Bilstein or Rancho Struts?
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2007
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I HAVE THE BILDSTIENS, THEY GIVE THE TRUCK A GOOD LOOK, THEY ARE VERY RESPONSIVE BUT YOU CAN FEEL EVERY BUMP. I DONT HAVE ANY KIDS SO I DON'T CARE. EITHER ONE THOUGH YOUR GANNA HAFT TO FIND SOMEBODY WITH A MASSIVE SPRING COMPRESSOR, THE NORMAL ONES WILL NOT WORK SAFLEY. I LIKE EM AND WOULD RECOMEND THEM. HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT THE RANCHO
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Joined: Dec 2008
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I had sort of decided to go the Bilstein route, but the above statement is of some concern. I don't mind a firmer strut, but I'm not looking for a harsh ride. Can you elaborate on that. Anyone else with Bilstein's please chime in. I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I won't if it appreciably stiffens the ride.
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Joined: Dec 2008
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LAPII, I hadn't seen the Rancho's before, and I had been to their websight recently to see if they had something similar to the Bilstein's. I recently bought the same truck you have. I found the Rancho Quick Lifts after you posted this and I sent them an e-mail to see if there is any adjustment between 1" and 2.5". Essentially, the strut is based on their RS9000 shock which has 9 positions of adjustment. I know other guys that have had these shocks and they are very good shocks with adjustment ***** that allow you to tailor your ride from soft to firm. Rancho just developed a remote controller to adjust the shocks from the cab that looks awful nice too. I may have changed my mind again. However, 1" might not be enough and 2.5" was more than I wanted. I do like the adjustment option for the shock valving. You can make it stiff when you want it and soft when you don't.
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Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Colorado
The Rancho quick lift system for the F-150 will give you a 2" lift. When I first looked into them I thought I could adjust from 1 to 2.5 but when I called and talked to the technical support they told me that for each truck it is different. For the F150 it is only 2"...there is no range. I have the regular RS9000 strutt and the RS9000 shocks for the back and I love them. Great ride and being able to adjust them is a bonus.
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LAP II, I am kind of in the same dilemma as you. Firm ride I don't mind, but I'm not looking to see how much jarring my fillings can withstand. There are two things I'm wondering about: 1) I wonder if the Bilstein Heavy Duty( the yellow/blue) shocks might be a better option than the 5100's which are valved primarily for off roading. 2) How do you get to the little **** on the Rancho's inside the coils? Needle nose pliers?
If anyone has experience with either of the above shocks, please enlighten us.
HYPO
If anyone has experience with either of the above shocks, please enlighten us.
HYPO
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Colorado
Yep it is the red **** at the bottom. The fronts are actually the easier ones to get to since you can turn the front wheels out of your way. The back are kind of a pain. After you figure out what settings you like the ride though you don't really ever mess with them until you go off-road then I just crank mine all the way down to allow for more movement.
Back when I bought mine all the off-road shops said not to bother with the incab air adjustment as it never seemed to hold right. Supposedly Rancho fixed the issue and it is a pretty good setup. I still just manually adjust mine though.
Back when I bought mine all the off-road shops said not to bother with the incab air adjustment as it never seemed to hold right. Supposedly Rancho fixed the issue and it is a pretty good setup. I still just manually adjust mine though.
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 559
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From: On a farm.
I took the Rancho Quik Lift route on my F150HD and got a full 2.5 inches of lift. Lift is variable according to the different trucks and because mine is the highest GVW in the lineup, it has the heaviest front springs offered, which keeps the front end taller. My low miles, stock F150HDs sat about 1/2 inch taller than a stock '07 FX4 I came across to measure. The ability to adjust the shocks is wonderful and if you spend the time to match shock adjustment with tire pressure according to load, you can really dial in the suspension for a good ride. It's way better than stock now. I has a long prior relationship with RS9000 shocks. Had 'em on a trail rig for more than 10 years and sold the truck with the shocks still working great.
Bilstein was my second choice because they make quality parts that hold up. What I don't like about Bilstein is that they are typically "sport" tuned and a little rougher than I like. I can't say all applications are rough as cobs, but some are.
I must be getting old. Ride actually matter to me now!!!
Bilstein was my second choice because they make quality parts that hold up. What I don't like about Bilstein is that they are typically "sport" tuned and a little rougher than I like. I can't say all applications are rough as cobs, but some are.
I must be getting old. Ride actually matter to me now!!!
Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 57
Likes: 4
Well thanks guys great information here, Im looking for a comfortable ride too. So now im leaning back towards the auto-spring set-up. If anyone else has any input from long term testing please do tell.
I do believe the Rancho set-up is a little more expensive though? Can someone elaborate a little more on the Rancho tuning (adjustable) **** dealio? So you can tune hard or soft ride?
I do believe the Rancho set-up is a little more expensive though? Can someone elaborate a little more on the Rancho tuning (adjustable) **** dealio? So you can tune hard or soft ride?
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2008
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The **** has 9 settings and goes from soft to firm. Turning the **** affects the internal valving. These shocks (RS9000 series) have been around for a long time, although the earlier versions only had 5 settings.