Rancho 5000X for freeway driving mostly

[Neil Sears]

Hi all, I’m about to order shocks.

I have a stock suspension 2000 Sport with 30 inch Duratrack tires on Moab wheels.

I do a lot of freeway driving but am in no way a Wheeler off-road. Occasionally with snow, there’s some tricky roads by my home in the mountains, but that’s about it.

Are Rancho 5000x still my best option? Any specifics I should be aware of?

…and if so, does the group have any particular vendor we like to support?

Thanks in advance you guys are always so helpful.

 

[Chris]

Do you want a firmer ride more sporty or a softer ride?

 

[Vtx531]

The rubber boots or exposed rod bug me. Too bad they don't have shields like the cheaper oem style socks.

 

[TheBoogieman]

The rubber boots or exposed rod bug me. Too bad they don't have shields like the cheaper oem style socks.

OCD?

 

[Neil Sears]

Do you want a firmer ride more sporty or a softer ride?

I don’t know? Lol. I’m in California and we once’s had amazing concrete freeways but now they are so bad you hit a crack at 60 and your phone flys off the mag mount so maybe softer?

 

[Chris]

I don’t know? Lol. I’m in California and we once’s had amazing concrete freeways but now they are so bad you hit a crack at 60 and your phone flys off the mag mount so maybe softer?

The RS5000X shocks are a good choice for a softer ride. That's what I'd go with.

 

[MikekiM]

I am still running the 5000X.. Daily driver, about 50 miles of highway per day. Still no complaints other than how shitty the paint finish is. Had I known I would have painted them before installing them.

 

[The4bangertj]

Also running 5000x. Great shock. Done 6cross country drives and still daily driving them. PAINT THEM BEFORE INSTALL, Or you’ll have to pull them off in 6 months to when they start to get rusty.

 

[DavidBT]

I also run the 5000X and mine does commuting 3 days a week and trail duties when I can get out.

 

[Zorba]

No complaint here with the Ranchos - but DO paint them before installation. I painted mine red to match my Jeep. No problem with phones flying off of mounts either - because I don't have a PHOOOOOONNE nor a mount!

 

[cpwolf]

I have the 5000x and drive Austin, Texas (Cedar Park area).

These Ranchos run well on the street with a 4" suspension left and 35's etc. Great ride on the street, and I've had no issues offroad either.

I saw the complaints on paint, and when I got them I shot clear coat on the white area etc. made no issue.

 

[Rickstar321]

Eyyyup... 5000X for the win, and I rough sanded and then painted them before installing... saw too many reports about how fast they rust. MIne have been on for several years, thousands of miles across country to wheel hard and have held up great.

I was trying to find a pic that shows them... only thing I have on short notice.

 

[TheBoogieman]

I have the Ranchos. I'm going with Skyjacker Black Max soon to see if there's any real difference in ride quality.

 

[JohnF500]

Bilsteins- very happy with them on the road and the trail. Only did one off road park- AOP - adventure Offroad park, lots of rock crawling and did well there too…

 

[Space Naught]

I threw on the RS5000X on my TJ. Stock height, nothing crazy.

They are soft, but great for my 60+ miles of highway it sees practically daily. Sometimes a little too soft for the strong winds we see in NTX, but way better than the locked up OEM shocks it had for 23 years.

 

[Neil Sears]

I was driving back from Palm Springs, California to Los Angeles and literally I didn’t think I would survive. The wind can really do numbers on our little Wranglers if we’re going topless. Do you think these are problematic for windy situations or more or less the same as other quality's shocks?

 

[rasband]

Shocks do matter here, but I don't think Ranchos will help much. You'd want something either tuned (expensive) or much stiffer like the bilstein (which can be considered "harsh"). If you're willing to spend more money the swaybar(s) is (are) also largely at play.

 

[Apparition]

Shocks don't help TJ's in heavy side winds IMO. If you buy stiff Bilsteins for that reason, don't ever drive it when the winds are below 50 mph.
ps. On a positive Bilstein shock note, I made 76 cents one day by driving over coins in the street with my Bilstein shocks and knowing when to pull over when they were quarters.

How’d you get the penny?

 

[JohnF500]

I have bilsteins and drive highway and Offroad and have no complaints even in the wind and the highway. With top off the wind goes through the jeep with less effect then with the top on- but no concern either way. I would prefer to have the ‘tighter’ handling then softer ride. We have Fox shocks on the gladiator and find them on the ‘softer’ side. It’s all preference and what you like or what you’re used to. Some put ketchup on a hotdog and some like mustard…