Ok I am going to make my HD ride better. First off I do have the front torsion bars raised. And soon Im adding 315's. But I think my trucks shocks are shot. I have 75,000 on it and it has towed some. I wondering which shock is better? And also should I get a longer shock since Im raising it or stay the stock length? ANd where is the cheapest place to buy shocks? Thanks

I just ordered a set or Rancho RS9000's today from samsoffroad.com - $289 shipped. I have read great things on both brands you mentioned, but the main thing with the Rancho was the ability to dial the rear in softer when unloaded and the fronts in firmer.

I asked guy on phone about longer shocks and he said all Rancho makes are 0" lift and 4" lift. I got 0" list (stock length) shocks and have alread made 1/2"
spacers for the top and bottom mounting of the shocks. When the RS9000's get here I will measure against stock length and may even add more spacer. With cranked out T-bars you run the risk of over-extending the front shocks and permanently damaging them.

I prefer the bilsteins. They have a great ride, and thats why I installed them on my truck at around 1000 miles. I've not had great luck with the rancho's. The heavy towing I've done in the past, caused the rancho's to wear prematurely. They were bad in about a year. I think the heavy rebounding of a high bed weight is real hard on them, and I think they weren't designed for real heavy towing. In a everyday truck driven moderately I think they would be ok. We carry the Bilsteins in stock and ship same day, for those interested.

John

I installed Bilsteins when I bought my fifth wheel. They were very stiff at first, but after 2000 miles they are great. I should have bought them 2 years ago, because the OEM are weak. Mike

Who makes the stock shocks?

Who makes the stock shocks?
IIRC, it's the same company that makes the Rancho's.

i have edelbrock IAS and i like them not to go off the subject

We have rancho rs9000x shocks on two trucks. I have heard great reviews on both bilstein and rancho. If it wern't for the adjustability, then my choice would probably be bilstein. Hopefully the ranchos will last, because they are loaded heavy often, both front and backs.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I don't think spacers are necessary if all you have done is crank the torsion bars a little...It does not change the control arms range of travel. I could be wrong, but we have our truck raised a good 2" in the front (stock keys) with no problems.

Either shock you go with won't be a bad decision, IMO. But if you do decide to go rancho, I suggest samsoffroad also. Have bought 2 sets at $289 each.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I don't think spacers are necessary if all you have done is crank the torsion bars a little...It does not change the control arms range of travel. I could be wrong, but we have our truck raised a good 2" in the front (stock keys) with no problems.

Either shock you go with won't be a bad decision, IMO. But if you do decide to go rancho, I suggest samsoffroad also. Have bought 2 sets at $289 each.you are correct, the suspension travel range doesnt change, its just the resting point that changes. however, this is like the green keys subject where some people with argue against all facts that there is a difference.

ive had the ranchos for a couple months now and love them. i still havent installed the in-cab controller i got free though.

Another vote for the 9000's. What's not to like about a shock that allows you to adjust your ride/handling any way you'd like?

I tightened my torsion bars and put Rancho 5000's for a 2 inch lift and my truck was smoother than stock. Mine cost about 100 and you might want to check them out. And are you going to be able to clear 315's with just the torsion bars tighten, I had trouble wit my tierods and CV axles because they were at too steep of angles. You might want to check that out too.

I finally installed the Rancho 9000's I bought back in October, I just received the in-cab controller from Tenneco. Anyway, I am amazed at the difference in the ride. The OEM had absolutely no dampening affect at all on the rear end and it was brutal. I have the fronts on 5, rears on 7, sounds like I may have them backwards. At least I can play with the adjustments to my liking. :D

Anyway, I'll be pulling the 5ver next weekend and will see how they handle the load. Later. JJ :)

i originally had the 5000's with the Rancho 4" lift and after driving that way for 6+ months, i figured there had to be something better - but was it the rancho 9000's or bilsteins ?? I drove in trucks equiped with both and liked the ranchos and the adjustability so went with them. WOW !! they are sweeeet, great ride, and now feels better than stock by far even with the lift and 35's, and being able to adjust them is great, best shock for your $$ IMO

You won't go wrong with either shock. I have bilsteins on my 03 and rancho's on the 05

I use the MX6 shocks for ProComp. Use like the 9000's.....they are adjustable and I like that !!!!! Pic of them on my rig...just click on the link in my signature.


LATER!

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Who makes the stock shocks?
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IIRC, it's the same company that makes the Rancho's.


You are correct and that company is Tenneco. And the those stock shocks are junk IMO. :exactly:
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Get quality and Bilstein shocks! A properly designed shock does not need adjustment IMHO. Just check the tread on the same page about the Rancho quality...

Rancho Steering Stablizer-broken!!!
blizzardplowman :exactly:

OEM shocks were totally wasted at 14500 miles.:mad: Who am I kidding they were shot from the very first day. My truck ride has improved 500% with the Rancho 9000's. Tenneco did have some quality issues with the Rancho's, but I thought I read somewhere the 9000's are supposedly a new design with better components. Time will tell. ;)

For now I'm very happy with the ride improvement. I certainly don't miss getting kicked in the a$$ every time I hit a bump in the road. JJ :)

I have to agree 100%. That's why I put Bilsteins on when I lifted my truck. FYI I had standard Bilsteins with Tbars cranked all the way prior to lift and the ride improvement over stock was outstanding.



Get quality and Bilstein shocks! A properly designed shock does not need adjustment IMHO.
:exactly:

I put rancho shocks on my truck and they are holding nice. Iv'e had bilsteins before, I have them on my wife's ZR2 s-10, they come stock with them, I had to change at around 30000 miles. IMO our heavy trucks prefer the ranchos, I use my truck for what it's made for. Its not a driveway queen!

you notice a big diffrence when you leave the stocks on the back and put 9000's on the frt. It was like driving a buckin bronco. And another thing about the spacers with out the spacers my shocks has no downward travel. And i put a 1 inch spacer on there and it gave me almost the same travel as the stocks. But i'm gonna get the cognito kit soon i really don't like the half ass setup i got now. I did it cuz i was worried about the shocks gettin over extended with the crappy roads here.

Who makes the stock shocks?I just replaced my stock shocks last week; the OEMs are made by Tenneco, made in Mexico (that's what it says on the shocks). My truck has only done 7k miles but it was clear to me from day 1 that the shocks had to go. I put Bilsteins on (thanks Kennedy :thumb:) and the difference is amazing. I can recommend it.

I have had all three (stock, 9000's, and Bilsteins) installed on the same vehicle. Bilsteins have my vote.