Howdy. I'm looking for advice on some decent but not top of the line shocks are. I've come to the conclusion that the Rancho RS9000XLs are probably a great choice but a bit too much cash for me and i'm really not all that interested in the adjust-ability of them. I just want a firm ride that can handle repeated hard hits from offroading. What's the cheapest shock that will function well in our 8000lb trucks? Are RS5000s basically the same as the 9000s without the adjustibility? I have stock springs on the truck (2" shackle lift on the front) but i really do do a lot of dirt road driving, offroading around the property and the entire drive down the mounting to town is twisties. So shocks will get worked constantly, not a lot of highway driving around here. I just don't see myself getting out and adjusting them every time i decide to get off the road or drive into town.

 

The 5000's are a great all around shock, I call them the get 'er done shock. But you may also want to look at our RS7000MT too, a monotube. But a monotube is a firmer all around shock, FYI. Know about the rebate?

Rancho Suspension: SPRING PROMOTION

 

Thanks for the info Rancho! should i go with the 4" lift fronts? I have a 2" shackle lift and a V10 which sits a bit higher up front than the stock diesels. yesterday i pulled off the road rather quickly into a small dip which rocked the truck sideways quite a bit and heard some seriously loud clunks. my bump stops are in good shape and there's about 3-4" of space there now. I'm wondering if the loud clunks (and i'm talking much louder than the old swaybar link clunks which i already fixed) were my shocks topping out? I think my front end is at least as high as a stock F250/350 now...

 

So check this out
RS999273 (front)
RS999278 (rear) are about 2" shorter than our 4" shock.
Same mounting points too!!!

 

Now i'm confused (which is not uncommon) Here's the numbers i got from the website.

Recommendations for stock
RS999267 L1 LS26 14.650 22.250 7.600 None
RS999266 XP7 LS26 17.310 28.080 10.770 None

Here's the numbers on the two above
RS999273 L1 LS26 17.250 27.960 10.710 None
RS999278 XP7 LS26 15.640 25.100 9.460 None

Recommendations for 4" lift
RS999264 L1 LS26 15.700 24.340 8.640 None
RS999275 XP7 LS26 19.540 32.820 13.280 None

 

I have the 9000's with the wireless controller. And it works like a champ. Installed it myself in the garage.

Wow, great info/customer service from the company who makes the shocks. Keep up the great work.

 

Yeah i don't mind saying it online, the fact that a rep from the actual company takes the time to step up and answer questions even from a guy like me (a random internet stranger who's specifically looking for "cheap" shocks), says an amazing amount about not only the company but the rep. I was going to go with the RS5000 but now I'm pretty sure I'll be going with the RS9000XLs pretty much specifically because of this. I'll probably be ordering from 4Wheelparts (free shipping and $82 a shock) and with the rebate it'll eventually be down to $57. That's amazing. Now i just need to figure out which shock length is the most appropriate.

 

Can anyone confirm the price at 4wheelparts? I'm getting $110 and am wondering if it's worth calling.

 

just put four in your cart and check it should drop the price down in your shopping cart.

 

Another idea is to get Bilsteins for the 99-04 F-350\250s. They are 1" longer than the Bilsteins required for our Exs and should give you the travel distance you need with the minor lift you have. The shocks are $74, free shipping and fast delivery.

https://www.shockwarehouse.com/site/...unt-BOOT-down)

 

You are correct on that one, didn't think the price would change.

They have Canadian stores so I was concerned I was getting the Canadian price. Canada is so over priced when I use the US site the price for front and back is $328 in CA it's $536 ($492USD) that's an expensive 60 mile trip.


I should add I placed my order paid for the expedited shipping should have them Friday

 

This thread was posted in the super duty section a while ago. It was updated also where the OP said he had the Rancho 7000MT's for 2 years and put 80k miles on them.

Rancho 7000MT

Here is another thread by the same user regarding the 9000xls:

Rancho 9000xl

Hope these help your decision making.

 

Thanks for the links. they were helpful. I just read all pages of both threads. Seems 9000XLs are the way to go. I don't drive all that much (5-10k a year max) so a set should last for a long long time.