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Opinions on shocks?

4K views 31 replies 17 participants last post by  Rancho 
#1 ·
Whats your favorite brand? Will aftermarket shocks really increase the comfort or will it make it firmer? Was leaning towards Fox but the Ranchos with their adjustment knob look pretty interesting.
 
#2 ·
Rancho 9000xls are adjustable, so you can set them stiffer or softer, depending on what kind of terrain you're going to be on. Mike and I both have them and we love them.

Great time to buy now, too! Shocktoberfest - buy 3, get 1 free (via rebate)!! :thumb:
 
#3 ·
I'm with Star on the 9000s. Now that said, since I've never had other aftermarket shocks on a Wrangler, they may suck compared to another brand. But compared to stock Rubicon shocks, they are noticeably better at controlling the body's reactions to on-road potholes, pavement ripples and other things that used to upset the Jeep's composure. Offroad they are also much better, but I did a few mods at the same time, so it's not just shocks.

I've been in a stock rental 2014 Wrangler Sport the last three days, exploring the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. The first thing I noticed about it was how excruciatingly bad the stock shocks are, on road, or off-road at speed. Wow! They must have cost Chrysler about six dollars each. :)
 
#4 ·
Just put a set of Rancho 9000xl on my JK and coming from the stock Sport black shocks was worried if they'd be too firm or not enough rebound control if set soft. Neither case. I set the Ranchos up front to 4 and the rears to 5 and it's comfy like stock but less dive/squat and worlds better in the rebound department. They're highly recommended on WF and I can finally see why.
 
#5 ·
If I had Rancho 9000s available 50 years ago, it would have saved me a ton of $ and hassles replacing so many sets over the years.

My Ranchos are nearing 1 year/17000 miles; mostly DD on old county pavement but with excursions into fire/logging/trails.

So far no complaints.
 
#6 ·
I have heard the Ranchos are really favored here, but I know I'm not going to be crawling under the Jeep when I go offroad to change the settings. Will the 9000's still be favored over, say, the Bilstein 5100s? for an all around performance shock that is not going to be adjusted?
 
#7 ·
Adjusting the Ranchos takes me about 90secs total to do all 4 and I haven't changed them since dialing them into how my JK's setup. When comparing Ranchos with any other non-adjustable shock, you're stuck with what that other shock provides: most often too soft or too firm; the 5100s are supposedly on the firm side of the spectrum. You don't have to make adjustments on the Ranchos after the initial setting. The fact is every JK is set up different and having an adjustable shock enables you to dial in the best balance for YOUR particular JK; that's why Ranchos are so popular here.
 
#8 ·
I'm looking into some new shocks too. I put E rated tires on my JK within 3 days of having it and I think that was a mistake. Hitting washboard at any more than 50kph makes her skip and almost go sideways. Should these Ranchos help remedy that? I don't think it is completely the tires fault.
 
#18 · (Edited)
I'm not trying to be "that guy," so forgive me if this is all known to you. But it sounds like you're not real clear on what shocks do.

A lot of people think that a "soft" shock is going to "ride the best." They picture a pillowy, 68 Cadillac sort of floating along, it's super soft shocks absorbing all of the road bumps and lulling the occupant into a state of drowsy bliss. And by contrast, a "low-slung sportscar" will have "hard" or "firm" shocks which allow the car to grip the road real well but send a shock through your spine with every bump. All of these car "facts" were learned at the knees of our fathers, who didn't know the expression "I don't know, son," and had to make up stuff when we asked "why?".

But if that were the case, cars with 150,000 miles OEM shocks would be the most comfortable of all because the shocks have gotten so soft. Everybody would hate to get new shocks because it would feel like getting new unwashed jeans after you have a pair broken in.

In reality, it is the combination of springs, shocks, suspension geometry, tire composition and sidewall height, bushings, total unsprung weight, and probably a host of other elements that determine the perceived comfort of a vehicle's suspension.

But the main job of the shock is not to "absorb shock" (I know, right?) because that's really the spring's job. The shock is there to make the spring QUIT bouncing around, and do so as quickly as is reasonable. So instead of the spring going SPROING, SPROING, SPROING, the shock makes it go SPROING, SPR....

The spring/shock combo are supposed to absorb as much energy from a road-shock as possible, as quickly as possible, so your body doesn't absorb it. But it also has the job of preventing the wheel that went over the bump from becoming airborn (losing contact with the road). And that goal is in direct conflict with the one about keeping your fanny from feeling road bumps.

So the suspension designer has a lot of goals, and a lot of variables to work with. In a sense, his job is a lot easier if he's trying to maximize to only one variable (like designing a racing shock, or an off-road only shock, or a comfort-above-all-else shock). But trying to find that best compromise for a multi-use vehicle is quite a job, and monkeying with just one element usually winds up worse than the OEM equipment was.

That said, the Wrangler OEM shocks are so bad at both on-road comfort and control, AND off-road articulation and control, that just about any shock you could buy will be an improvement, in my opinion. What makes them both low-performance AND uncomfortable (to me, anyway), is that they don't actually control the spring's gyrations very well at all. With the result that uneven pavement sends some massive shimmy through the steering wheel, and through the chassis and the body and up into your seat. And through the gearshift if you have a manual. When the springs load and then unload, it feels like they are bouncing all over the place for 2 or 3 seconds before the chassis settles back down. And that makes the car feel uncomposed, and bouncy.

Wow -- this was unacceptably long. Sorry!
 
#16 ·
Those rancho 9000's are good. I can see why they are so popular. Fox and King both offer rebuildable shocks for not much more than the Ranchos though. If I wanted the ultimate shock available off the shelf, I'd get the Fox 2.5 series. That internal bypass is amazing. Same type of shock used on a Ford Raptor. Over $500 a shock though.
 
#17 ·
The key appeal to the Ranchos is the ability to turn that nob and get the ride you want for the conditions or load.The only way to get a better ride would be to spend a bundle on custom tuned shocks that are tuned for your vehicle weight and tire and suspension set up which any time you made changes or added weight you would need to have them tuned again to get the same ride.
 
#21 ·
:awesome:

nicely done, NoGaBiker!!!
 
#24 ·
Ask away, I have been on them since 2011. They are a nice firm/responsive shock. In the Jeep world, I haven't heard any complaints ( actually one jdamtt but the last I heard he called Customer Service and get it fixed :) ), ( in the truck world 3/4 to 1 ton) a know a few guys who took advantage of our 90 day return and went to the 9000's.
 
#23 ·
For me, the key word in all that is "control". That is what the shock is doing...

You can also have control and be too stiff for comfort, so getting the right balance is what we are all looking for. keeping in mind that balance for me might be slightly different than you.

Speed sensitive valving also comes in to play as the valves react differently based on the speed of the piston inside the shock to provide impact control versus undulation control. The dampening needed to keep you from rocking side to side going over a speed bump slowly at an angle, would throw you out of your seat if you hit it at speed. The magic is getting this part right.

I always thought I wanted monotubes... Going with Rancho RS9000XL's based on WF feedback.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Thanks for some even more detailed info. And I agree completely with your assessment of the energy dissipation or conversion to heat properties of all shocks. And I'll admit I was being hyperbolic when I said that just about any aftermarket shocks you could buy would be better than the OEM. My experience with Wrangler aftermarket shocks is limited to a couple of brands, and both have proven to be better at all variables then The OEM black or red units with which I have experience. But no doubt there may be a few or even many aftermarket manufacturers who don't get their valving or some other component right and wind up making a mess of a shock. One thing that recently verified my opinion happened this past weekend. I rented a 2014 Wrangler sport six speed with 4000 miles on it for three days of fun in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Put around 600 miles on the jeep, with over 250 of that being off road. This ranged from some mild rock crawling to some moderate-speed Sandy washboard travel, and everything in between. For comparison, my Willis wheeler is also a 2014 and has stock wheels and tires, with a rancho 2 inch lift, which includes 9000s of course. I was very quickly reminded of how inferior the OEM set up is to the Rancho set up, on smooth pavement, on rough and even potholed pavement, and on every single one of the off road conditions I encountered. The Jeep was less composed at moderate and high speeds on two Lane blacktop, less comfortable for long stents in the driver seat, and less compliant over rough washboard dirt roads. Other then obviously saving the profit masters at Chrysler a few dollars, I can think of nothing that the OEM shock does as well as the Rancho. And in the world of aftermarket parts, it's not usually the case that the aftermarket version does every single thing better than the OEM. Usually you enhance one aspect at the cost of another one. To be fair, the Willis has the Rubicon KM's in 255 series and 17 inch wheels, while the sport has some other tire with 225 in a 16 inch wheel. But I suspect the sidewall Heights are pretty similar between the two, and the sport on 16s ought to have a more compliant, soft, and comfortable ride due to the tires. So if anything, that comparison works in favor of the sport. And for the record, I typically run 14 or 15 psi in these conditions, and did so on the rental sport. ( yes, I took my compressor and deflators in my luggage. :))

Please note: the above was dictated to Siri so any weirdness is on her!
 
#31 ·
Great info in here!!

I however do not completely buy in to the "suspension tuning in a kit is better" thought process.

There is no way for the manufacturer to know how much gear I am running. It might be tuned well for a specific set up, but add the roof rack and RTT and bumpers and winch and swing 37's and recovery gear, etc. It just won't add up. And yes, the weight can change enough to completely throw off the dampening.
 
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