Bilstein or Rancho shocks for smoother ride?

Bilstein or Rancho for smoother ride?

  • Bilstein

    Votes: 6 15.8%

  • Rancho

    Votes: 32 84.2%
  • Total voters
    38
THESpottedSeaBass

THESpottedSeaBass

New Member
Original poster
Joined
Jan 29, 2020
Messages
9
Location
New England
2004, X, 4.0, 5 Speed. This is my daily and I live in the New England area so pot holes are a norm.

Looking for smoother ride. Narrowed them down to the two brands I keep seeing.

Of the two (and only the two please) what's your choice, Bilstein or Rancho?

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Bilsteins are better suited for a vehicle with a lot more weight (think 3/4 ton pickup). My diesel felt like it was riding on clouds. My TJ with bilstiens--teeth shattering.

I just swapped out my bilstiens for ranchos. The ranchos soak up a lot of the smaller, jarring bumps. The bigger bumps are much more controlled in my opinion. Plus they're a hell of a lot cheaper
 
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I've ridden on both. The popular Bilstein 5100 is not a good shock for a TJ. The Rancho 5000x is pretty good, especially for the price.
 
CodaMan said:
I have never heard Bilstein and smooth mentioned in the sentence.
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On a TJ. I had to give the brand a whirl on my Audi when both rear springs rusted through and cracked, and I am impressed with them.

Back to the TJ, @THESpottedSeaBass - Bilsteins generally get poor reviews when on the TJ, so if those are your two options then go for Rancho and you must paint and prep them to avoid rust.

You are a masshole like me (originally from the North shore), and I run OMEs in Connecticut. They were a huge improvement over stock and potholes are not teeth shattering like they were with the 10-12 year old stock shocks. They have lasted two NE winters without rust or any issues. I like them.
 
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I've had both the Bilstein 5100s and the Rancho RS5000X shocks. The Ranchos are much better in terms of ride quality. The only place where the Bilsteins win is cosmetic appearance, but that's it.
 
Mainly just to see the difference in the shocks. Kinda wish Jmt was still down here because his Jeep was set up almost identical to mine suspension wise but he had Rancho shocks on his
I think kris is on 35’s now which will be in my future at some point
 
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ErikOffroad said:
We got to trade jeeps so I can see the difference between Rancho shocks and the Fox shocks that r on mine.
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The Ranchos give a much better ride both on and off road. Bilstein are a great shocks no doubt it’s just to much shock for a Jeep.
Just my opinion.
 
ErikOffroad said:
We got to trade jeeps so I can see the difference between Rancho shocks and the Fox shocks that r on mine.
I think the fox on mine are a little too stiff on the service roads
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Fox IFP (non revisor or non tuned) is widely considered too harsh on our jeeps. Tuned fox shocks are considered one of the best you can run hands down.
 
THESpottedSeaBass said:
2004, X, 4.0, 5 Speed. This is my daily and I live in the New England area so pot holes are a norm.

Looking for smoother ride. Narrowed them down to the two brands I keep seeing.

Of the two (and only the two please) what's your choice, Bilstein or Rancho?

View attachment 137413
Click to expand...
I had Bilsteins & switched to Rancho's--it seems to ride smoother
 
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