houstonshark

After dealing with it for well over a year I decided to replace the rear shocks on my '08 Limited I finally had enough of how poorly the rear of my truck rode after just doing a 2" shackle and removing the block that was between the leaf springs and axle.

The rearend just seemed so tight and bumpy so after a little research I decided to go with the Rancho RS9000 since it is 9 way adjustable. The truck definately rides better but even with that much adjustment it just still either seems too soft (where the rear wants to slowly bounce when on the highway and hitting slight dips) or too stiff on regular roads and highways to the point where you feel everything. Somewhere in the middle of the adjustment seems the best in terms of ride quality but it still wants to bounce some on the highway.

What have others used? Is it the rake of the truck causing the issue now that the back is lower, is it the way it was dropped (has anyone done a flip kit with a lifting shackle to get 3-4" of drop?) or is the Rancho not a good choice even though they make great shocks and these weren't cheap at $100ea?

VanoFord

now, i dont have a drop on my 06, i have a 3" body and a 3" susp lift, but i do have the RS9000xl's in the rear, and I love them. It took some time to dial them in, like you are referring too. I have the QuickLift rs9000xl's up front, so all corners are 9-way adjustable. What I did was set the numbers real high first, drove a wk or two... didnt like it. So I set them low, still didnt like. So then I started mixing it up, not keeping the two the same. I think I ride 4-5 in the front, and a 7 in the rear. I think the shocks are amazing. they handle great when free bed or loaded out. Not sure if the flip kit is working against those or not... just wanted to give my $.02 on the shocks themselves...

FYI, woodlands TX here. Trying to get a Houston area meet/greet/eat for this weekend or next (supposed to rain this weekend and we all know lots of ppl dont go out in the rain in fear of melting... )

houstonshark

Thanks! I guess I'm a little less patient especially since right out of the gate with the shocks set to 5 it was night and day different. It rode great on a decent road and even on the highway. It was soft enough to where you didn't feel the little bumps but then on the highway it didn't quite seem stiff enough as it would want to kinda float and slowly bounce up and down with the dips in the road.

I have it at 9 right now and know it's too stiff. I want to drive it for awhile and start adjusting it down like you did.

Did you notice that it made much of a difference to adjust the rear at different levels? I wonder if since I am usually the only one in the truck and the gas tank is on the driver side if it would make sense to set the driver side a little stiffer and the pass side softer or vice versa.

CrashTECH

Why do you want to drop the rear? Just to level things out? I would lift the front, IMO.

houstonshark

My truck is a 2wd and sits just right with the factory 22" wheels, especially in terms of the gaps from the top of the tires to the fender trim. The rear of the truck sits to high IMO factory and looks a little funny. I rarely tow or haul anything and even when I do with the rear lowered just 3" the truck handles and squats just fine, if at all.

VanoFord

Actually, it was hard to be patient, but like you said, the night and day difference was so much, that I had to dial them in. And the way you truck feels is how mine felt when I swapped them. 5 felt awesome on the streets, goin down Richmond or Dairy Ashford and I didnt even notice how bad it really was. I bet, since your truck is dropped, a 6 in the front and 7 in the rear would seem nice. I dont know if I would make the driver side less than the passenger. The factories cant be adjusted yet they are equal shocks on each side. Maybe, if you are happy with the fronts, just mess with the rears. Get those dialed in, and then dial in the front. This way you just arent tossing crazy options all the time.

my truck is 2wd BTW and its lifted, ready to mud out... some go up, some go down, we're all Fords in the end

houstonshark

Anyone else have good luck with another shock?