Rancho Rs5000's Died.....Got Bilstein's

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:37 am

SomeCrew wrote:I'd like to thank Advanced Auto Parts for selling me a 75 dollar axle that lasted 1 whole day! Even the GM axle lasted longer than that!

I Can Relate To That, I Bought A Set Of 4 Rancho RS5000 Shocks In January 2004 From Advance Auto, Within A Couple Months Of Installation I Got The Rancho Shock "Thud Noise". The Handling Seem To Progressively Get Worse And The Front End Started Making All Kinds Of Racket. After Searching For Any And All Known & Unknown Problems With The Front End And Not Finding Anything Out, The Handling Got So Bad I Didnt Even Like Driving My Crew Anymore.

I Finally Broke Down And Ordered Some Bilstein Shocks For The Front. When I Took The Rancho Shocks Off The Front I Could Completely Compress Them, Throw Them On The Ground And They Wouldn't Even Attempt To Spring Back Out. Both Fronts Were The Same Way.
I Have Only Had The Truck Off Road Maybe 3-4 Times In The Past 2 Years The Rest Is Street Driven.
So Either My Rancho's Were Garbage, Or ADVANCE AUTO Just Sells Returned / Recycled / Used Parts As New You Got Me.
Anyway The Bilsteins Are AWESOME, There Are No Noises At All Comming From The Front Of My Truck And It Handles Great.

Sorry About The Long Rant But That's My Story And I'm Sticking To It.

Blaze One · Post by **Blaze One** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 12:12 pm

I am sure glad i didn't buy those Rancho5000's i was lookin at yesterday ....
I am going to cheapy route today , Monroe Sensatrac's , on sale and i don't really care if they are not best for offroad , I don't plan on using this truck for longer term period .

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 2:04 pm

my rancho5000s are fine they have been on for over a year now

GeorgesBlazah · Post by **GeorgesBlazah** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:22 pm

i ahve bilsteins and have nothing but good thins to say about them.

Post by **HenryJ** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:24 pm

I don't think you'll be disappointed this time.

rick · Post by **rick** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:45 pm

Its my understanding that bilsteins can be rebuilt when they wearout.

kauaibuilt47 · Post by **kauaibuilt47** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:49 am

Anyone have experience with the Rancho 9000's (air adjustable ones)? I talked to a jeeper who liked em but Im not sure how well they'll do on our heavier CC.

Post by **HenryJ** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:43 am

rick wrote:Its my understanding that bilsteins can be rebuilt when they wearout.

Some models can. Not the heavy duty and OEM though.
Unless damaged, I doubt that you'll wear a set out though. The Bilsteins on my old S-10 are still performing adequately after 150k miles.

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 7:15 am

HenryJ wrote:I don't think you'll be disappointed this time.

Well It's Been 10 Days And No Complaints At All, The Bilsteins Are Some Really Nice Shocks.

I Also Have The polyurethane Kit For The Front Sway Bar To Do This Weekend.

Post by **Walt** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 7:25 am

I'm considering a swap to Bilsteins in the front now.... I know I've been soooo pro ProComp. They're great shocks, but after adding the poly swaybay endlinks and stuff, my front end is too stiff. It corners great, but bumps make me feel like it has no suspension on the front. Maybe Bilsteins will increase my ride quality a bit. Any opinions?

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 2:26 pm

wamason wrote:I'm considering a swap to Bilsteins in the front now.... I know I've been soooo pro ProComp. They're great shocks, but after adding the poly swaybay endlinks and stuff, my front end is too stiff. It corners great, but bumps make me feel like it has no suspension on the front. Maybe Bilsteins will increase my ride quality a bit. Any opinions?

I like my bushing kit with my HD Bilstiens but, ever since my 97 ZR2 with it's stock Bilstiens, I have been a believer.

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 2:55 pm

I'm getting an awful lot of creaking metal to metal noise from my front end lately. I wonder if my Rachos are beginning to shift a bit too. I'm surely long over due for the poly swaybar bushings though and for the price, I'll give that a shot before replacing the shocks again.