Rancho vs. Bilstein

Fire814 said:
Tried there but not really to helpful on making the right choice.
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Rancho lists all the compressed and extended lengths of all their shocks. Sort by vehicle and look at all the options for their "recommendations" for lift height. Pick the sizes that will actually work best for you.
 
Called Rancho and after telling the tech what the length of my shocks are now, he told me to go with the RS5000x shocks for the 2" lift.
RS 55239 RS 55241
Ordered and waiting....another pocket emptied
 
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Better to have a shock that is slightly too short than one that is slightly too long. I agree Rancho's lift height vs. shock model recommendations are not all that useful. Personally I have found that some of Rancho's shocks tend to run too tall for some applications they are recommended for.
 
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I had the exact opposite experience. When I did my lift several years ago, I installed the adjustable Rancho 9000xls right from the start based on the rave reviews they got at another forum. They were terrible on any setting. The adjustable valving was a joke. It could only make the ride stiffer, but never provided any rebound control. My Jeep would lunge upwards as it would rebound from the slightest dip. The tires would just skip across potholes. There just no rebound control. After much discussion on the forum, I finally decided to give Bilstein a try. Now I don't remember if the 5100s are valved that different than the 5160s, or if its just the remote reservoir, but the 5160s were a dream come true. The ride was silky smooth. It had similar stiffness to the Ranchos set on #2 but smoother. I also had control. The rear end would now stay in place and it did not bounce across every pothole. When rebounding, the rear end would return to its normal ride position without the drama of the 9000xl. Everything was just controlled the way it should be. Offroad, I found the same thing held true. The Bilsteins simply provided control the Ranchos could not match.

So when I see threads like this I am always amazed. I don't know if its due to a difference in desired handling or if its due to the difference between a light TJ vs an LJ. I wanted more controlled handling like a european sports car. The Bilstiens gave me that. If you like a floaty uncontrolled ride, then maybe the Rancho will fit you better. I have read similar experiences from others as well. So its not just me that noticed this. Whatever your preference is, you could not get me to put Ranchos on my Jeep again. Infact I still have my nearly new 9000xl just sitting around because I don't even feel right about selling them after the poor experience I had.

I guess all I'm trying to say is before you jump on the latest bandwagon, know what you want and do your research. Obviously many people like the Ranchos, but they are not for everyone.
 
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The 5160 has what Bilstein calls "Self-adjusting deflective disc valving", which provides additional free bleed in the compression stroke.
 
Fargo said:
I had the exact opposite experience. When I did my lift several years ago, I installed the adjustable Rancho 9000xls right from the start based on the rave reviews they got at another forum. They were terrible on any setting. The adjustable valving was a joke. It could only make the ride stiffer, but never provided any rebound control. My Jeep would lunge upwards as it would rebound from the slightest dip. The tires would just skip across potholes. There just no rebound control. After much discussion on the forum, I finally decided to give Bilstein a try. Now I don't remember if the 5100s are valved that different than the 5160s, or if its just the remote reservoir, but the 5160s were a dream come true. The ride was silky smooth. It had similar stiffness to the Ranchos set on #2 but smoother. I also had control. The rear end would now stay in place and it did not bounce across every pothole. When rebounding, the rear end would return to its normal ride position without the drama of the 9000xl. Everything was just controlled the way it should be. Offroad, I found the same thing held true. The Bilsteins simply provided control the Ranchos could not match.

So when I see threads like this I am always amazed. I don't know if its due to a difference in desired handling or if its due to the difference between a light TJ vs an LJ. I wanted more controlled handling like a european sports car. The Bilstiens gave me that. If you like a floaty uncontrolled ride, then maybe the Rancho will fit you better. I have read similar experiences from others as well. So its not just me that noticed this. Whatever your preference is, you could not get me to put Ranchos on my Jeep again. Infact I still have my nearly new 9000xl just sitting around because I don't even feel right about selling them after the poor experience I had.

I guess all I'm trying to say is before you jump on the latest bandwagon, know what you want and do your research. Obviously many people like the Ranchos, but they are not for everyone.
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The most common Rancho recommendations made here are for the RS5000X, not the RS9000xl.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
The common Rancho recommendations here are for the RS5000X, not the RS9000xl.
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Yeah, I understand that. That is why I tried to make it clear I had the 9000xl. It is a different shock. The RS5000x might be better, I don't have experience with it. All I can say is that a few years ago, the 9000xl was getting the praise that we see put on the 5000x now. I just wanted to make the point that it may not be the end all be all shock for everyone. Sometimes recommendations take on that appearance. Different shocks will suite different peoples needs. But thank you for making it clear in case anyone missed they are different shocks.
 
k-huevo said:
There's no mention of an additional check valve in the 5100 that I can find on the web.
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Its possible that is a feature of the 5160 only. I don't recall. Its been a few years since I compared them. I will say though, I also loved the 5100s that my friend had in his AEV JK. But that is a specific AEV valved shock, so it might be different as well.

I just want to be clear that I am not saying the Rancho is a bad shock and the Bilstiens are the answer. I'm just wanting people to see that different shocks might suite different peoples needs better. There is no single right answer. We each need to figure out what we are trying to achieve with our shocks and then find the one that best fits our needs. My apologies if it sounded like my sole intent was to bash the Rancho.
 
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If we’re shooting to find a shock that suits our needs, if you off-road a lot you’ll likely want a stiffer shock, you might love Bilstein 5100’s. If you are on-road a lot you’ll likely want a softer shock. I think the Rancho 5000X is a good middle of the road shock. They are not dreamy when driving onroad like some people have said. They may have been dreamy compared to what they ran before. They are dreamy compared to Bilstein’s or Fox. But you could probably find a softer shock, maybe even the 9000xl on it’s lightest setting. But one thing is for sure, never take advice on a good shock for our TJ’s by looking at what works on JK’s or CJ’s or any other Jeep. Look only among TJ’s. My vote is against Pro-Comp Shocks @Billwynburger. Why not just go with what is tried and true. There are a couple more options you could look at, but not Pro-Comp. And IF money is an issue, why not just get the RAncho 5000X which are valved very well for our TJ’s?
 
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JMT said:
If we’re shooting to find a shock that suits our needs, if you off-road a lot you’ll likely want a stiffer shock, you might love Bilstein 5100’s. If you are on-road a lot you’ll likely want a softer shock. I think the Rancho 5000X is a good middle of the road shock. They are not dreamy when driving onroad like some people have said. They may have been dreamy compared to what they ran before. They are dreamy compared to Bilstein’s or Fox. But you could probably find a softer shock, maybe even the 9000xl on it’s lightest setting. But one thing is for sure, never take advice on a good shock for our TJ’s by looking at what works on JK’s or CJ’s or any other Jeep. Look only among TJ’s. My vote is against Pro-Comp Shocks @Billwynburger. Why not just go with what is tried and true. There are a couple more options you could look at, but not Pro-Comp. And IF money is an issue, why not just get the RAncho 5000X which are valved very well for our TJ’s?
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Rancho it is then.:headbang:
 
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I have the Bilstein on now. They ride ok. A bit stiff and I plan on switching to the Ranchos when the time comes. After I installed the AR my front end is a million times better on bumps.
 
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You guys are killing me. I've been perfectly happy with my Bilsteins. I did go from worn out skyjackers to the 5100's so it was a great improvement and I love the ride compared to before. Now I'm wondering if I should change again. I have some other things I want to do so I'll do them first but in the end I'll probably give the Ranchos a try.
 
Interesting thread...Put new 5100's on the Tj..Don't really drive on pavement, but noticed after some driving on washboard awhile, they seem to be spongy...Have the 51's on my 2017 F-150 and they are great on the washboards...Must be the weight issue...
 
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