I got to drive on part of a highway that usually gets the truck rockin'n'rollin'. With the 9000 shocks on 9 it did the same thing, just not quite as bad. It still was tossed around.

On my way home I dropped the pressure of the shocks to their lowest setting and it "floated" like a caddie. I did not drive on the same stretch of highway that gave me the "bounce" so I can't do a direct A-B comparison with 9 vs. 1 on the dials. I can say that the truck felt a heck of a lot softer though. Somewhere in the middle should be a happy medium.

I will work on the MyRide kit tomorrow and see where I get with it. I really can't wait to try it out after today. I had a few miles where I could have got things nice and tuned in with the MyRide today... I can't crawl under the truck going down the highway

 

A couple quick notes -

The MyRide kit is not hard to install.
It does take some time running the hoses and getting everything secure.
Make sure the air hose is AWAY FROM THE EXHAUST PIPE on the rear passenger side....
Allow extra hose length for the suspension travel.

*The air compressor does make some noise, so be aware of that. You'll hear it at the end of the video. It also pulses to maintain pressure, so be aware of that as well. I need to route the power to this unit to switched power so it doesn't pulse all night long.

 

Great job Steve. I'm excited to hear your thoughts on how the on-the-fly adjustments work.

 

The on-the-fly adjustments work really well, and they are fast. It only takes a couple seconds to get to 9 if I choose to go that high.

The MyRide controller has several "stock" settings. My favorite after today is the "highway" setting. This sets the front at 6 and the rear at 3, I believe.

I have not been on any roads that get the truck oscillating. A buddy of mine has an 08 F350 CCLB SRW and wants to see what the difference is in the ride so when I get a chance we'll go for a ride and compare. I am hoping I can get that on video too so I can post up the ride results with something you can "see".

In regards to the settings and the compressor "pulsing" - I have the MyRide (custom) setting at 0 front and back. That way when I shut down the truck I can go to 0's and the pump won't run. Then when I get back in I can hit the "Highway" setting and be right back to where I want it. This is only temporary though, I am going to re-route the power wires to switched power so I don't have to worry about it.

The noise the compressor makes is noticeable in the cab. Going down the road it doesn't matter much, but if you're at a stop it is much more noticeable. If noise bugs you it might be best to put the compressor somewhere under the truck or in the bed. I don't know how "road proof" it is, though, so if it can get in another enclosure that might be best. Up under the hood by the fuse block is pretty protected though.

Stay tuned for another video when I get the chance. I am hoping Thursday will work out.

 

I'm curious if any of you have tried the 5000 series Rancho shocks. If they are the same shock as the 9000s minus the ability to adjust, I really can't justify the more than double price. Any thoughts or facts if there is a HUGE difference? Thanks!

 

I understand the 5000s to be an OEM replacement albeit a quality OEM replacement. They would be an improvement but I'd bet they wear out quickly. These are heavy trucks and need the larger shock.

 

gs_47 - I will offer this much for you to think about as well -

The setting I like the most on my system is 6 on the front and 3 on the rear. It is the stock highway setting in the MyRide controller, but if you have manual adjusting 9000's you can get the same numbers.

I have not been on the stretch of highway close that gets the oscillations going, so I have not been able to test them outside of my "normal" driving.

That having been said, there is not going to be a "one setting fits all". A CCLB 350 6.7 engine truck is going to take the same exact part number shocks as a CCLB 350 6.2 engine truck. [Matt, I'd be curious to know your input here since you have the same truck/shocks I do with a 6.2 ] The difference is the 6.7 has that much MORE weight up front. Depending on how you look at it, the weight of the engine going up will let the suspension system travel "more" because the shocks have that much harder of a time holding the change in force back (hitting a bump - suspension compresses, then rebounds - weaker shocks = more movement, stronger shocks = less movement). The adjustable shocks let you tune to the load. Same goes for hauling vs. unloaded or towing vs. unloaded. You can adjust for what you're doing.

That all goes if you are concerned with your ride quality. When you're on the road for a couple days ride quality becomes important. Though I have never considered "ride quality" in the perspective I use it here before, what really made an impression on me was hitting miles and miles of "oscillations" in the middle of the night on a 2 day drive. It is one thing to feel that around town day to day for a couple miles, but when you're packing miles going somewhere and all the truck does is "oscillate" going down the road it gets old real quick and, in our case, was a safety issue. We had 3 drivers and had to rotate every 20 minutes or so. The rock-n'-roll was quick to suck the energy out of us when we were already tired.

My #1 goal - prevent the oscillations. I do not believe there is "one size fits all" shock in this case that will do that - and it was worth it to me to spend the $$ in pursuit.

Lastly, to compare a 5000 to a 9000 in that a 5000 is a non-adjustable 9000 I believe is a mistake. Regardless of whether or not the 5000 is lighter duty than the 9000, you can make the 9000 be what you want it to be. If you throw one set of shocks on your truck and never "tune" them how do you know the difference in ride quality? You can compare it to the stock set up, but how much of a real difference is that going to be? With adjustable shocks you can feel the difference as you go down the road and make those adjustments.

 

Nice job Steve, I added the information to the Tech Folder

 

great video. But I noticed that your driveshaft is rusty? Mine still looks polished and new. I also have the sliver cover on the differential. They they go the cheep route on the driveshaft too?

 

Hey Lex,

The driveshaft is aluminum so it won't rust. The output shaft from the transfer case to the front differential is steel and has that nice, orange patina. Same with some of the other steel suspension parts. My rear diff cover and just about everything else under the bed of the truck is covered in old diesel oil. I had a gallon container in the bed open up when I was taking it to the recycler and it ran through the 5th wheel hitch hole and onto everything underneath. There's a shiny aluminum differential cover there. It's just currently being protected by a cover of old diesel oil...

I really need to take the truck somewhere and have all that mess cleaned up.

 

but look at the driveshaft in the video......

 

Doh! I was thinking of the wrong video. You're right. Did Ford replace the aluminum driveshafts with a steel one?

 

looking that way. I start a new thread.

 

If your compressor is pulsing on/off you have a leak. Very likely at one or more of the shock adapters. Spray some soapy water on these areas and look closely for bubbles. It should be pretty obvious. Remove, lube up the o-ring and carefully reseat. Mine was doing the same thing and after finding and fixing the leaks no more pulsing.

 

Epic and Steve:

Thanks for the input and you definately gave me some food for thought. I have the 5000s in my back seat right now.... BUT, now I'm wondering if I should splurge..... You make a good point, w/o ever being able to adjust how to you truly know the potential an adjustable shock gives you.... Being laid off at the moment has a good bit of bearing on how much I'm spending. I got these at a bit of discount but I also worked for the local manager at Advanced. Maybe it would be in my best interest to take another trip up there and see how much of a "deal" I could get out of him for the 9000s.... I'll let you know later cause that's what I'm thinking I'm going to do. I don't plan on getting rid of this truck anytime soon and have recently spent some money fixing other things so might as well get what would possibly be best for the lifespan of this fine truck.... Thanks again!