Rancho vs. Bilstein

I got Bilsteins, I like them for the most part, but anything was better than the blown out ones the PO put on :D. When the time comes I'm probably gonna switch to the Ranchos to see the difference.
 
Got my Jeep hack with the the Rancho shocks , removed the nearly new Bilsteins.

Wow...It's a different Jeep.

I appreciate all the good advice and knowledge shared here .

Thanks Chris, Jerry, Rob and all of you .

Andy

I did the exact same thing, removed the new bilstiens and put in the Ranchos! Made a world of difference.
 
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I plan on making the jump to ranchos next spring after all the positive reviews here.
 
How about Ranchos vs. Teraflex 9550? Anyone with first hand?
Tera doesn't make shocks, they just rebrand someone else's low-bidder shock. Stick with a known manufacturer brand name shock so you know what you're getting. You can't go wrong with the Rancho RS5000x. I semi-reluctantly installed a set that Rancho hooked me up with after they saw me complain for years about their previous ultra-stiff riding RS5000 and I was very surprised how much I liked them. I had become spoiled with my previous OME Nitrochargers (no longer made) and was expecting to be disappointed with the new Ranchos, I was not. In fact I couldn't really detect any difference between the OME Nitrochargers and the new RS5000x shocks. Both give a superb highway ride with great off-road control. Rarely do you get both of those traits wrapped up into one shock. I ran Rubicon Express's Monotube shocks on my previous TJ and while they had a great highway ride, their offroad control was completely lacking.
 
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My TJ came to me with Terraflex shocks. The jeep seems to ride ok to me, but then I wouldn't know the difference. So the Teraflex are basically an unknown quality. I've read enough of this forum to be sold on the Rancho shocks if I need to make a switch. I was just hoping to get an idea where the Teraflex shocks stacked up. Maybe a lot maybe a little.
 
I had bilstein 5100s proir to my ranchos. The most noticeable difference I experienced has been on washboard roads. The bilsteins would rattle the whole jeep to the point I would consider checking torque setting while the ranchos seem to handle the same roads much better.
 
I had bilstein 5100s proir to my ranchos. The most noticeable difference I experienced has been on washboard roads. The bilsteins would rattle the whole jeep to the point I would consider checking torque setting while the ranchos seem to handle the same roads much better.

This is really my only issue with my Bilsteins. I'm happy to hear this!
 
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I replaced the factory, likely original shocks, on my 60k mile ride with the Ranchos that have been highly recommended on this forum. It was night and day difference. Rancho holds the road better on the highway, more feel of control over any bump, and with less bounciness on washboard dirt roads etc. It was probably the best bang for the buck upgrade.
 
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What sort of difference did you notice? Better on road or off? Smooth or hard ride?

There is a stretch of the 405 Freeway down in So Cal where I live, with really really bad pavement. I mean that pavement is so beat up that riding a motorcycle on it is literally painful. You exit the freeway and your teeth hurt from clenching. I drive two vehicles, a Ram 1500 and the TJ. The Ram doesn't feel the bad pavement at all (thank God). It glides over it. The Jeep on Bilsteins (5100) is another story! You feel every little bump very sharply. You are rattling, jerking, hurting. At some point I was so mad I wanted to collect signatures from people to petition for pavement update. This changed when I installed the Ranchos. No more sharp bumps on the 405, less rattle and just overall much much smoother ride. I was impressed, anxiously awaiting off-road trials. When I finally got to do some mild off-roading I was even more impressed. The shocks handled the off-road superbly, did not wobble or swim all over at all. It is not very often that you get really good results in both worlds at the same time. The Ranchos nailed it.

BTW, the truck is on Bilsteins ;). This simply means that Bilsteins are not bad, the 5100 is just not the right one for the TJ. The TJ, in my opinion, is a bit too light for it.

Cheers
 
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X2 for Beavis
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What sort of difference did you notice? Better on road or off? Smooth or hard ride?
The ride is more plush , the Ranchos absorb more hack.

On a newly paved road , they are pretty similar , but the Bilstein's are too stiff for rough roads and 2nd and 3rd gear back country type stuff.
 
Looking at the RS5000x and trying to decide which ones fit my 3 1/2" Teraflex lift?
The rear shock on my measures 18 1/2" center of holes and the front shock is 19 1/2"
Looks like the RS5000x come in a 2 1/2"-?? the rear is compressed length 13.688" -21.688" rear part# RS55241
Or 3 1/2"-5" rear is compressed length 15.063 -24.688" part# RS55256

I am thinking that this would be the one that I need?
RS55241 2 1/2"-?? (couldn't find if this extends to maybe 4 1/2"??)
Any help is appreciated..
 
Looking at the RS5000x and trying to decide which ones fit my 3 1/2" Teraflex lift?
The rear shock on my measures 18 1/2" center of holes and the front shock is 19 1/2"
Looks like the RS5000x come in a 2 1/2"-?? the rear is compressed length 13.688" -21.688" rear part# RS55241
Or 3 1/2"-5" rear is compressed length 15.063 -24.688" part# RS55256

I am thinking that this would be the one that I need?
RS55241 2 1/2"-?? (couldn't find if this extends to maybe 4 1/2"??)
Any help is appreciated..

Is the http://www.gorancho.com/ any help? They list the different lifts and models that fit for them.