They reuse factory springs. Like I stated they are adjustable they can go from a factory setting to a hard setting or even softer then factory.

 

Ok, It has become quite clear to me that either A: you know a hell of a lot more about shock technology that me, or B: you know how to sweet talk a shock technology dumbass into thinking you know what you are talking about

That said, I called two local major 4x4 players in my city, and got drastically different opinions on which shock is a better product. Both companies were willing to sell me either product of my choice, but neither really went into the details of exactly why.

In my case, I am never going to take my truck off road. I do plan on owning this thing for about 10 years. I hate the rake look, and just want something level, with as few long term problems as possible. It has nothing to do with which product is 50 or 100 bucks more than the other. I do live in a Canadian major city, that loves, loves, loves putting salt on the major roads in the winter.

If anyone has the time, and the knowledge, could you not only tell me which product is better for a case like mine, but also why?

 

So after some more digging, I have come to the conclusion that there is not perfect solution. Both do a similar job, but neither seems to have a true case for being better....

Feel free to offer up educated opinions?

 

if you see no offroading in your future to earn the merrits of a sport oriented bilstein, go with the rancho. its not like its a bad decision, its just that there are different products out there that are better suited for specifics.

ive been running the bilsteins in my truck for a week now and i love them, but they are firmer and definitely more sporty than the stock shocks and what the ranchos would be. but like i said above, the ranchos are steel cased and they powdercoating WILL chip on them. so if you can keep them painted so as to they dont rust up in your canadian winter wonderland - you'll be okay.

 

one thing i didnt see anyone mention is the bilsteins are firmer HOWEVER, they also have a better resistance to bottoming, which actually can translate into a smoother ride, if your up in canada, im assuming the roads arent that great! also im not sure what your budget is like but a set of full on coil overs, icon, fox, saw, or any of the big companies is going to be such a drastic improvement in ride quality i cant even begin to describe, if i had to make a reccomendation i would say save your money (if your roads are crappy like mine, or you offroad) and go with coilover, they are rebuildable so basically what this means is you outlay a decent amount of money one time, however a rebuild is very very inexpensive and they will litterly last almost forever. in terms of ride quality and damping ability...custom valved coil over, Bilstein 5100 on stock height setting(or 2" setting) then the rancho

 

I usually hang out on other forums but here I am today. I have had the Rancho Quicklift on my '09 FX4 for over a year now. I tow, haul and go off road with my truck. The Rancho Quicklift is freaking awesome! I did spend alittle extra and did the MyRide controller as well, which has been money well spent. When I bought mine you took your OEM spring off and put it on the Rancho. They now have one's called "Preloaded" that has a spring already mounted, which will save time on the install. The Rancho shocks height cannot be adjusted, that being said, my truck is level (i put a level on the bed rails). What can be adjusted is the pre-load on the shock. This is the awesomeness of the shock. It can be set stiffer than stock when you have alot of weight in the bed or are towing, or softer than stock for offroading. I have found an improvement in my ride in every scenario. It is more expensive, I got mine on eBay, installed it myself, then had the dealer do a torque check for $50 when I got my oil changed. Like I said over a year of use, not one issue, ride is better, truck handles better than stock too. Costs more but I am extremely pleased!

 

I have the quick lift on my 2010 fx4. How was the myride controller to install, been thinking about adding it.

 

Any pictures?

 

zitterich, the contoller wasn't too bad to install. I had my wheels off the truck cuz I had them powdercoated and that helped some. Basically you run power from the battery, to a wireless module that connects to a small compressor. From the compressor you route the air lines. You replace the ***** on the shock with a Festo like fitting and done. Finding places to mount the module and compressor was alittle tricky. All in all only took a few hours. If you do it make sure to follow the directions about pre-oiling and cutting the airlines.

DjG, here's a link to my pictures on another forum. No pix of the MyRide installed, but a few during the shock, some before and after as well.

http://www.fordf150.net/photos/u1029...sfx-page1.html

 

Nice, I have that same bull bar on mine, my trucks black though I was thinking the compressor might be a little tricky to place, thanks