Rancho RS9000's and RCS remote kit

["Mad Max"]

I'm shopping for shocks and I'm eyeballing the Rancho RS9000's and the RCS remote dampening kit for the in-cab air adjustment.

I need the voices of experience on this setup. Truck is a '78 RC, big block, new skyjackers with ~ 3" lift. It is not being built light - everything is heavy, including dana 60 front and 70 rear, steel wheels. Roll cage, full interior.

Looking at the RS99114's for the front and RS 99005's for the rear.

Majority of driving will be street and highway driving to include towing 6500 lbs of tandem axle trailer and car, but when I'm off-road I'll be WAY off-road, hence my inclination towards the adjustable shocks. The shocks are hyrdaulic, but the adjuster function is pneumatically-controlled via the remote in-cab panel. Sounds like a slick system and I'm hoping there aren't any horror stories out there.

Okay, lemme have it - good or bad?

Much' grass',

- Sam

 

["Mad Max"]

Well I've been talking almost all day with the local off road shops and I'm convinced this setup will work very well for what I'm trying to do with the RC. The real nice part is the whole system is adjustable from the cab, but they're not like 'air shocks'. These operate like regular hydraulic shocks, but the rate of travel is adjustable, typically via a small dial at the top of the shock. The remote control system is essentially a set of air valves that either a: activate the mini air compressor to increase the pressure to the valve which increases the shock rate, or b: bleed the pressure to do the opposite - all from the cab, and all set of with the front and rear on separate curcuits to isolate the two halves. Pretty cool, and it's a proven system that a lot of off-roaders use. In my case I'll be goingbetween towing and 4-wheeling, so the dual mode system should be just the ticket.

Anyways, just what I found out, and I should have the whole setup in a few days. It's going on the RC first, and if I like it and it works well it'll also go on the diesel.

- Sam

 

[TKingsbury]

Hey Sam, a buddy of mine had this set-up and he liked it alot. I don't recall him ever having any trouble with it. I have 9000s on the rear of my truck and on my Samurai, but I just set-em and forget-em. One little tip, don't mount your shocks upside down. Alot of offroad types do this and it makes the shock ingest air into the valve side of things and your shocks don't do squat.

Travis. .

 

[MMiller]

I do not have the in cab adjustment, but I do have the adjustable ranchos like you will be using. On the rear of my 93 with stock springs and kelderman air ride I put the shock on level 1 for empty travel. It makes for the best road ride. When hauling lots o stuff or pulling my goosneck I run 4 or 5. Anything lower and the truck will keep bouncing. With my stiff suspension I really don't think that the offroad prowess would be much differnt at any setting, but your spring rate will probably be differnt.



My only complaints are having to lay under the truck to adjust(you are fixing this problem) and with the knobs in the snow, salt, my adjustment is getting less and less(yet another problem you are fixing). Make sure that you will get the lines up and away from any offroad stuff. I get into the sticks, limbs, trees, bushes and those little lines could come unhooked easily. Are you relocating the rear shocks to be higher on the axel? Instead of using the factory plate under the axel? Are you going to flip the ubolts for better offroad clearanc?



I really don't wnat anymore stuff ran into the cab, so I think the next shocks I buy will be bilstiens.



Michael