Rear Shock Suggestions

[jsander]

Hey guys, I busted a rear shock on my last wheelin adventure and am looking for some suggestions on a replacement set (for the rear only)

FYI, I am running a 3" BL and 3 1/2" SL. I have JD's double shock hoop up front and am running there 70/30 shocks up front. I have custom shock hoops in the rear so I can run a longer shock. I am going to take some measurements this afternoon so that I get the right length.

I was thinking about going with a set of Rancho 9000's, but am open for suggestions: Fox? Pro Comp?

[Familyman]

I am using the Racho 9000 and like 'em but I hear that the bilsteins are really nice too. I recently ripped out my rear shock mounts and will be doing some measuring trying to get the right leangth shock. Right now I have a 9012 with 12" of travel and its about 20" compressed and 32" extended.

FM <><

[TRAILBOUND]

I have the 9000's on mine and love the adjustability, I'm not quiet at the lenght your running but it's nice to be able to smooth out the ride when needed. also rancho sells an in cab kit so you can adjust on the fly.
how do you like the duff 70/30's I was thinking of going to them when i put my 5.5 on.

[Familyman]

I have the 9000's on mine and love the adjustability, I'm not quiet at the lenght your running but it's nice to be able to smooth out the ride when needed.

2X , best part about them
FM <><

[jsander]

I have the 9000's on mine and love the adjustability, I'm not quiet at the lenght your running but it's nice to be able to smooth out the ride when needed. also rancho sells an in cab kit so you can adjust on the fly.
how do you like the duff 70/30's I was thinking of going to them when i put my 5.5 on.

When I added the double shock hoop with the 70/30 shocks, I also added JD's Long Travel Radius Arms. I definitely noticed a differnce compared to the original set up, but it is hard to say if it was the shocks or the radius arms.

It seems like technology has come so far in the development of shocks, especially in the offroad racing world. I don't have any complaints with JD's shocks for my application (around town, Rubicon etc.), I probably didn't need to go with doubles up front but it does look cool

[jsander]

Familyman ~ What are you running for a Body Lift/Suspension Lift ?

[Lars]

I'm from the Bilstein camp. Remote reservoir 12" stroke 7100's in back, valve 275/78. Not cheap, but Bilsteins work well over such a wide variety of conditions that you don't need ajustability. Besides, my Rancho 9000s were good for about one high speed trip through central Nevada, after which they were toast. Blown out.

I have 12" Fox reservoir shocks up front with 7/8" shafts, valved heavier than you can get in a single Bilstein. Desert race valving, really. Not worth the money unless you really like high speed dirt.

[jsander]

Lars ~ I was checking out the Bilstein web page, what is the difference between a Reservoir Shock and a Schrader Valve Shock as far as performance. I know that the Reservoir Shock has an external reservoir which helps for high speed applications, is there anything else I should be aware of? Thanks.

[Familyman]

What are you running for a Body Lift/Suspension Lift ?

2" Body and 4.5" coils with pivoting coil buckets in front and 5.5" rears
FM <><

[Lars]

Lars ~ I was checking out the Bilstein web page, what is the difference between a Reservoir Shock and a Schrader Valve Shock as far as performance. I know that the Reservoir Shock has an external reservoir which helps for high speed applications, is there anything else I should be aware of? Thanks.

Jeff-

Reservoirs are used for improving heat dissipation in extreme conditions. Usually that means high speed off road, like desert racing. So whether you need them or not depends on how you use your Bronco. If all you do is slow-speed crawling or tooling around on the street, then reservoir shocks are a waste of money. The only exception, as far as Bilsteins are concerned, are their "short body" shocks. You'll see in the descriptions of their 7100 series shocks that you can get a 12" stroke shock that has the same overall length as a 10" stroke shock, for example. They do that by using a 10" body for a 12" stroke. Since that means there's no oil volume left, those shocks have to have a remote reservoir. I run those in the back of my Bronco for fit reasons- I need the 12" stroke, but the short body is easier to stuff in the wheelwell.

One more thing: as much as I like my Bilsteins & Fox shocks, the reality is that most people don't flog their Broncos at speed like I do (and I don't do it very often). For low speed crawling, Ranchos or similar are great. Apart from high speed running, the biggest advantage to the Bilsteins is how nicely they smooth the bumps in daily driving, which I do more of than anything else with mine. Even then, having had several sets of Rancho 9000s myself, it's not like the difference between a torture rack and a feather bed.

If you do want to give the Bilsteins a try, Lee at www.raceshock.com in Phoenix used to give people in the Bronco world a modest discount, and he's a nice guy to work with. I recommend going with 7100 series shocks. Single shock per corner is fine. Go with 360/80 valving in front, 275/78 in the back. 12" stroke is generally plenty in front. That's a pretty long shock, so plan on having to set up your mounts accordingly. I was able to stuff that length shock in my front wheelwells with a 1" body lift & 4.5" suspension lift. The short bodies are obviously easier to package, but because of the reservoir, they are more expensive. In back, if you have inboard shock mounts you can get away with a 10" stroke shock. Shocks mounted at the wheels (stock location, Wild Horses hoops, etc) need 12" of stroke because of the amount of wheel travel you can get from leaf springs.

[Lars]

One more thing...

There is a rarely-mentioned advantage to the Bilsteins. They are completely user-rebuildable, and if you don't like the valving, that can be changed too. Which means, from a practical perspective, that as long as you don't bend one you won't need to buy any more shocks for your Bronco.

[jsander]

Lars, thanks for the info. I stopped by a local 4x4 shop this morning to verify my measurements and because of the angle of my shock mounts I am only getting a total of 6" of travel (3" in each direction) for the rears.

Because of the way my top shock mount has been relocated my shocks tend to pivot in compression, thus causing the shock to rotate rather than compress. I guess I didn't really think it through when I fabricated my rear shock hoops. Because of this I have a higher chance of damage the shock tube on a rock, thus making a rebuidable shock useless.

Right now I am leaning towards a Ranch 5000 (much cheaper) since my shocks don't seem to have much effect in the suspension. Actually what I might do, is take the Pro Comps off of my F250 Superduty and put them on the Bronco since they are pretty old, and outfit my F250 with some new shocks Sounds like a new thread

[Familyman]

Hey jsander, I just picked up some new shocks and have some (2) 12" travel RS9000 that I would be willing to sell. They both have a small dent in the upper part of the tube but doesn't seem to effect them. They have been working fine on my rig, no leaks and adjustment works fine. Just FYI. I realized that Mtnbronco was right at the meeting my shocks were limiting my travel.
FM <><

[jsander]

FM, I am definitely interested. I went an met with my Fab buddy who did the welding on the rear shock hoops originally and we came up with an idea that would probably work. I am a lil' leary about spending a bunch of money on some nice shocks until I know that this new set up is going to work. What are you looking to get out of your 9000's?

Heres a couple of pics illustrating my delimna, if you look at the lower and upper shock mount you will notice the angle at which the shocks meet at each mount............No Bueno

[jsander]

Hey jsander, I just picked up some new shocks and have some (2) 12" travel RS9000 that I would be willing to sell. They both have a small dent in the upper part of the tube but doesn't seem to effect them. They have been working fine on my rig, no leaks and adjustment works fine. Just FYI. I realized that Mtnbronco was right at the meeting my shocks were limiting my travel.
FM <><

FM, if you're still looking to get rid of those 9000's let me know. I need to have some shocks by Monday. Thanks.