Are Rancho shock absorbers worth it?

[Jeeps]

I'm chasing opinions on shock absorbers for a 2inch lift. I've been told that Ranchos either:

1) don't last and 2) are overpriced and only a brand name

I have also been told to price some Munro's cause 'they're all made by the same mob..." etc

It's all very confusing.

I really like the Rancho RS5000 (non adjustable and $130) and the Rancho 9000X (adjustable and $198 ). I'm concerned that if i get the RS5000's they might not perform well enough but if i get the 9000x adjustables am i just paying for a gimick that i'm not gonna use? For the money saving with the RS5000, i can get some other goodies for the jeep.

Does anyone run the 9000x adjustables and is it worth the extra money?

And, does anyone run the RS5000's and are they a good shock?

[Gordo]

Had RS9000's and incab for several years. No failures. Used the incab all the time - very happy with it. Knocked one plastic elbow off the air line once otherwise faultless. The elbows hang a bit low for my liking but somehow I only killed the one. You can reattach the manual knob for trail repair if u kill and elbow - 5 mins work.

Now have Edelbrock extremes with remote cans. They have IAS wizardry for auto-valving and have a great ride and generate very low heat for speed work. A cosmic leap in performance from the Ranchos. And being rebuildable is cool too.

That said - the Rancho's were beaten in several spots over the years and still worked great so would get them again. Their new remote model looks pretty cool too.

5000 and 9000 are same. 5000 are just a 9000 stuck on 5 (mid) setting. If $$ is an issue just go the 5000 for the same durability without the adjustability.

cha-ching

[CharlieBrisbane]

Jeeps, I had the 9 way adjustable on my last 4by. (Landcruiser 80 series) They were great for offroad and onroad you could realy fine tune it for your needs. However after 1.5 years the rear ones only dial up to 7. This is apparently fixable with some cleaning but for the price I would have liked better durability. I have been told that on jeeps they have no problems as it is so much lighter than the landcruiser, about a tonne. So would consider them for the jeep.

Charlie

[TJ]

this is web wheeling experience, but the failures that are reported seem to be on heavier rigs?

[MattW]

Only get the adjustables if you arte gonna get the in cab adjuster otherwise you are wasting your money. You might play around with them for the first couple of weeeks but after that you wont change them. Especially if you go wheeling and the jeep is muddy

[maddog]

I have 9000's at the moment and I've been pretty happy with them. Use the adjustable settings all the time, although I don't have an in cab adjuster. It's probably something I would have got if I was sticking with them.

[MR EXTREME JEEP]

I use and recomend the 9000's adjustable. I have played around with different settings onroad and it allows me to fine tune the ride. There might not be huge difference b/w say stages 1 and 2 but there is definately a difference b/w 1 and 3 So as far as that goes they are not a gimmic. IMHO. Off road when I disconnect it take not more than 1 1/2 minutes to adjust the setting to HARD for the day. When I reconnect it takes maybe 2 1/2 minutes cause I have to battle through the mud to get to the dials. I will buy the incab contoller its just a matter of priorities.
Good luck with your decision.