Bilstein's as good as Rancho's in controling sway on a Slide in?????

[D. Showan]

I would like to get some opinions from those of you out there that have slide-ins and are using Bilstein or Rancho shocks. I'm down to my last suspension upgrade (shocks) and I'm still on the fence. Do you think the Bilsteins control sway as good as the Rancho's? I would like to get Bilstein's but I'm afraid that they will not be stiff enough to stop that little side to side sway I get when cruising. It's enough to induce some movement in the steering wheel and if I can't get rid of the sway, I'm going to get rid of the camper, it's a Winnebago 9 1/2' @ 2400 wet. So far I have 265 LR E Michelins (#3400lb capacity each). Factory front sway bar and 1 1/4" Helwig rear bar, Air bags( when the camper is empty I need very little pressure to make it level- about 30psi. ) My stock shocks are worn out big time. After adding the bars and bags the sway is a little better (especially the large sway on turns), but the small sway going straight is still there. I'm convinced now that the shocks are very, very important so I don't want to make a mistake and get Bilsteins and find they are still a little too soft and allow more sway than the Rancho's would have. Truck campers with their high center of gravity need very stiff shocks. Sway control is more important to me than a smooth ride. I had a 10 1/2 foot Coachman years ago that I hauled with a couple of Ford F-250's, they didn't sway like this Dodge does.



Any advice or opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

[dresslered]

I personally am a huge fan of Bilstein! However, since I haul a heavy slide-in, I just had to believe that I needed an adjustable shock. I went with the RS9000's with the in cab controller. I haven't tried them with the slide-in yet, but I can testify that they sure get stiff.

 

[RADdodge]

I carry a Lance 880. It's about 4000 lbs wet. The Ranchos have worked wonderfully. I highly recommend them

 

[M Barnett]

A lot of members here have complained that the Ranchos can't be adjusted after a few months, including mine.

Michael

 

[MGordon]

I've used the Rancho's for two summers now. They do the job.

 

[John Berger]

I've been using my Rancho's since last summer. They adjust just fine. I've heard that people in colder climates may want to take the knobs off of the shocks and grease them. Don't know the schedule, but probably at least once a year. The Ranchos are great with a heavy 5ver or TT.

 

[dresslered]

Adding the remote controller requires the removal of the knobs. This then seals the piston with an O-ring rather than the cardboad gasket which may solve the sticky adjuster problem.

 

[beartrace]

Rancho 9000's set on #5 front and rear result in no sway and excellent handling for me. I also noticed that in the Lance sales brochure they recommend Rancho's by name to use with their slide-ins.

 

[D. Showan]

Thanks for all the replies gentlemen.



So it seems like the Rancho's will do the job unless I'm so unlucky that my adjusters freeze up.



Any one out there towing a heavy slide in with Bilsteins???

 

[John Berger]

I am aware of a couple of people that are using Bilstein's in motor homes with slides. I know, different animal, but motor homes are heavy and they are also used to tow other vehicles. The shocks perform quite well, from what I'm told. The only drawback is not being able to adjust them.

 

[dresslered]

The difference with the motorhomes is that they stay heavy. My concern is that I drive around empty 95% of the time. The other 5% of the time I throw a 4000+ pounds slide-in on the back. I just don't see how a non-adjustable shock can compensate for this? I have heard of some people using Bilsteins up front and Ranchos on the rear.

 

[SlyBones]

How often do you have that slide in, in the truck? I vote for the Bilsteins for the empty ride and get airbags for the slide in.



I have the ranchos and like them for the adjustability. Now that I have airbags, next time I will try Bilsteins because I believe they have better rebound dampening.

 

[Dane]

I have Bilsteins all around and air bags. Running empty I set the airbags to 0 and let the Bilsteins do the work.



With the slide in I put 70-80lbs in the airbags depending on how loaded the camper is. The combo works great in Baja, which is the poster child for gawd awfull pot holed and rutted dirt roads. Often the roads down there seem to be designed to induce sway because of the spacing of the ruts and holes



imo the Bilsteins have the best rebound damping of any shocks for our trucks, The Ranchos have the advantage of being adjustable. Either shock is a very good choice. The number of positive posts on both brands prove that to me.



I chose the Bilsteins over Ranchos because the Bilsteins give a slightly better ride running empty imo.

 

[BigFun]

I have a Lance 1161 heavy camper(4k wet). I run 1-empty and 5-loaded. No problems with sway or the little knobby thingys. I load and unload my camper frequently. Rancho RS9000s are the bomb for me. Fronts are RS9000s as well. Very pleased all round.



BF

 

[D. Showan]

Dane, You say "cabover", is that the same as a slide in? and is it top heavy? So far your the only one out there using Bilstein's with a slide in. There must be others

 

[Dane]

Yes it's a slide in...



One thing to think about is how heavy of a camper you're going to carry. If it's a big heavy one, the Ranchos might be a better choice. I run the Bilsteins because most of my camping is off road and I think they work better in the off road stuff.



I've had both brands, and either choice is very good imo...

 

[exfuzz01]

suspension

I had Bilstein shocks and IPD torsion bars on a motor home that I owned. they worked great. Dont know the website of IPD but they are out of Portland Oregon. The last time I checked with them they made sway bars for trucks also. You might want to check with them. They really controlled sway on my motor home.

 

[D. Showan]

Well, I had to get off the fence sometime. I ordered Rancho's yesterday. Hope the adjusters keep working. Thanks for all the replies, and I will post my impressions of them in a couple of weeks after our next camping trip

 

[RMH]

I have been using bilstiens for two years with out any problems. See sig. for camper size.