Need shock advice

I cannot decide on what shock to run on my XJ. I'm running 4.5" lift with a 6" rear shackle and no rear sway bar. What I really want to do is take some of the chop out the ride in the rear. On the highway the ride is acceptable, but slow down and the little bumps jar you pretty good, feels like my 1 ton dually, not good enough for me and my pregnant wife hates it.
I want to go with Rancho 5000, has anyone had any experience with the soft valved 5012 and so on? Are thay to soft to support my heavy rear bumper and roof rack? Are the standard 5000 a good rideing shock on the XJ? Any help would be great, thanks for now.

rocky think about OME shocks.. from what i hear they are awesome.. i have an OME steering stabilzer and it is the best one i have ever had.. well worth the 55 bucks i paid for it. I believe they make a shock that will fit but you will most likely have to run BPEs. Most who use them say the ride is better than stock.

The Ranch 5000s that I had on my XJ were terrible. They worked fine for big bumps but kicked me to death on little street bumps. I sold them on ebay and put on Doetch shocks which I like a lot better and the price is reasonable.

I have Rancho 9000's. I like them, IMO they're worth the money. If you don't like the way they ride you can soften them or stiffen them up. Whatever you like.

I have thought about the 9000, it justseems to me anything that has knobs and frills is destined to fail. Maybe I'm wrong. The soft valved rancho still interest me but I don't know much about them. I am already running BPE's and relocated the upper rear shock mounts slightly inboard which should soften the dampening effect of the shock. By OME do you mean Old Man Emu?

I just got rid of my Rancho 5000's, and replaced them with a set of Doestch Tech's. Just like you describe, the Rancho's were great for controlling the big dips and such at high speed, but around town the were horrible. The Doestch Techs are just a hair softer at highway speeds, but there's a considerable improvement when driving over harsh road surfaces. Plus, they're a bunch cheaper than the Rancho's, which makes them even more appealing. My conclusion is that the Doestch's have low speed (piston speed) damping that is only a hair softer than the Rancho's, but high speed damping is softer (better ride over crappy in-town roads).

I have a '94 with 4" and 31's (with add-a-leaf's; harsher riding than full springs). I ride 70 - 80mph on the highway and the ride is nice, and since I live in Massachusetts, I know all about crappy roads in town!

That's just my suggestion; happy hunting!

Rancho 9000. I had to play aroung with them at the different settings before I was convinced that I'd spent wisely. Right now there is a buy 3 get 1 free. Still pricey, but I would buy them again.
I drive up and down to the mountains to go wheeling quite a bit and like to dial them pretty stiff for the drive as opposed to the softer setting I normally run on the street.
Hope this helps.

How much do the settings on the Rancho 9000 have on the actual dampening? I do alot of back-country camping and sometimes have a good load on the rear, that's what makes me wonder about the soft valved 5000's. I don't want to bottom out the leafs and yet want something smooth. I live north of the border and don't know if I can find a local supplier of Doestch Techs, and the mail order price from US suppliers is scary. Bilstein 5100 look like a good shock as well, also like the 7100, rebuildable like my Sno-cross sled is way cool! Need to find something soon and I don't want to dissapoint myself. Thanks for the input guys.

Stay away from the Bilsteins if you're worried about a harsh ride. They're a fantastic quality shock, but they are valved rather stiff.

I paid $160 US + shipping for my set of 4 Doestch Tech's, if you'd like to use that for reference...

If you are considering spending Bilstein-type of money, why not consider Edelbrock IAS's? I heard that they are the same internally to the Rancho RSX, since Rancho is owned by Edelbrock, and I think the IAS's are cheaper.

Rocky said:

How much do the settings on the Rancho 9000 have on the actual dampening? I do alot of back-country camping and sometimes have a good load on the rear, that's what makes me wonder about the soft valved 5000's. I don't want to bottom out the leafs and yet want something smooth. I live north of the border and don't know if I can find a local supplier of Doestch Techs, and the mail order price from US suppliers is scary. Bilstein 5100 look like a good shock as well, also like the 7100, rebuildable like my Sno-cross sled is way cool! Need to find something soon and I don't want to dissapoint myself. Thanks for the input guys.

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They work very well, I drive regularly on the softest setting, that's just how I like it. I can firm them up to wayyyyyy more than you need on a cherokee. You won't be dissapointed, they have a very good warranty on their shocks as well. The only problems you might have would be if you got the control panel. If you don't install it right you can get air leaks and your shocks will automatically go to the softest setting. I haven't had any problems with mine though.

So what your saying is that the extra money spent on the 9000 is a good investment? I like the idea of adjustability, it's just that I have no experience with these particular shocks and don't want to waste the time and money. Thanks for the help Crimsonride.

Adjustability is the only way to go!I have actually been dialing mine "Up" when we get to the boulders,it prevents the body from slamming down so fast once you roll off.Dial them up for the freeway and down for the washboard stuff.

the 5000s are crap on the road. EXTREMELY stiff. I have the 9000s now and the difference on the lower settings is like night and day. Very forgiving ride.

Has anyone tried BDS brand? I looked at a valve specific model & that seems to be the way to go. Besides, how could a Rancho that fits an F250 AND an XJ give a proper ride quality?

Although, I am only looking at 3" lifts so that advice will not aply in some cases.