 8. With the mounts installed,...  8. With the mounts installed, the domed feet were screwed into each JounceShock shaft end using a 1/4-inch pin wrench, and then the cylinder end of each JounceShock was threaded into their respective mounts. The final step was to install the 1/4-20 set screw with a dab of medium-strength thread locker. Here you can see the completed passenger-side assembly. The front end is completed by tightening the torsion bars and reinstalling the shocks and tires. |  9. To install the rear JounceShocks,...  9. To install the rear JounceShocks, we began by removing the stock urethane bumpstops and their mounts. The JounceShocks will fit without removing the mounts, but we wanted them out of the way since they would no longer be used. |  10. After we removed the factory...  10. After we removed the factory rear jounce brackets, we were surprised to see that the frame area under the brackets hadn't been welded from the factory. Naturally, Dinelli welded each side closed. |
 11. The lower hit pads are...  11. The lower hit pads are the first items to be installed. The new pads are pre-drilled and two provided M8 bolts hold each of them in position. One bolt uses an existing hole in the stock bumpstop hit pad, while the other hole must be drilled. |  12. Mounting the rear brackets...  12. Mounting the rear brackets is similar to the front. Light Racing provides detailed instructions as to how the brackets should be positioned. After the brackets are tack welded in place, Light Racing recommends temporarily installing the JounceShocks and lowering the vehicle back onto its tires to check for proper alignment of the JounceShock to the hit pads. Here you can see the rear driver-side mount installed and painted. |  13. Here's how the finished...  13. Here's how the finished driver-side JounceShock assembly looked when completed. Done! |
Bottom Line
The JounceShock kit for our H3 has a suggested street price of $1,451.71. In the world of off-highway mods, this is not an overly expensive figure, but it ain't cheap either. This begs the question: Is it worth it? We say heck yeah. During our initial testdrive on a rough road we drive almost every day, we were blown away at the improvement in handling and ride. Because the design of the H3 IFS positions the lower A-arms against the bumpstops at rest, the addition of the JounceShocks made an instant, dramatic improvement to the ride and handling from the front of the vehicle because they're almost always in use. Now, instead of contacting chunks of urethane during uptravel, the lower A-arms contact the domed feet of the JounceShocks, which pushes the shafts into the bodies, which absorbs the force of the upward traveling suspension in a controlled manner. The rear ride quality has been unaffected in normal driving and we've only seen small signs that the rear JounceShocks have been in contact with the new hit pads. Where they'll increase performance is when the truck is heavily loaded, towing, blasting across rough terrain, or jumping.
We have to admit we were a bit cynical and we expected to have to experiment with the compression and rebound settings of the JounceShocks. Turns out the Light Racing team did a fantastic job and we've been very satisfied with the factory settings. For reference, Light Racing says that the front JounceShock for our application ships with 130 psi and the rear ships with 40 psi.
We did swap out the standard hard-nylon domed feet on the front JounceShocks for a softer material. When the lower A-arms droop and then travel upward to contact the JounceShock, we were hearing a clicking noise. Light Racing says this is normal and is an indication that the JounceShock is being applied. Our personal preference was to eliminate the noise. The softer domed feet may wear a tad faster than the nylon, but we don't mind replacing them once a year or so.
Are there any downsides to the JounceShocks? Not that we can figure. They don't impede suspension travel and they don't hang down or protrude. They just do good things.