Rancho quicklift loaded

Ten7 · April 23, 2015

Yes, I have added a spacer like that from eBay that is 1" to my existing 1.5" top mount spacer for a total of 2.5". I did not put a rear block in at all and on my Z71, it sits perfectly level.

I would be adding the 1/4" spacer to the Rancho Quick Lift strut level, but I don't know why it wouldn't work OK? Just haven't read of anyone doing it.

nadrojcote · April 23, 2015

It should work fine, the only thing is that you are dropping your a-arms down pretty low and you will be topping out because of hitting your ball joint limits. You will have lots of clunking over bumps. At minimum I would look into aftermarket UCA's and maybe a diff drop.

EDIT, I thought you were talking about adding another 1", adding .5" should be fine, that will be about 2.75" of lift.

Ten7 · April 24, 2015

You must have gotten 2.25" of lift out of the Ranchos then? Everything I have read says they are 2", so in theory adding a 1/4" spacer should give me the same lift as the RC 2.5 but allow me a better ride. Or at least that's what I'm hoping for. The 1/4" spacers are only $20-25 so I might just order them to have on hand when I install the quick lifts in case I need them, I don't want to realign the truck twice. I want a little rake but I'm not sure if the rear of a max tow sits a tad higher? It's either the spacer or go with a 1.5 body lift, which might look better all around anyway. The body lift is way more work, but would also help the ride and CV angles.

nadrojcote · April 24, 2015

Do they make a 1/4" spacer? that would really just be a 1/8th thick spacer. In theory you could just use washers and yes most have got just over 2". Somewhere around 2.25". My truck had sagged quite a bit and I gained about 2.5-2.75", but that's only because I have a lot of km.

I'm pretty sure the max tow doesn't sit higher, I would get the rancho's and put them on and see where you're sitting. If its not high enough get a spacer, and if it doesn't have enough rake get a larger rear block.

Ten7 · April 24, 2015

It's a 1/4" thick, for a 1/2" of lift. I'll probably go ahead with the spacer and the rear block as I'd rather not do the BL just because of the install.

fuse36 · April 25, 2015

It's a 1/4" thick, for a 1/2" of lift. I'll probably go ahead with the spacer and the rear block as I'd rather not do the BL just because of the install.

let me know how it rides once u add the spacer

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berk4422 · April 25, 2015

Unless you're towing heavy weight you should have the back lower than rear. I recommend switching to 6 in the front and 4 or 5 in rear. Again. Personal preference though and I just went by the recommended rancho settings.

Changed to a 5 front and 3 rear, rides great!!!

SierraAT · May 7, 2015

Looking at going with the Rancho combo. Do you guys think I'll be ok with running 305/50/20 on the stock AT 20's?

nadrojcote · May 7, 2015

Looking at going with the Rancho combo. Do you guys think I'll be ok with running 305/50/20 on the stock AT 20's?

305/50r20 is slightly smaller than stock diameter which is why I didn't go with 305/40r22. 305/55r20 or 285-295/55r20 would be better. With anything 295 and up on stock wheels you will rub your upper control arms and sway bar. You will need at least an 8mm spacer.

SierraAT · May 7, 2015

Great, thanks for the info.

sneakypete6 · May 7, 2015

305/50r20 is slightly smaller than stock diameter which is why I didn't go with 305/40r22. 305/55r20 or 285-295/55r20 would be better. With anything 295 and up on stock wheels you will rub your upper control arms and sway bar. You will need at least an 8mm spacer.

I think I need some clarification on this.. The wheels that fit easiest on 295 and up are those with around +20 offset and a backspacing around 6? This is my understanding but please expand on it. When the width of the tire increases, you need to push out the tire/wheel- an increase in backspacing.

nadrojcote · May 7, 2015

Stock wheels are +27 offset, well mine are anyways. +20 is going to stick out 7mm more than stock wheels, which should be enough to clear 295. Also some 295's will fit without spacers on stock rims and some won't. All tires have different widths, but if you're looking at LT tires they have a thicker sidewall which usually equates to a wider tire. Anything over 12" wide will most likely rub.

nadrojcote · June 4, 2015

So after using these for three months, I can give a bit of an update on them. This is trying all setting variations. I find that setting the damping lower just made it bouncier as the spring has such a high rate. While I don't mind these shocks, I feel they give about the same ride quality as 5100's did for me in the past on my last truck. I get a preloaded spring feeling.

Pros

1. Ride is more controlled than stock

2. Reduces body roll/ nose dive

3. Gave slightly more than 2" of lift, for a new truck it would make it sit pretty much perfectly level

4. Adjustable damping great for towing

Cons

1. Still harsh riding over cracks and expansion joints

2. Very harsh riding over bigger bumps/man holes/speed bumps etc.

3. When the shock extends after going over bumps etc it does so very fast and harsh (most likely due to high spring rate)

These cons are leading me to probably replace the front shocks with Bilstein 6112's, all the people on various forums that have been running them have nothing but great things to say about how they ride and how soft and plush the ride is. I will most likely keep the rear 9000xl's for the sake of being able to adjust them for towing. Don't get me wrong I don't hate the rancho's they're good shocks, I just feel they could be better, but I guess you get what you pay for. They are better than stock, and they are an upgrade over stock. I'm very critical and I over think things like this while others just say "They ride great" and go on with their life.

I've spent some time comparing the quicklift loaded physically to my stock struts and I've noticed they mimic a lift kit that has a coil spacer and a bottom spacer. These kits provide lift by compressing the coil in combination with using a bottom or top spacer. The quicklifts coil is compressed more than my stock strut (mimics coil spacer) as well as it is slightly longer (mimics bottom/top spacer). I think this is its major down fall.

The 6112's use higher damping and a lower rate coil, this gives the ultimate ride by reducing the coil bounce that I hate and increasing the work done by the shock.

GMC-AT · June 4, 2015

I have had my Quicklift for about 6 months now..... I like them .... think they are much better than the Bilstein 5100 I had installed for a new days.

I think I run setting 4 up front and 5 in the back. with my BFG at 40 psi

nadrojcote · June 4, 2015

I have had my Quicklift for about 6 months now..... I like them .... think they are much better than the Bilstein 5100 I had installed for a new days.

I think I run setting 4 up front and 5 in the back. with my BFG at 40 psi

Our opinions may be due to our location. Where I live the temp fluctuates big time. When it's cold I find the these shocks are more harsh, they're more bearable when its warm out. My biggest gripe is the harsh extension while going over larger bumps, which is definitely better when its warm outside.