RS9000X Rancho Shocks.. What do Yall Think?

[Cummins Thunder]

I currently have Bilstein Gas-a-Just shocks on the front ONLY and am looking to replace all four shocks on the truck with somthing a bit better.



I have read the complaints with Rancho shocks but I am still convinced that their RS9000X shocks with remote adjuster is the way to go...



Is anybody running these shocks? How do they compare to other shocks?



Bilstein or Rancho??? :-{}



Thanks in advance,

CJ

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

I've had 'em on my 96 for a couple years now. I like them. I don't have the in-cab adjuster, but it only takes about 20 seconds to walk around the truck to adjust them.

I haven't tried the Bilstein's, so I can't comment on those.



Jim

 

[BLACKRAM]

I've had both. In my opinion nothing is better than Bilstein.

 

[Lorenz]

i have the ranchos. when your loaded down the ranchos come in handy. i would recommend them for slide in campers hand down.



bilstiens are great for the road, they're progressive. soft at first then a little harder on a good impact. they'll stiffen up through the stroke. good for offroading. I use bilstien bypass shocks on the race truck but for a daily driver bypasses are a waste.



If you use your truck, tow/carry gravel or lumber/cabover camper/or loaded in any way go with ranchos. Bilstiens if you want a little bit of a cushier ride than stock that can handle a harder hit now and then.



i got my ranchos on sale from summit. buy three get one free. summit had the best price, but the 3for4 is regional when rancho puts the sale on, any retailer will do it for you when rancho has the sale.

 

[sewman]

I've also had the ranchos on for quite a while & since I vary from towing heavy & alot of weight the truck to riding empty they are great,I usually leave the fronts on #2 & mainly adj the backs

Bob

 

[DLBurns]

My Rancho's are set at 3 up front and 1 in the rear unless I have my fiver on then I set 'em at 5.

With the condition of the roads in this state, nothing short of air bags will help much!

 

[McCRam]

Ive only had mine for 16000 miles now, but I have towed and hauled with them quite a bit. Everything from groceries to 22 head of cattle. They are very versatile, a good all around shock. They may not be perfect for any situation, but they work well in all the situations that I use them in. My uncle has bilsteins in his 98. 5. his rides a lot nicer when empty, but doesn't handle as well when towing.

 

[ASTAR]

In my opinion nothing is better than Bilstein.

x2 I love mine

 

[Swayse]

Bilstein front and Rancho in the back. I don't like Bilsteins in the back, too rough empty, too soft loaded. I run with cheap old Monroe Gas in the back and Bilstein in the front, feels balanced on a truck that runs around with just a tool box and tools around the farm.

 

[jtrent]

I have the Rancho 9000X adjustable on my 98. 5 QC, 4x4, 5 spd. I like the adjustablility but nothing helps the ride like an extra 2 or 3 hundred pounds in the back. Also, no info with my shocks when delivered on where to set the adjustment knob. I cranked up the fronts til there was little diving on braking and assumed that was right. Left them there and just change the rears when hauling a trailer or lots of firewood in the bed.



Jesse

 

[JTryles]

Had 'em on my 2000. Great shocks but the remote adjuster system was a high maintenance POS in my experience. The adapters that went on the shock body were made of plastic and would leak ALL THE TIME! Rust would form around them on the shock body and cause leaks. I had to replace the rear shocks once because of it and had to take off, clean and reseat the adapters on all 4 at least 4 times over the years that I owned the truck.

 

[David Muench]

I have 9000X's on my ram now, and next time I'm going Bilstein.



I also had 9000's and the remote adjuster on my '97 TJ, and I could not make the remote adjuster lines seal up. Constantly leaking, so I threw it out. Replaced those with Skyjacker shocks eventually.

 

[Wiredawg]

I like my Ranchos

I especially like the adjustment capability. Even running empty, it's nice to chage the ride. My 3500 weighs 9,600 lbs with both tanks topped off and extra accessories. I also tow a 17K lb 5er. The Ranchos really excel at full load.



I have the remote control, but never installed it... maybe someday.



Take care, Wiredawg

 

[Lordsman]

Versatility is why I bought mine. No load, I like 3 front and 2 rear. With the rear set on 1 the springs seem to bouce the rear alot and over-ride the shock, especially on highways.

With the slide-in camper loaded, 4 front 5 rear. I like to keep the front end stiffer because of the weight of the motor. Always changing the rears because of various loads.

Jtrent, the notch is at 12 o'clock right above the adjustment knob if thats what your looking for.

 

[DBazley]

One more amen on the Rancho's CJ ! You can't beat the adjustability of these. You can always get the perfect solidity or softness depending on your load or needs. Now they come in 9 way adjustments, earlier it was just 5 way. I know others like the Bilsteins, but I assume that they may not tow such varying loads as I do, and the Bilstein pretty much is tuned for 'middle of the road' situations.



Fact is, when I am weighing in at 24,000 gross on my One Ton 2500 (19. 5's, 4by4, Airsuspension) pulling my '38 bumper pull TT, I always have the Rancho's on max in rear and maybe one down from max front. No more white knuckles, just total control when needed, which is hard to put a price on.



Last time out, I unloaded and forgot to dial down the R 9000's and then hammered down our rough dirt road. MISTAKE !! I fixed my teeth later, after dialing them and the tire pressure waaay down... ...



Hope this is helpful to your decision making process !

 

[Tim]

I've had both. In my opinion nothing is better than Bilstein.

x3



If you want adjustable shocks, get Pro Comp MX-6s. They're monotube and adjustable.



Ranchos are market hype garbage. Same as a Monroe shock with a fancy name.

 

[Lorenz]

x3



If you want adjustable shocks, get Pro Comp MX-6s. They're monotube and adjustable.



Ranchos are market hype garbage.

Tim bought the hype!!! You did exactly what you critisized the rest of us rancho owners for doing, irronic eh?



This is one of the most reduculous quotes i've seen in a long time. Monotube and adjustable... . ranchos 9000 and MX-6 are both adjustable, AND all of the "cheap" shocks are monotube. (rancho 9000, procomp, bilstien 5100's, stock oem)



The only non-monotube are external bypass by bilstien, king, sway-away, and fox (these are the more popular and reliable race proven brands), $1000+ each. internal bypass/coil-overs by robby gordon are non mono tube also, but they're so new and rare they don't fit into this conversation.



Ranchos adjust ,rebound and compression, with one knob, do pro comps do that? I'm not being a smart *****, i haven't researched them enough? Procomps have caught my eye... they look powder coated in the ad, that would definately be a + compared to ranchos. But ranchos have a lifetime warranty that just can't be beat, paint wouldn't much matter if you get a new set when they rust... I've heard of a couple of situations on this forum were rancho swapped out shocks because of rust, defective Knobs, or simply worn out valving.





EDIT: Monroe did buy rancho... After rancho had built the 9000. monroe had nothing to do with building the 9000, though Monroe will honor the lifetime warranty. good try though

 

[DBazley]

Substantiate your claim, please 'Tim'

x3



If you want adjustable shocks, get Pro Comp MX-6s. They're monotube and adjustable.



Ranchos are market hype garbage. Same as a Monroe shock with a fancy name.

Boy, Tim, that was an awfully big claim, considering you offered no evidence, other than 'hype' that is meaningless in terms of a practical comparison:



Please re-read your post, you just gave us a 'sound bite' that was inaccurate (Rancho's are both monotube and adjustable, also... ), and with a tone that amounted to a 'put down', considering that most here either use Rancho 9000, or Bilsteins.



Maybe Pro-Comp's are better !? If you've discovered this on the basis of an honest comparison, please convince us based on evidence, so can learn what you have:



What substantial features do the Pro-Comp MX-6 offer over the Rancho's ?



I agree with the post above, that the performance of the Rancho's is as advertised, ie they give the ride or control the driver desires, and they last... ... I've not worn any out after 35,000 hard miles... . and if so they're replaceable under warranty, thus making them the last shocks you need buy.



But maybe there is something better... ... . take care,



David B.

 

[Tim]

Rancho shocks are not monotubes and are manufactured by Monroe. By buying Rancho, you're getting the same shock you can get at any parts store, with a fancy knob on it. Rancho shocks are similar to a twin tube design that OEM shocks have. Rancho calls them, "triple tube" but in reality they're the same thing.



Rancho does not make any shock that uses a high pressure gas monotube design. Those that own the patent for that will not sell it to Monroe or Gabrial as it would likely even put Bilstein out of business. Monroe and Gabrial sell more shocks than all other brands of shocks combined.



The MX-6 IS a monotube shock. The advantages it has are great over a Rancho. More control, oil is seperate from the gas charge so no foaming, reduced fade, and it's adjustable since thats what you guys had said you wanted.



Pro-Comp's regular shocks are garbage just like the Ranchos. Only the MX-6 line are monotubes.



If you that bought rancho thought you got a monotube shock, you got ripped off. They are not and have never been.

 

[apkole]

Rancho 9000 5 ways on the '99. Great control feature when hauling heavy loads. Just bolted up a set of Rancho 9000 9 ways on the '01 truck. Tried towing the TT a week ago with the OEM shocks and felt like the truck was on marbles at 65 mph. I'm betting that handling improves substantially.



One bothersome thing here in the rustbelt is that the adjusters need to be worked to retain the feature, otherwise they tend to sieze up. After 80,000 miles, I may have to replace a couple of the shocks on the '99 truck for that reason.