I tried both Rancho and Procomps.. the Ranchos are leagues better than the Procomps, but both are extremely weak compared to the quad ranchos in the front. I have absolutely no trouble with control in the front but the rear bounces all over the place.

I know part of the problem is the solid axle in the rear. I'm also planning on running shock shackles (designed them in my brain, built them, then found out they already existed and cost only $20, oh well) which are just going to add to the problem. I know Autofab builds like, this weird 12 shock setup for the rear end but that's a bit extreme.

Everyone goes on and on about Bilsteins, but I don't wanna fork out money for more shocks if it's just a simple problem with placement, or a single shock setup not being strong enough for lifted flexy springs.

If anyone cares what I'm fighting, it's this weird uh, 'jiggle' I get in the rear. It's bouncy on strong hits or drops, that's got to stop too, but it's that small bump 'jiggle' that I can't stand. I have sooo much control in the front, the rear is just really turning me off every time I drive my Bronco.

Bottom line is that I just have no experience with shocks, shock setups, shock brands, styles, etcetera. Hardcore guys buys lots of shocks and keep the ones they like, I can't do that, I'm gonna have ot put a motor in this thing soon and I'm trying to hold off spending much money.

edit:

I'm not going for a prerunner, I live in Indiana.. I just wanna be able to hit a speed bump or rough tracks at speed without having to worry about the Bronco being thrown all over the place. In turn, I gotta be able to flex enough I don't tear my frame in two when climbing AND don't want it to feel too hard every time I hit a bump.
That hard 'bang' you get with 1/2tons, especially get with bigger trucks (like 1 tons) drives me insane in an SUV. I know that's mostly in the springs, but everyone says Bilsteins are sooo hard I'm concerned they'll cause this. I want a soft, controlled ride. Never thought it would be possibel to have both, but my frontend is so controlled that it went beyond what I thought was possible in any vehicle, let alone a lifted 1/2ton. I'm just really struggling with my rear end.

 

KYB is as good as Bilstein IMO and costs less. I have air shocks on the back of my Bronco, tho, so it won't sag so much when I tow with it.

 

That old autofab setup with 6 shocks is only like that because they were using lil 2.0 rancho shocks and were jumping on em.

Bilsteins are firmer but last longer than most. Some of that can be made up with softer leafs like Deavers or Nationals. Most lift leafs are over stiff to prevent sag (superlift, etc), what springs are you running in back?

Side to side or up n' down??

That's pretty normal with lifted short wheelbase trucks and standard liftkit springs.
You can get a soft, controlled ride, but it costs $$$.

 

I have Deavers in the front. I don't know the brand of the leafs in the back, however they came with those Procomp shocks I was talking about, so I'm gonna assume they're Procomp.

I removed the two shortest and stiffest leafs from the pack and now the rear is a lot softer than the front of the truck, though they weren't very hard before I removed the leafs. the truck just sat a tad too high and I didn't need all of those overload leafs.

Anyways, like I said, I just know very little about shocks. The procomps, at rest, extend fully for some reason, the Ranchos don't. I don't understand why. "2.0s", I assume that's inches diameter? Also, both of the front shocks are faaaar stiffer than the rear ones. I can barely compress/extend the front ones by hand (it's a pain hooking them up), but the ones in the rear don't take a lot of force to extend or compress. The Ranchos take a lot more strength than the stock worn shocks, or the Procomps I have, but still nowhere near what the front takes.

The jiggle I'm talking about is hard to explain. When I take a small hit in the rear, the suspension 'jiggles'. They're sorta like small bounces? Up and down.. it can feel sideways motion, though I don't think it is in the springs I think it's just one wheel reacting to the other side.
this might just be the nature of the solid axle, but with big hits it bounces a second time instead of stopping completely when the suspension returns to stock level, that I know definitely means my shocks aren't strong enough. I've had this problem since I got the truck, or at least since I first lifted it (with blocks).

You get the same feeling in brand new trucks, it's actually worse in an unloaded 2010 F150 I just drove. It bounces less, but has that stupid rearend jiggle a lot worse than the Bronco.

I just absolutely love the Deaver + quad shocks in the front, even if they are cheap Ranchos (I have a feeling when I compare them to Bilsteins when I get the chance, I'm gonna find out the Ranchos weren't that bad). I dunno how much of this is because of the quad shocks and how much of it is because of the TTB. Short of my stupid tires and flex in steering, I desire nothign else be done for the front end, it's just flat out perfect.

I guess I'm just trying to find which direction I'm going next.. if it's just as simple as welding two new shock mounts and throwing on a couple of Bilsteins (or KYBs?), I'm all for it.. but everyone in the world who takes their truck's lifted suspension seriously puts in ladder-bars as well. I get no axle wrap, I know what axle wrap feels like, but according to AutoFab ladderbars solves more issues than just axle wrap.

I should mention that if anyone else drove the truck I doubt they would notice anything, it's not like something is broken, it just doesn't excite me every time I hit a bump like my frontend does?

 

Replacing shocks is not on my "roundtuitt" list. I am satified with just four KYB gas.

 

I went through Ranchos, cheap KYB's, and Edlebrock RPM's before finally finding a pair of shocks that controls the rear axle on my F150 worth a ****....KYB Monomax. I've been running those for almost a year (~15K miles) now, and I'd recommend them.

 

Bilsteins can be ordered with specific valving to compensate for various driving needs. 5150s and 5125tend to be the most popular.

 

I was looking into the KYB monomaxes, they're nicely priced. I have no clue what part number to look at, no idea how long the shock should be for my 6'' or so lift in the rear. Having trouble finding parts on their site.

My shock mount broke on me the other day (my beginner welding job), sad thing is, I didn't realize it until I saw it. The Procomps were so bad that they didn't make a hugely noticable difference in ride quality. I guess they're used so I can't blame them completely, still, that's pretty sad. I'm definitely going to start recommending Rancho shocks for the low to midend price range. I think they were $25 or $30 a shock? For normal driving they did fine, just lately I've been driving it pretty hard and plan to drive it even harder.

I think I'm gonna order KYB Monomaxs when I can find out which part number to get. I'd try highend Ranchos but all I can find are some adjustible ones that are $100 each. I also found some strut-type shocks with a spring to help with loads, they might be worth considering...

I plan on towing an 18' boat with this truck this summer. With the lift blocks I could pull it around like it wasn't even there, I doubt I will have any trouble with my current setup if I take it easy, but without overloads, soft springs and weak shocks I could run into trouble if I hit the wrong bump at the wrong speeds.

 

I wanna post this in my TTB thread too, but check this out:

YouTube - Bronco test run 1 at ocotillo

this is sorta what I'm dealing with (I'm not exactly prerunning, but you get the idea). This guy is using stock shocks in the rear but with Deaver packs, see how his rear end is just ALL over the place?

I'm thinking about going a quad setup in the rear.. two of the monomax's in stock location, my two ranchos on top of the axle. Putting something on top of the axle housing would help with the rebound bounce, I'd imagine.

 

I use Ranchos in rear paired with my Quad Ranchos on front but after 100,000 miles they need replacing. I have been real happy with the Rancho 5000 on my Suburban.

 

With my ~3" lift, I run the 565063. For a 6" lift, I'd run the 565091. Here's a link to KYB's tech info: http://www.kyb.com/technical/documen...onsSecured.pdf

 

What do you guys think about this?

Skyjacker Suspensions DS360 - Skyjacker Rear Multiple Shock Bracket Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com

running the ranchos with my home-made shock shackle setup and the KYBs on this? I can buy mounts from broncograveyard for about $60 total (upper and lower), however, I like the idea of more frame support in the rear. Am I being dumb about this?

thanks everyone, you all have been really helpful

 

oh, i have a video up that shows some of my rearend problems. The front isn't as stable as I'd like either looking at the video, but the rear is just hell.

YouTube - ‪Bronco Offroad with baby twin nephews‬‏

 

try ranco rs9000 instead of rs 5000

 

Or find a wrecked Ford Raptor and steal the shocks and suspension off of it.