Strange how 75% of the threads where VX KAT is involved we end up talking about racks. What up with that?
OK to get this train back on the tracks...
Because it's built like a brick sh*thouse, that's how.Originally Posted by 89Vette
Yup - and that's a major drawback if you have a lot of stuff or people to haul.Isn't is smaller than a Grand Cherokee?
If you just consider the power to weight ratio it might look that way but the VX is geared low and the transmission shift points are matched well with the engine's power characteristics so it actually has a fairly "zippy" feel to it. The VX is not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but it's quick enough that it's fun to drive. And for a 2 ton vehicle with high ground clearance, it's surprisingly nimble. Once you get comfortable with the lack of visibility, you can slice through traffic like a border collie through a herd of sheep.Consider power-to-weight ratio .... a Jeep would run circles around a VX on the street.
No worries there - those Kayabas are completely rebuildable and if you don't like how stiff they are, the compression damping can be altered via the shim stack. I wouldn't touch the rebound stack though - unless you're going the aftermarket springs/big tires route. Rebound damping is spot on for OEM springs and wheels/tires.Shocks were "one" of the parts I was concerned about them becoming obsolete.
If you decide to go for it and start looking at VXs, make sure to check the shocks for leakage. Dragging windows can be fixed with 50 cents worth of bungee cord and 30 minutes of your time but leaking shocks means serious ka-ching to rebuild if you want to stay with OEM. I don't know exactly how much - probably in the neighborhood of $600-$800 which believe it or not is half the price of new OEM. But even if you do it yourself (not advised if you haven't worked on shocks before) the parts are pretty expensive. If they're soft but you see no evidence of leaking fluid then you can probably get by with a nitrogen charge. (OR maybe no fluid visible means all the fluid leaked out and washed away years ago)
They're the floating piston style so naturally the N2 leaks out over time. You will not be able to tell if they need nitrogen just by pushing down on a corner of the car - you can't push hard enough to cause cavitation - they will damp well and appear to be OK at slow shaft speed even if they have almost no nitrogen. Take it for a drive - if they need N2, whacking a few bumps will introduce air bubbles into the shock fluid and then you'll be swaying and diving and boinging down the road. Nitrogen is cheap though. If the VX of your desire has 100K+ miles on it you might want to figure the cost of shock rebuild into your negotiating even if they aren't leaking because like most all things the internals wear and the fluid gets thinner with use.
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...You almost have yourself talked out of VX ownership.
