Rancho RS9000xl Adjustable Shocks

[Cendee]

Does anyone have any experience with the
Rancho RS9000XL Series Shock Absorber

I have a crap Rough Country Shock on my Jeep now and want to upgrade without forking out $1500.00. I have heard good reviews but wanted some first hand experience if anyone has any.

 

[TreadHead Garage]

dont waste you time, same quality as the rough country. I see more of those adjustment knobs snapped off then i do intact.

id recommend some Old man emu nitros, or bilstien 5100s

 

[Cendee]

dont waste you time, same quality as the rough country. I see more of those adjustment knobs snapped off then i do intact.

id recommend some Old man emu nitros, or bilstien 5100s

That's what I was afraid of. Thanks for the input.

 

[TreadHead Garage]

either of the option i suggested wont cost more then 120-150 per shock , ran both on my jku. i find the old man emu softer better for overland and daily drivers. the bilsteins work better offroad and on the rocks but still nice and soft. ive found fox too stiff and have seen them break shock mounts off the front diff.

 

[Cendee]

either of the option i suggested wont cost more then 120-150 per shock , ran both on my jku. i find the old man emu softer better for overland and daily drivers. the bilsteins work better offroad and on the rocks but still nice and soft. ive found fox too stiff and have seen them break shock mounts off the front diff.

Im looking at the Old Man EMU and it only shows a shock for a 2' lift. Will they work on a 2.5"? Are these adjustable at all?

 

[TreadHead Garage]

adjustable shocks are honestly a waste, rarely does anyone take the time to adjust and keep them clean enough so they can be. Also ive yet to setup an adjustable set in which i could say that i could feel a difference in the settings, besides coilovers.

with the old man emus the 60067L and 60066L are more suited to 3-4 in lifts or 2.5's setup for long travel.

 

[SubeeBen]

Just throwing it out there. I put fox 2.0 shocks on my Jku after putting on my teraflex 2.5” lift and it was a huge noticeable difference. Rides great & still nice & smooth but firm as well. Only cost about $520. Just my 2 cents if that helps.

 

[James Deaton]

As an intermediate level motorcycle suspension tuner, I can tell you that cheap adjustable shocks may not show any difference at all in ride quality. There are so many factors, so much that affects the way shocks ride...

Most adjustable shocks have rebound adjusters at a minimum, which allows you to reduce jarring felt over bumps/potholes when the tire returns to the pavement too quickly (less rebound, softer return to the ground). Then there are very high end shocks with high speed rebound and low speed rebound, which are completely different fluid circuits...

Suspension is a really deep hole to dive into. My suggestion would be to get some OMEs or Bilsteins, and move on to the next part of the project. If you are doing more than weekend warrior, then you need more.

If you are full time overlanding, then you will want fully adjustable shocks, with spring rates specifically picked for your truck’s weight for the trips.

James

 

[Cendee]

I decided to go with the Teraflex Tuned Fox w/ Reservoir Shock Absorber Kit. My good friend happened to have this kit with 100 miles on them that he just took of hit Jeep. He sold them to me for $600.00 with the Teraflex Overlanding Springs. All in all I think I got a screaming deal since he is even putting them on for me. Thank you guys for talking me out of the Rancho's and for all the advice. I'm sure I will be back many times asking for help. :0)

 

[James Deaton]

Nice find! Please keep us updated on how they work.

 

[Psycho Squirrel]

Hmmm, I was about to pull the trigger on the 9000's until I saw this thread. Now it's got me reconsidering.

 

[Cendee]

Hmmm, I was about to pull the trigger on the 9000's until I saw this thread. Now it's got me reconsidering.

Yes I am glad I asked because I was going to buy.

 

[dr56099]

Hmmmm, I've had the RS9000's on my "05" 4Runner for the past 6 years, and they've been great. Been on logging roads to trails, mud and snow and zero problems to date. I run 33", BFG K02's, so there's a little bit of additional un-sprung for them to wrestle. Good to hear other people's opinions on them, as I really haven't seen a lot of input about them. I can definitely notice the difference if I adjust them however, I do rarely change them, it just depends. In regards to the other brands, I've heard good things about the EMU's and Bilstiens. Good luck!

 

[Cendee]

Hmmmm, I've had the RS9000's on my "05" 4Runner for the past 6 years, and they've been great. Been on logging roads to trails, mud and snow and zero problems to date. I run 33", BFG K02's, so there's a little bit of additional un-sprung for them to wrestle. Good to hear other people's opinions on them, as I really haven't seen a lot of input about them. I can definitely notice the difference if I adjust them however, I do rarely change them, it just depends. In regards to the other brands, I've heard good things about the EMU's and Bilstiens. Good luck!

Thank you. I ended up going with the Teraflex tuned fox reservoir shock and they are fantastic.

 

[old_man]

I have run Ranch shocks for 20+ years. I thought they were OK until I got a set of Bilstiens. What a world of difference.

 

[JungleSkunk]

Been running them on the front of my rig for over a year. A huge improvement over stock OEM style shocks off road. A little stiff for the highway. Took a little "break in" time before they wernt so stiff but I love them for the price.

 

[bushnut]

I’ve been running the 9000s for a year now. I find them quite good. I had bilstein 5160 previously and had an upper eyelet fail while driving through town. I use the adjusters on the 9000s when transforming from DD mode to trip mode. Noticeable difference in handling.

 

[RockLander_WarMachine]

I have them and love them.
I have had experience with several shocks, and these have met my expectations.

 

[Desert Runner]

I have run Ranch shocks for 20+ years. I thought they were OK until I got a set of Bilstiens. What a world of difference.

I ran Rancho 5,000 shocks for years. No 9000 series at the time, only the additional 7000 series. They were excellent as a upgrade....AT THE TIME. I also ran a Rancho steering stabilizer and kicker shocks on my 1/2 ton. This setup was good on the lighter 1/2 ton pickup. The Ford FX-4 RANCHO 3/4 TON SETUP never seemed as well tuned, even though it was a OEM setup.

I put Bilsteins on my Duramax 4x4, and was impressed on how well the suspension worked afterward. They cured some issues the OEM factory shocks had. Nowaday's, Fox,King, and other makersof high end dampners, offer setups that are over the top, I just can not justify the $$$ they want for them. I did uhh justify ELKA's 3's for my Suzuki King Quad (Super Sale). This was a decision that kept me from a potential hospital stay, because they saved my bacon. A basic shock would have been unable to keep the suspension from completely BOTTOMING and REBOUNDING catastrophically....aka....CRASH.

I think you should buy the best shock you can afford, and do your best to match it to your vehicle. A quality shock in conjunction with proper tire pressure will make your off road excursion much more pleasurable. It also will make your hwy miles safer on your way.

 

[ZR2_Zamboni]

I had the Ranchos on my 2003 Taco and they held up quite well. Didn’t adjust them often so maybe that’s why my adjustment knobs held up? Great ride, allowed me to stiffen the rear and loosen the front for better articulation off road.