that same setup and wondering about garage clearance thanks

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi, I'll get you a measurement soon., thanks!

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Ok, I had a chance to get the measurements for you. Front, on the Freedom Panel just behind the windshield-74-1/2" , Rear-76-1/2". You can use this as a basis. Heights will of course vary depending on the weight of your build/accessories.

[@mdntblu]

Is the SP2 and non SP2 that much of a difference?

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Having the adjustability of the SP2 is nice further tune for your application. Having said that, for my build, I run them on the Soft setting. I hope this helps.

[@oldchicago3216]

👍🇺🇲👍🇺🇲👍🇺🇲👍🇺🇲

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Love the reply!

[@CtPirate]

You need to start posting links to the items you review so you can get a taste of the sale or at least some credit. You sold me on them

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

Hi Ct, when I do reviews I reach out to the manufacturers for two reasons. 1) I always want to have my facts correct when presenting information and, 2) I ask if they can offer any sort of discount for my viewers. If they can offer a discount, you will see a code attached in the video. TeraFlex does not offer this. Enjoy your new Falcons!

[@jackbauer9347]

Dude let Dennis talk. You kept cutting him off.

[@ExpeditionBuilds]

You're right, I did do that. I was trying too hard to help the conversation along and I was in the way! I'm new to this and working at getting better. Appreciate your comment.