Rancho shocks

[Fusion]

Howdy Guys , Just been looking at what seems to be millions of brands of shocks to suit a 97 disco . Rancho seem to be a very popular brand . Has anyone got these shockies and could i get some feed back as to what they are like ? Thanks ;)

[Aaron]

My research has shown me great advertising but with huge amounts of anti-ranch user hatred.

Search this and other forums.

[Ken]

Mick maaaaaaaaate

Not goin for Bilsteins ? :angel:

[weeds]

billies direct from the US are the go......well thats what i have read:)

[Fusion]

i was thinking of supporting an aussie brand yet ..... still thinking about it :D;):angel:

Shorty likes his EFS suspension so i might look into that as well ;)

[Grizzly_Adams]

I had Rancho's front and rear. They were ok, didn't use the adjustable features much...

Then the rear's died on the corrugations when we went up to Cape York - which, from other people's feedback, seems common in that they can't handle the corrugations.

So for around town and local 4wd'ing would be ok, but won't be getting another set as I like to do some long distance touring over rough terrain...

[Bushie]

Haven't heard a lot of positive feedback about Ranchos on land rover products, some people hate them. I have no experience with them.

I also believe Bilsteins from the US are a good bet. :)


Martyn

[justinc]

Hey Inc!!!

How on earth did the word RANCHO get past the anti swearing filter???


:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Best add that one to the list of banned words here on this forum!




Hi Wannalandy,
I am unashamadly anti rancho for LR's.
Bilstein, DeCarbon, Koni, even OME:o are in a different universe to these overrated under achievers of shock absorbers! I have a filing cabinet outside my workshop for these. It's big and blue and it has COLLEX and a Hippo painted on the side of it.:twisted:

Is that a strong enough opinion for you?:angel:

JC

[PAT303]

I fitted Koni's to mine.They are cheaper than billies and for handling I think they are better. Pat

[lokka]

pro comp ES 9000 there a good priced unit and work well on landys ive found :D:D:D

[Tank]

Mick, go for the Bilstiens, when they wear out you can have them rebuilt for the cost of an ordinary shock, had my Bilsteins for 2 years now and still as good as new, Regards Frank.

[Vinnie]

I've heard Ride-Pro are pretty good and well priced. Haven't used them myself only had them recommended by a workshop in Frankston (Vic). Was thinking of putting these in myself when I upgrade suspension.

Good Luck

Chris V
:D

[PeterM]

And where would be the US source of the Billies??

[Bushie]

And where would be the US source of the Billies??


Bilstein - KYB - Rancho - Monroe - Edelbrock Automotive Truck Shocks and Struts - Shockwarehouse.com (http://www.shockwarehouse.com)

$US299.80 for a complete set. abt $US120 to get them to your door


Martyn

[rick130]

i was thinking of supporting an aussie brand yet ..... still thinking about it :D;):angel:

<snip>

Rancho aren't Aussie, (designed and built in the US) only the importer is Australian.

Hmmm, how can I put this delicately. Rancho are a triumph of marketing over substance. :toilet: There are much better options available.

[Tusker]

Ranchos are fine on a Jeep doing 2mph at Moab.. for LandRovers forget it. Mine never lasted more than 3 months. Outright failure, went soft, ripped open the stupid buttwelded eyes etc etc.

Regards
Max P

[Dougal]

My koni's have done around 200,000km. When I pulled the fronts apart to play with the valving, the oil was still clear, clean and bright.
Highly recommended.

[PAT303]

Second that.I have billies on my defender,the koni's on the bosses disco are better. Pat

[BradM]

I have just fitted Dobinsons brand shocks to my 2003 Disco with SLS and they are very, very good for $400 a set of 4. Dobinsons springs are made in Qld but I do not know whether they import the shocks. The shocks have dobinsons stamped on them.

I bought my Patrol with Kings springs and Rancho RS5000's shocks on it. The Rancho shocks provide a soft, slopy ride. They are not a good product. They will be replaced with a set of Dobinsons in the near future.

BradM

[olmate]

Paid good money for a set of Rancho Shocks for my 200TDi Defender before doing a trip on the Gibb River Road a few yrs back. They were very poor on the trip and didn't like towing much at all. Went north from Gibb River to Kalumburu Mission and back along the hwy to Katherine the Darwin. The things only just made it and were totally clapped out when I took them off (replacing them with something worth having - Koni).

Dont waste your money Mick;)

[PeterM]

Hmm, those guys don't seem to have Billies in stock for ser 1 discos at present.

[Stepho_62]

Hey Inc!!!

How on earth did the word RANCHO get past the anti swearing filter???


:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Best add that one to the list of banned words here on this forum!




Hi Wannalandy,
I am unashamadly anti rancho for LR's.
Bilstein, DeCarbon, Koni, even OME:o are in a different universe to these overrated under achievers of shock absorbers! I have a filing cabinet outside my workshop for these. It's big and blue and it has COLLEX and a Hippo painted on the side of it.:twisted:

Is that a strong enough opinion for you?:angel:

JC

JC, you have failed to mention the fun n games I had with a well advertised supplier with an alphanumeric name. :twisted:

[Stepho_62]

Rancho aren't Aussie, (designed and built in the US) only the importer is Australian.

Hmmm, how can I put this delicately. Rancho are a triumph of marketing over substance. :toilet: There are much better options available.

Rick, there wouldn't be to many times i could correct you but the Rancho Ru__ish :angrylock: isn't made in the US as such. Its made in Mexico. Interestingly enough somewhere I have an e-mail from a Rancho engineer in the US advising that they DO NOT make a shock absorber for Defenders after 1996.:nazilock:

[rick130]

Rick, there wouldn't be to many times i could correct you but the Rancho Ru__ish :angrylock: isn't made in the US as such. Its made in Mexico. Interestingly enough somewhere I have an e-mail from a Rancho engineer in the US advising that they DO NOT make a shock absorber for Defenders after 1996.:nazilock:

The only reason hey don't list a Defender after '96 is that they weren't available there after that.
The big problem, as you've alluded to, is the importer.
The sad thing is that I dealt with them for years and years when trading under another name for my Jeep parts and they were fantastic (the father ran that business ;) )

A long time ago when trying to get some long travel rear shocks that would bolt up to the existing mounts the best I could come up with at one stage was their TLC80 Series which 'the son' assured me would work inverted, but was cagey enough to stipulate "they aren't designed for that model, so there are no guarantees"
When they turned up I wasn't too taken with the build quality (mainly the eyes) and I was also advised "don't use our urethane bushes, you'll snap the eyes off" :eek:
Guess what, they don't work inverted :mad: I only found out afterwards that their "foam gas cell" is nothing more than some closed cell foam jammed into the outer cylinder.
Oh, and I couldn't return them, even though they'd only been used for a couple of hundred km as I'd used them in a 'non standard' situation. :censored:

[HSVRangie]

Rancho
a poorly performing shock.

they sort of work on a h/way.

they sort of work on slow 4x4 crawl but fade very fast.

they last about 5 min in any servere usage.

they cannot stand fastdrive over iregular surface.

they are not valved to suit any particular vehicle.

expensive for what they are greatest marketing campaign around.

Buy bils or konies from US.

Michael.

[Slunnie]

Hmmm, I an fade a set of Ranchos in about 15 mins. Seriously.

The problem with them is that they fade really easily and the foam cell shocks don't ever really recover from a fade, they just keep deteriorating. Actually I hate all foam cell shocks because of it.

I would them lump all twin shell shocks in the next batch of shocks as they can all still over heat, airate and fade off. At least they will recover and this includes Konis.

My preference is Bilstein and any other shock that seperates the oil from any gas such as remote canister shocks. These don't fade and they keep performing. I would pay a few more dollars over the Rancho and get a good shock.

Also, I think the reason why the Ranchos had their heyday is because for the comp and big suspension boys, it was about the only easy really long travel option. The consumer followed.