Mixing progressive shocks front with digressive rear

[Fargo]

So just how crazy am I for running a progressive Rancho shock up front and a digressive Bilstein in the rear?

Years ago, I installed my lift with Rancho 9000XL adjustable shocks on both ends. I liked the Ranchos well enough in the front, but the Ranchos could never seem to control the rebound on the rear of the Jeep properly. So I switch over to Bilstein 5160's which worked perfectly for my needs.

Sometime back, my front 5160 started leaking oil so I switched out the front for a pair of Rancho 9000XL adjustable shocks that I still had laying around. The intent was to just use the Rancho until I got my 5160s rebuilt. However, life got in the way and 10,000+/- miles later I still have the Ranchos on front and 5160s in the rear. You would think that this would produce some crazy driving characteristics, but honestly the combination does not feel bad at all.

So recently, I installed new JKS springs and I decided that it was finally time to rebuild those 5160s. Since the Rancho/Bilstein combo seems to be working for me, I got to wondering if I should just let it be and use the money for other improvements.

So just how crazy am I to run a progressive Rancho up front with the digressive Bilstein in the rear. Does any body run a progressive/digressive front/rear combo? Are there any situations (maybe in racing or some odd thing) where a setup like this would be preferred.

 

[TheBoogieman]

Why does it matter if it works for your needs?

 

[Fargo]

Why does it matter if it works for your needs?

That is a fair question, if not rhetorical. I guess the reason that I ask is because, although I believe I am quite sensitive to what my Jeep is doing, I do not want to rely entirely on my own perceptions if there is the possibility of an underlying problem that I am not aware of. Particularly if I am setting myself up for some obscure or unsafe handling issue I have not yet encountered.

I can't say it works better than having both shocks being digressive. But it doesn't seem to have any negative effects that I have noticed so far. So I guess I was just curious if there was ever a reason for doing this? But then again, thinking about your original post. Even if there was a reason, knowing that reason and understanding it are two different things.