Is there a noticeably improved ride with the off-road shocks? My truck came with the standard shocks, and I replaced the worn out ones with new standard shocks..just wondering if I should have gone with the Rancho off-road shocks.

 

if you have the money to spend id go with Bilsteins. thats what i went with and love them

 

belsteins r prolly one of the best. thats what im gonna get one of these days

 

Well I know they're pretty impressive on the Lightnings. Is there a noticeable difference with the Rancho shocks that Ford uses, or is it mostly marketing?

 

To answer your question, the Rancho shocks are a LOT stiffer and give the truck a hard ride on bumpy roads. I would like to replace my rancho shocks with standard shocks for this reason.

My previous truck was a 2000 F150Scab4x4 that was not the FX4. It had standard shocks and had a good ride. The 2002 I have now is an FX4 that has the Rancho shocks. I don't offroad. Seems to me that if I did the softer shocks would be even more desirable for off roading.

 

go with the bilsteins you wont regret it and theyre gonna be alot better than factory ranchos

 

The Bilsteins were used on the lightnings, and they're supposed to handle much better without being not much more harsh on bumps..seems that would be the way to go when I next buy shocks..thanks, I'm glad I didn't buy the Ranchos last time.

 

Bilsteins

 

The FX4 ranchos are nothing special, monroe reflexes to be exact. But like the rest have said, when in doubt go bilstiens.

 

The stock shocks were awfull even new ones.
Went with Rancho 5000 as a replacment that were much better but still felt they were not tight enough.
Now it's replacment time again this summer and would like something with a bit more control.
There are vairables that influence the total control, like what tires, what air pressure and what you do with the truck, as to what to expect from shocks.
There are no standards to go by.

 

I didn't know those two are the same. I was afraid of getting something that would make the ride like a jack hammer, so I tried new standard shocks first..from what I've heard, Bilsteins handle much better and don't make the ride much stiffer. They certainly seem to be a favorite on here, so I'll get those next time. If I didn't have to worry about snow I just may have bought a Lightning instead, with the Bilsteins already installed.