So i have read here that the rancho shocks of fx4's arent really rancho. so my question is are they any better than the regular shocks on an XLT?????? The ride off road seems to be smoother than my dads XLT- but maybe thats just cuz its newer????

Dan.

 

If they are any better, they are not very much better. They are really just glorified Ford shocks...

If you want to get new shocks to off road, buy some *real* Rancho shocks (or your other favorite brand).

 

Well i dont know how much better they are- but they get the job done and are plenty smooth enough for me i guess. i dont do any rock climbing, lol. About the only place its too rough is on some crappy gravel road ends- but i dont know if any shocks can cure this.

Dan.

 

Yes, there are many shocks that are much better than OEM. Especially if your originals have more than 30K miles on them. I'd guess that 3 out of 4 vehicles on the road have bad shocks. It's one of those things that you never realize until you are shown the difference. Most people with bad shocks will swear up and down that their truck has good shocks.

 

I agree with Rocky. You never realize your shocks are bad until you replace them. Mainly this is due to the fact that they gradually wear, so you dont really notice them going bad until you pay attention to it.

You would be surprised how much better aftermarket shocks are than the OEMs.

 

so what is the test for your shocks? i was always told force each corner up and down and then stand back. it should stop bouncing within one stroke. is that right?


-matt

 

That will work on cars, but I have yet to have work on trucks. The springs are just too strong. Even with real bad shocks, I have done this and it stops in 1 stroke. I have just gotten to the point that at 30k I change the shocks. It also wouldn't hurt to change them sooner. Believe me and the others, you will notice a difference.

 

The best test is to drive it around. While the 1 bounce test is semi-ok, that doesnt tell you how the truck will ride with those shocks.

 

So do the aftermarket shocks have a longer service life?

I cant really beleive that shocks are shot after only 30,000 miles

Our 98 farm truck has 40,000 miles on it- and those are 95% farm miles= hard and rough. And ,sure it is not as smooth as when new but , i sure dont think they "need" to be replaced. And my brothers 2001 with 50,000 miles is almost as smooth as my 2003 with 7000.

Now my 4-wheeler on the other hand, lol, has one that is shot and everytime u hit a bump it taks a vertebrea out, LOL.

Dan.

 

That's because the 2003's schocks are crap at 7k miles too. Mine were. Few people believe it until they replace them.

 

ok, so ranchos have a lifetime warrenty on them. what is their recommendation? are they going to replace my shocks with 38K on them? how do you go about getting new ones?

-matt

 

All the aftermarket shocks I have tried last far longer than the 30k of the OE. My 90 had 160k on it when I traded it in. I had replaced the shocks at 30k and again at about 110. That last set was still on when I traded it.

 

Rancho Aftermarket shocks have lifetiem warranties, not the OEM ones on Ford trucks. I owuldn't want them again anyway, free or not.

I imagine one would call Rancho, or the place you purchased the shocks from to ask about warranty issues.

 

well i dont know what u guys are doing to your trucks- but my truck with 7,000 miles on it is just as smooth as the day off the lot and it gets used on the farm and hunting and such. so it aint just a town truck.- in reverence to the guy who said his were shot at 7,000

i dont think the factory shocks are going out this quick- i think the aftermarket ones u guys are putting on must just be that much better. But i have no complaints as of yet.

Dan.

 

My 99 F-150 w/ Off Road Package shocks were shot by 20k miles. I replaced them at 40k miles. My 03 FX4 shocks felt different at 5k miles than they did new. At 27k miles, they feel the same as 5k. Are they shot? Maybe not, but they sure do suck compared to the 99 OEM shocks, and their replacements.