Kinda in the mood to do something to the truck. Uncle Sam needed some mo
money - so the Kore thing is out. But shocks are doable. Everbody seems to love Blistein, but the rear shocks are not in country. Blistein says they are back ordered till 3/13/06 - but the boat has not come in yet. Recent post indicate that Rancho 9000's are good, and they are available. So is there a problem if I put Blistein's on the front and Rancho's on the rear. Rancho's are adjustable so can compensate for the load or soften for the ride. Ya'lls thoughts...

 

Can you just not wait for the rears?? Are your factory rear shocks shot already? I would opt for a matching set if you could wait....

 

I'm gettin' ready to break down for a set of the Rancho's today. I'm sold on the adjustable thing. Plus I don't wanna have to wait for 'em either. I've read really good things on here about 'em. Anyways, if you did a blind test between the Rancho's and the Bilsteins, would you really be able to tell the difference? Both are probably very good shocks.

 

I'm not sure if you could tell an "immediate" difference, but i would put my money on the Bilstein shock for the long haul. I would still want a matching set of shocks, no matter what the choice is.

 

My thinking is that Blisteins on the front, Ranchos are hard to get to to adjust. Ranchos on the rear can adjust for ride or load.
Is there a real reason, not just preference, to / not to mix / match shocks?

 

I can't think of any reason other than preference. I've never heard of anyone mixing shocks....not even with the same brand.

Let us know how you like the adjustable Rancho's though!

 

I just added the Rancho 9000 adjustables a couple of months ago. I can tell you without reservation that they improve the ride and handling. My truck handles like a sports car now, compared to with the stocker shocks.

Im sure the Bilsteins are great shocks. But so are Ranchos. I tend to agree with Rambunctious......Could you really tell the difference between one or the other???

I like the adjustability of the Ranchos. Right now my fronts are on 7 (out of 9) due to the heavy Cummins engine and Ranch Hand front end. I doubt I will ever change the setting there. The rears are set for 3 right now while empty. If I put on a heavy load I can easily adjust it up as needed.

I also tend to agree.....that it wouldn't matter if you mix and match the shocks front and rear. Why would it? But then again...why do it? You can buy all of the Ranchos right now at one time and install them and be done with it. Good luck.

 

http://www.lorenzindustries.com

build it as you go

 

I'm sure the Rancho 9000 and Blistein are great shocks, but my wallet seems to be a little thin. Can you get the same ride quality out of any of these cheaper shocks? Skyjacker Nitros, ProComp ES3000 or 9000, I found a Fabtech and Superlift Superide for decent prices too. Get cheaper ones now or hold off for something better?

 

I have the Rancho in cab adjustable, and I like them a lot. I have had them on for about 2 years. If you opt out of the in cab adjustment, the fronts are really hard to adjust because it is hard to reach the **** inside the springs. Because of that, you never make any adjustments. The rear is easy, the **** is right there. If you are sold on the bilsteins, you won't go wrong though, just depends on what you want.

 

How much are you really going to save? $10, $20, $30. I say hold off and get what you want, whatever that is. You have a $35,000+ truck. Don't put cheap on it just to save a couple of dollars.

Im sure any of the shocks will be better than the stockers though.

 

I have Bilsteins on the front and Ranchos on the back. That is the way to go. I used to have the Ranchos on the front but they are a pain to adjust up there and they really don't work as well as the Bilsteins which are more velocity sensitive. Having Ranchos on the rear means you can adjist for the changing loads you carry and still get a good ride when empty. There is no reason to match brands front and rear. The Ranchos are far better than the stockers and well matched to heavy loads. Under heavy loads the velocity sensitive aspect is of little use but a stiff shock is needed. If I had it to do over I'd still go with this setup, works great.

Wetspirit

 

Yes you can tell the difference. They are a different design and operate differently.

Wetspirit

 

Personally? I didn't like the way the Bilstein rear shocks rode. Better than stock, yes, but not really enough of an improvement to justify the expense. The truck rode worse unloaded and better loaded. Which doesn't do me that much good because 70% of the time I have nothing in the bed and no trailer behind me. 20-20 hindsight would suggest an RS9000X might be the better option for the rear of this truck.

With that said... What Bilstein part number are you looking for? I recently installed a Carli kit and pulled the Bilstein 5100 series shocks off my truck. They have a few thousand miles on them and appear to still be in very good shape. A couple bucks for the shocks, a couple more for shipping, and they're yours if you want them.

 

Aloha, I have sent you a pm, I hope...

Thanks for imput Ya'll. I really appreciate the help!