Chris:

Did you ever talk to any of the tech guys at Shockwarehouse when you were working on this issue? I know that when I was purchasing my Bilsteins to go with my 2" front leveling kit, those guys were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I believe, though, that I still ended up with a limited travel similar to what you've described, but I was also only considering the Bilsteins at the time because of the sale they were having (25% off, or buy 4 for the price of 3). They may have some insights on other viable options for us, but I just have not pursued it because I am rarely on anything but pavement, and I figured I would not investigate until I replaced the shocks again.

 

Nice find. That looks like it would do the same thing.

I don't remember who all I talked to. I did try several different avenues. The only ones I found were through 4wheel parts and the ride was pathetic.

 

Old thread Revival effort...

How about another update, Chris. Everything still going OK with the welded bolt extenders and stacked washers, or have you now come up with a newer/improved solution?

Another question I have for you is whether or not you think the combination of the shock extenders and the Ranchos would be a good solution to our unique situation? If you think it is not a good solution for your driving conditions, then do you think it would be acceptable for typical smooth pavement travel where deep potholes and/or huge bumps are really rare?

The reason I ask is because I am generally on really good roads, and the rougher ones are not too bad at all either. I travel the same paths week to week, and am always watching for new potholes on the back-county roads where logging trucks run, so it would be an exceptionally rare situation for me to either hit a chuck hole or have to run over a huge bump.

You see, I just replaced all my tie-rods, end links, ball joints, and camber bushings, and will be replacing my sway bar bushings this coming weekend... all around HUGE improvements in steering and handling!! I am also considering replacing the too-short Bilsteins with something along the lines of your solution just to get a really complete "new" front end as well as the fact that I sometimes hear the front shocks hit their extended limit. I really like the beefiness of the Ranchos you tried, and am willing to address the steel sleeve and shock extender modifications if it is a good solution.

 

Pete, the Rancho's I tried up front blew out because they were too long.

It's been about a year, so that means 40k - 50k since I did the weld on studs and stacked washers. That is still working fine with no troubles. I guess since it's been that many miles I should probably pull them and check to make sure they don't seem worn. You know how it is since shocks go so slowly, you don't tend to notice they don't ride like they used to.

I plan on extending any new shocks I need to get in the same manner when these wear out.

What brand parts did you use on the front end Pete? When I replaced my outer tie rod ends with Moog problem solvers, the right front only solved the problem for about 6 weeks before it started making noises and was worn.

 

Chris, I went with Napa Chassis Parts for all four tie-rods and the sway bar end links (US made and appear to be slightly beefier than the Napa Mastercraft option). The new ball joints are XRF's, and since my first pair of XRF's only made 70K miles, XRF replaced both the upper AND lower under warranty even though it was only the upper which had worn (you might have seen my detailed comments in another thread on this issue). The new sway bar bushings are coming from Energy Suspension, and I did all the research to make sure that I got the right size units to fit my 2WD sway bar. The front shocks are the same 4600-series Bilsteins I installed when I did the front leveling kit several years back - roughly 70K miles ago (Bilstein shocks and struts for cars and trucks - Shockwarehouse.com).

I'm tempted to just extend the existing shocks to get a little more compression and see how/if that changes anything. As for new shocks, if I do replace the existing, what do you think about using the extenders on the stock replacement sized Ranchos?

 

Just saw this, and they may not be what your looking for, but zone off road (sister company of DBS) makes a 2.5 front lift shock. Like I said, may not be the ride your looking for, but I like mine and there pretty cheap.

 

Thanks for the heads up on that, but all their options appear to be for only 4WD... the quandry we're dealing with is the absence of similar options for our 2WD trucks.

 

Nevermind

Stewart

 

LOL... for once I beat someone else to the post!

 

Stewart

 

Have you ever done anything different with your setup, Stewart, or are you still running the same Bilsteins you were earlier?

 

Didn't even check what wheel drive they were, sorry about that. Just knew when I got my 4 inch lift shocks there was a 2.5 option. Just shot the thought out without checking.

 

I don't really know how the stock Rancho's would compare Pete. The ones I tried that were beefier, were for a different application, so someone would have to take a look at them and see what they look or feel like.

 

Same setup.

It's funny, my wife's 4x4 Ex and my new to me 4x4 F250 feels smoother than my old 2-wheel drive F250.

Stewart

 

No problem... I appreciate your input.


I'm thinking that I'm going to try to Rancho stock replacements, depending upon what I hear back from them. I shot their Tech guys an email yesterday asking for some additional tech information on them... might just have to call them if I don't hear a reply today.


Thanks, Stewart. Having now seen how badly worn my 2WD system had gotten without me knowing it had gotten that bad, I can see how even a 4WD vehicle could be better than what I was riding on. The same steering wheel movement that had given me a 2-3 second lane change now gives me a about a 1.5 second lane change... much tighter tolerances and responsiveness, and I have not even changed the sway bar bushings (tonight) or adjusted the steering box (this weekend.

If I do end up replacing my Bilsteins with the Ranchos, I'll post some side-by-side pics and whatever tech data I can scrounge up.