Rancho shocks - garbage

[Gyro Gearloose]

Yep, Z71. I looked at KYB and was tempted. I've had good luck with them in the past. Decided on Bilsteins because....well, because I had to make a decision!

I have also run KYB (Japanese monotube version of Bilstein) on Land Cruiser, a little stiffer and I don't think the valving was as progressive as the Bilsteins. KYB also a good shock but I like the Bilsteins better.

[Chiefblueman]

I have also run KYB (Japanese monotube version of Bilstein) on Land Cruiser, a little stiffer and I don't think the valving was as progressive as the Bilsteins. KYB also a good shock but I like the Bilsteins better.

My thoughts exactly. Had KYB's on my previous truck. Good shocks and lasted for years but seemed a little more harsh than the Bilsteins.

[TucsonJim]

Has anyone replaced them on a 2011-2016 F350 themselves? Is it something that could be done mostly one handed?

Jim

[Gyro Gearloose]

Has anyone replaced them on a 2011-2016 F350 themselves? Is it something that could be done mostly one handed?

Jim

Jim,

One handed may be a bit hard. Theses are heigh pressure nitrogen filled so hard to compress. I will try to take a look at how they are installed on your rig. Depending on how they are mounted, it should take less than an hour to do ( if they are not like my dodge). If looks easy I could put on a set for you in Vegas. You provide the beer.

Pat

[TucsonJim]

Jim,

One handed may be a bit hard. Theses are heigh pressure nitrogen filled so hard to compress. I will try to take a look at how they are installed on your rig. Depending on how they are mounted, it should take less than an hour to do ( if they are not like my dodge). If looks easy I could put on a set for you in Vegas. You provide the beer.

Pat

That sounds like a great deal. Hopefully by then, I'll be healed up enough that I can use that other hand though.

Jim

[MidwestCamper]

Just replaced the OEM Rancho shocks on my pickup. It's been riding like crap for a while now. When I pulled the Rancho shocks off I couldn't believe that they were completely shot at 43,000 miles (and they've been worn out longer than that, I just now got around to replacing them). There was not much resistance when I compressed them and absolutely zero rebound. They just stayed compressed with no weight on them.

I replaced all 4 with Bilsteins and I hope I get better wear out of them. Truck rides like new again.

This is a normal life cycle for a factory shock. If you have a factory Rancho monotube shock, you may get more longevity under normal conditions. If you are doing a great deal of towing (severe service) with the fifth wheel, you would need to monitor more closely for wear. My half ton GMC has monotube Rancho shocks where this truck rides excellent and is what I wanted for a daily driver for this reason. Having experience with Bilstein, I will eventually replace the Ranchos with Bilstein's when its needed since I am increasing the towing miles. 55K miles and rides excellent. A vehicle dynamics engineer that I used to work with told me the aftermarket shocks will always be stiffer where this decision was made by the aftermarket so customers can feel a difference after going through the expense of replacing factory shocks. Otherwise they would be dissatisfied. So with your shocks being worn you could feel a significant difference. If you would have replaced them when the truck was new, most likely you would have also felt a slightly firmer ride.

[Bamaman]

Shock absorbers are actually wear items, and they don't have a very long life span. You'd be disappointed to compare 20K mile shocks with new shocks.

I replaced my OEM shocks with Bilsteins, and they didn't last very long either. And I think they were something like $75 each.

Rock Auto sells so many different shock absorbers for my SuperDuty truck that there's no excuse not to change them periodically. I think I paid $20 each for the heaviest Monroes they made there.

I am a believer that anyone towing a 14K mile fifth wheel trailer needs to keep their suspensions (including shock absorbers), brakes and steering components at 100% condition.

[MidwestCamper]

This might explain why my F350 rides so harsh at 40K miles. I just thought it was normal. It came equipped with Rancho shocks which I thought were top of the line. Anytime I hit a small bump, it sounds and feels like someone is hammering on the suspension.

The supplier will build a shock to the vehicle manufacturers specification where they work closely with the OEM in the development of the factory shocks. Same with tires which may share the same name across the product line but the original OEM supplied tire is built to the vehicle manufacturer's specification.

[MidwestCamper]

Has anyone replaced them on a 2011-2016 F350 themselves? Is it something that could be done mostly one handed?

Jim

I replaced the new factory shocks on my Dads E350 motorhome to help with bump steer on the Ford twin I beam design. The stiffer Bilstein's helped with the bump steer and also on body roll.

[Cate&Rob]

A vehicle dynamics engineer that I used to work with told me the aftermarket shocks will always be stiffer where this decision was made by the aftermarket so customers can feel a difference after going through the expense of replacing factory shocks.

Coming from the same OEM world that Jim does, I would echo this as a key observation. A vehicle dynamics engineer is interested in the best balance of ride and handling. There is no incentive for him/her to do anything but find that best balance and they have tuning tools and calibration increments plus lab and road testing that most owners cannot imagine. The durability/longevity of the components that make up that suspension tuning is another matter (this is where manufacturing and sourcing costs factor in) . . . but, your truck left the factory with the best tuning balance for its intended use and GVWR. It is time for me to replace the dampers on my truck . . . and I will go with OEM replacement parts.

Just my two cents worth . . .

Rob