Z71 Rancho shock replacement options?

[Sierra Dan]

These look great. Up to 2" of lift much like the Bilsteins.

More expensive than a set of 5100's though.

 

 

[TXGREEK]

So if you already have a leveling kit, which i do at 2.5" does it give you another 2"? I definetly dont want to go above that due to the angles. I've read anything above 3" and the CVs are put under a lot of stress.

It’s anything from 2.5” and higher that puts stress, not from 3”. You do not puck it and then add additional leveling struts. Instead, lift it.


Sent from above

[TXGREEK]

How do they feel? I kind of want a middle of the road "stock" feeling. 

 

Bilstein 5100’s are a great option adding a bit over 1 1/2” up front. They do not ride softer, they’re more of a entry level performance enhancement shock that helps better steering response, less body roll, more of a sport truck feel but not softer. IMHO, Fox 2.0 Coil Overs, pricier but well worth it and just being Coil overs (giving 2” height) helps smoothen ride while still keeping

a comfortable ride quality

 

Sent from above

 

[Sierra Dan]

We drive trucks. There is no such thing as a "soft" suspension. RAM is the closest truck to that, but RAM is still a truck.

Bilstein 5100 or 4600 will absorb harsh hits, ie railroad tracks, pot holes, dips/curbs and handle off road terrain far better than the factory Tenneco Ranchos.

These Falcon shocks look great. However, I do not know of a single member that has reviewed them.

They are about $1200 for the set and are only sold as a kit of 4.

[TXGREEK]

We drive trucks. There is no such thing as a "soft" suspension. RAM is the closest truck to that, but RAM is still a truck.
Bilstein 5100 or 4600 will absorb harsh hits, ie railroad tracks, pot holes, dips/curbs and handle off road terrain far better than the factory Tenneco Ranchos.
These Falcon shocks look great. However, I do not know of a single member that has reviewed them.
They are about $1200 for the set and are only sold as a kit of 4.

So, you gonna try them out?


Sent from above

[Darmichar]

11 hours ago, VictorLin0725 said:

Sent him a PM. Wierd guy, not sure why you would want to downgrade your truck with cheesy decals. As for the Bilsteins, how is the reliability? I'm always concerned with anything "adjustable". Been looking at the Fox setups too, a bit more pricey but slightly better? Not sure what to get yet, just need a nice setup for mostly highway driving because the Ranchos annoyed the hell out of me on a long commute. Would I even be better off getting a stock suspension from GM?

 

Thanks

I put 60,000 trouble free miles on a set of 5100's on my 2014.  Also, not sure what you mean by 'stock suspension' but the non-Rancho OEM shocks on my 2014 were garbage, too.  By 32,000 miles I had blown a front and rear shock on my truck.

Edited February 19, 2019 by Darmichar

[Sierra Dan]

14 minutes ago, TXGREEK said:

 

So, you gonna try them out?


Sent from above

 

Would love to but right now my 5100's only have about 8k miles on them.

Maybe when my kids decide to give up competitive sports LOL 

[TXGREEK]

Would love to but right now my 5100's only have about 8k miles on them.
Maybe when my kids decide to give up competitive sports LOL 

That’s never going to happen, you’re in for the big haul lol


Sent from above

[Sierra Dan]

14 minutes ago, Darmichar said:

I put 60,000 trouble free miles on a set of 5100's on my 2014.  Also, not sure what you mean by 'stock suspension' but the non-Rancho OEM shocks on my 2014 were garbage, too.  By 32,000 miles I had blown a front and rear shock on my truck.

They are all made by Tenneco. 

Although branded as a USA company or Made in the USA, the quality is like that from China!

[Sierra Dan]

Just now, TXGREEK said:

That’s never going to happen, you’re in for the big haul lol


Sent from above

Great TX,  squash my dreams will ya! LOL

At this point my kids are my life. I do enjoy helping coach their baseball and basketball teams. 

Keeps me young 

 

[TXGREEK]

Great TX,  squash my dreams will ya! LOL
At this point my kids are my life. I do enjoy helping coach their baseball and basketball teams. 
Keeps me young 
 

Great dad, Great Future! God Bless!


Sent from above

[Sierra Dan]

8 minutes ago, TXGREEK said:

 

Great dad, Great Future! God Bless!


Sent from above

 

Amen!

[amxguy1970]

16 hours ago, O_J_Simpson said:

Cinder Blocks would ride better than Ranchos. 5100's change the whole truck for the better.

Funny, my stock rancho's ride pretty well, even better in some instances than the few people I know with the bilstein's that are leveled. Granted that they pre-load the spring when lifting with bilstein's so it rides rougher in some instances; it does better in others though as well. Either way they are a very long way from riding like "cinder blocks"...

 

Sounds like your best bet OP is the bilstein's, just be known when lifting with the bilstein's it will increase the spring rate and be rougher in some ways while better in others. Still a great choice and when my stock rancho's are shot (they aren't at 58k) I will probably go this route as well.

 

Tyler

[L86 All Terrain]

I dunno, everyone hates on the Ranchos but as an owner who has both Z71 rancho and 4x4 standard, you would have a very hard time making me say the standard is better. The Ranchos are nothing special but they offer a more "solid" ride and better handling. I find the standard suspension is too floaty and springy for me. Z71 corners better on pavement, handles weight and offroad better, the only thing the standard does better is initial bump stiffness and lots of that is because most Z71's are on 20" wheels are paper thin car tires. You can rail a corner like a Camaro in my Z71, but the 4x4 feels like you are driving a 1977 Cadillac where body roll is better measured in feet than inches. Personal preference I guess. 

 

With that said, Bilstiens will offer an improvement, but they would only be worth it if your Ranchos are toast. The benefits/performance do not justify replacing a new GM Rancho shock imo. You should look to a set of coilovers if you want lift and performance. Fox, King, Dirt Logic, Halo Lifts etc. If you are going to spend $500 on oem-style shocks and the labour to install them, you would happier in the end to spend $1000 and go to a low-to-mid grade coilover.  

[Sierra Dan]

Many Ranchos are toast by the 36K-40K mile mark.

Mine were rusted so bad there was little evidence of any white paint left. Maybe they are painted or sealed better now. Or some of you do not live in the salt belt.

Really embarrassing if you ask me. I started out to replace them for something that looked better or new, not even thinking they were bad internally.

When I took one of the rears off and compressed it by hand, it immediately sank about 1-2" easily, and felt like pressing on the spring of a Pogo Stick.

So mine were shot. The fronts were slightly better but same feel when pressing down by hand.

This explained why my head bobbled from side to side every time I pulled out of the driveway.

Or how the back end kicked out from left to right crossing railroad intersections at anything above a snail's pace.

Both of these traits were eliminated with the 5100s.