Recent Bad Luck with Rancho

K

k-huevo

TJ Enthusiast
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2018
Messages
384
Location
Houston
It started with an RS55241, an angled cut and too long lower bushing sleeve.

Next an RS55256 with incomplete cross bar/pin installation, plus locked when compressed
Rancho RS55256 Offset Mount.JPG Rancho RS55256 Stuck Compressed.JPG

The replacement shock, cross pin installation issue too.
Rancho RS55256 Offset Mount 2.JPG

Then the replacement for the replacement: weeping fluid, poor lower bushing installation, locked when compressed. When I removed the shock from the box, drops of fluid dribbled from the boot.
Rancho RS55256 Weeping.JPG Rancho RS55256 Lower Mount Bushing not Pressed Through.JPG Rancho RS55256 Locked in Compression #2.JPG

My wife said, and I agree, let's move on to a different brand for the rear shocks. I would like to hear some recommendations for a rear shock with about 9.5" of travel. The rear of the TJ is light, no rear seat, spare tire, or aftermarket bumper, plus has a soft top.
 
Man that is some bad luck. I got mine installed last month without issue and so did @tomtaylz. For your lack of weight im not sure what else would be a good option. All I can tell you is my experience with other brands.

I have had 3 different shocks on my tj. The first were ome nitro sports which I would rank 3rd on my list. They were very rough riding. Next were bilstein 5100s. They were acceptable on the road but once you hit a washboard road they would shake a filling out. Like I said earlier, I currently run ranchos which by far have been the best.

May be worth calling rancho and explaining your situation. They may hear your story and make it worth your while.

I think @Chris ran fox shocks at some point so maybe he can chime in and give you a review.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shane Mckinley
Fox and Bilstein shocks are both great in terms of quality. The one thing I will say is that while Ranchos ride the best, the certainly don't look as well put together as the Bilstein 5100s or Fox 2.0s (I've run both).

Neither of those has as good of a ride as the RS5000X, but in terms of quality, you won't be disappointed.

It might be worth reaching out to Rancho directly (not a third party vendor). Their customer service is shockingly (no pun intended) good. If they were to see this, I would guarantee they'd make it right and then some... guarantee it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex01
Would they offer you a full refund? If so maybe order them from amazon or allen's offroad. Maybe they keep sending you shocks from a defective batch.
 
I have always found Rancho (Tenneco) to have great customer service. Hopefully they'll sort the problems because the 5000X is a great riding shock.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex01
Man, that does suck. I got my Rancho’s off of eBay and they actually double shipped me. Though the extra fronts required a t bar eliminator to work on the bottom. I sold the extra set locally to another Jeep guy. So far the ride has been great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have RS5000X shocks on all four corners, so I'm aware of their ride quality. The RS55256 is my fourth Rancho shock model.
 
I have bilsteins ...they will shake your eye teeth out . Otherwise , fine .
 
Thanks to k huevos bad luck I scored a set of rear shocks from him for $40. huuuugge improvement over my stock 2002 shocks with 108k on them They has ZERO rebound

D7D3ABF0-FDB3-42EB-815C-BFA562FDCC06.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
Serbonze said:
I’ve used the Bilstein 5100s and now Rocksport. The Rocksports are head and shoulders above the Bilsteins
Click to expand...
I have RockSports on the rear now. The Jeep rests right in the middle of shock travel. I like the damping rate. I wish they made a front shock with similar dimensions as the rear model.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 02FlameRed
Top Bottom
Back