My initial impressions of the Rancho RS5000X shocks

BendLarry said:
I test drove a couple TJ’s before I bought mine. I have also rented several JK’s . My Jeep was not chosen for its ride but for the 22k miles and price. It was noticeably rougher than any other Jeep I have ever driven. I wasn’t concerned when I bought it but after a year I need to fix the issue.


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It’s interesting to me how they can vary so much. I fell in love with the power and smoothness of our JKU rental with 37s on the highway, that power is unbelievable to me. Also bump steer on the others was an issue. Ours has minimal to none.


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JMT said:
What all have you tried pressure wise? If I suspected tires I’d drop to 18, then 20, 22 and see what differences, if any. If there is I’d say it was tires, or at least that it was a contributing factor. Otherwise I’d look somewhere else. But I always think the two major factors are Tire pressure and shocks.
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Last June i aired down to 15 psi in canyon lands and then drove back to Moab. It was pretty squirrelly at highway speeds fo 40 miles but it did ride very smooth over bumps. It’s not realistic to have a daily driver at 15 psi.


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BendLarry said:
Last June i aired down to 15 psi in canyon lands and then drove back to Moab. It was pretty squirrelly at highway speeds fo 40 miles but it did ride very smooth over bumps. It’s not realistic to have a daily driver at 15 psi.


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I guess I’d air down to 21-22 and drive it. If the tires wear badly, it won’t matter too much and you can get a C tire soon enough.
 
@BendLarry, driving someone elses rig is pointless. What would be informational is to borrow someone's wheels that have a C load tire and see what you think. Shocks do control ride but an overly stiff/high rate spring will contribute to a poor ride as well.
 
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BendLarry said:
I don’t have any experience with stock TJ Rubicon’s but I have rented several stock JK Rubicon’s and have never had a harsh ride.
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You have mentioned driving JKs twice. I don't see how the ride in a JK can be compared to a TJ since they are completely different vehicles.

BendLarry said:
Here’s another angle, does anyone think the solution to my harsh ride ISN’T load range C tires? Is there anyone who thinks I will still have a harsh ride?? I hate to think I need to spend the cash, but it seems to be the only certain solution.
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I guess me? There could be something else going on in your suspension that is causing issues. A back to back direct comparison using the exact same tire but in a load range C is the only way that I think you can say that a tire change will be a "certain" solution.


JMT said:
I guess I’d air down to 21-22 and drive it. If the tires wear badly, it won’t matter too much and you can get a C tire soon enough.
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I drove my Es at 21psi for about three months. Even at 21psi it didn't seem to make a difference from the 24psi that I was at. Once I swapped the shocks and felt a difference in the ride, I went back up to 24psi and didn't notice any change to the ride at the higher psi.
 
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JMT said:
I think the bottom line is we need to all meet up and drive each other’s TJ’s over the same road. Ride quality is a subjective evaluation and experience extremely limited for most of us. That’s why the only other option is listening to folks like @mrblaine who have driven far more TJ’s than any of us ever will.
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Don't drag me into this. He doesn't listen.
 
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JMT said:
I think the bottom line is we need to all meet up and drive each other’s TJ’s over the same road. Ride quality is a subjective evaluation and experience extremely limited for most of us. That’s why the only other option is listening to folks like @mrblaine who have driven far more TJ’s than any of us ever will.
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Sounds good. @Garza needs to bring his so I can see what all the fuss is about running 40's :D Will bring beer, and bourbon :D
 
I may be a little late but here's my two cents. I just installed a set of Rancho 5000x shocks last week. Basically because of what I've read on this forum and I wasn't disappointed. I believe I had the original shocks on by 06 LJ, with 77000 on the speedo. All those little annoying bumps and rattles disappeared. It went from a stagecoach to a much smoother ride. Still a Wrangler but better. I have a basically stock configuration with only slightly over sized tires. They might work a little better on my vehicle than some of the ones I've read about with lifts and oversized tires. In the words of the Monkey's, now I'm a believer. If that makes sense you're an old fart too.
 
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Tony Ownbey said:
I may be a little late but here's my two cents. I just installed a set of Rancho 5000x shocks last week. Basically because of what I've read on this forum and I wasn't disappointed. I believe I had the original shocks on by 06 LJ, with 77000 on the speedo. All those little annoying bumps and rattles disappeared. It went from a stagecoach to a much smoother ride. Still a Wrangler but better. I have a basically stock configuration with only slightly over sized tires. They might work a little better on my vehicle than some of the ones I've read about with lifts and oversized tires. In the words of the Monkey's, now I'm a believer. If that makes sense you're an old fart too.
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Old enough to remember they were the Monkees, not monkeys...:p

And what load range tires are you running?
 
Tony Ownbey said:
I may be a little late but here's my two cents. I just installed a set of Rancho 5000x shocks last week. Basically because of what I've read on this forum and I wasn't disappointed. I believe I had the original shocks on by 06 LJ, with 77000 on the speedo. All those little annoying bumps and rattles disappeared. It went from a stagecoach to a much smoother ride. Still a Wrangler but better. I have a basically stock configuration with only slightly over sized tires. They might work a little better on my vehicle than some of the ones I've read about with lifts and oversized tires. In the words of the Monkey's, now I'm a believer. If that makes sense you're an old fart too.
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What part number did you order? Mine stock but a B.B. 2” is awaiting install when I have time


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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi
 
Shane Mckinley said:
Well I suppose the question is do I HAVE to install other than stock OEM shocks with a B.B.?


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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi
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By keeping the existing shocks, you will shift the shock travel bias equal to the change in ride height.

In other words, a 1" lift (spring or spacer) added to the existing shocks will increase up travel by 1", while decreasing down travel by 1".
 
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Didn't all TJ's with 16" wheels come from the factory with an "E" rated tire, or was it just the Rubi's?
 
bobthetj03 said:
Didn't all TJ's with 16" wheels come from the factory with an "E" rated tire, or was it just the Rubi's?
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16" wheels were only on the 2002+ Sahara (EDIT: 2000+), the Tomb Raider Rubicon and the 2003+ Rubicon, right? The 2002 Sahara had a 16" wheel with 30" tires, the 2003+ Rubicon had 16" with equivalent of 31" tire, it was definitely E rated. Not sure on that Sahara or the Tomb Raider Rubicon.
 
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JMT said:
16" wheels were only on the 2002+ Sahara, the Tomb Raider Rubicon and the 2003+ Rubicon, right? The 2002 Sahara had a 16" wheel with 30" tires, the 2003+ Rubicon had 16" with equivalent of 31" tire, it was definitely E rated. Not sure on that Sahara or the Tomb Raider Rubicon.
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The only model I'm aware of that came with 16" wheels from the factory was the Rubicon.
 
I wonder how many Rubicon owners with 16" wheels and E rated tires complained about the ride quality?
 
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