RALPH replied:

RANCHO ARE VERY GOOD FAR BETTER THAN OME (MADE BY MONROE)THEY ARE USED ON BAJA EVENTS IN THE USA THE ONE I USE ON MY HILUX AND BUGGIE ARE GREAT RS9000 FULLY AJUSTABLE (VALVING ONLY) FROM IN CAR NEVER HAD ONE FAULT .

REGARDS RP

Member - Tony replied:

Pathfinder: Not a reply, sorry, but also interested in feedback. I went to Pedders Suspension in Penrith NSW, and the sales rep said Rancho 9000's tended to be a "bit soft" (?) This is in complete contrast to what I've read in 4WD mags. He offered foam-filled shocks at same price ($350 pr) and suggested stiffer springs for my 4Runner (derr!!).

Dazmit replied:

Frank

Do you still have to remove the Konis from the vehicle to adjust them?

RALPH replied:

yes he would but rancho's have adustable tap on outside off shock and with in car kit can be adusted on the run!

David replied:

A member of our 4 wheel drive club was a participant in this years Outback Challenge, he ran Rancho RS9000 shocks on his heavily modified GQ Patrol, and destroyed them, he was telling me that most competitors who were using Ranchos also destroyed theirs, another mate has just returned from from doing the Simpson, he also destroyed 1 of his Ranchos RS9000, i'll stick to the Koni's, i've been using them now for about 3 years and have never let me down, they're adjustable & rebuildable, they cost about $25.00 each to rebuild, ( cheaper than replacing ), cheers, Dave.

mick replied:

bull bleep koni's cost around 110.00 to rebuild trade. I race with ranhco never had failure and these things run red hot but are still ok.

mick replied:

bull bleep koni's cost around 110.00 to rebuild trade. I race with ranhco never had failure and these things run red hot but are still ok.

Ferret replied:

Rancho guaratee them for as long as you have the car. I had them on my Rangie and they were great. What ever you end up buying, DO NOT get those foam filled things...completebleepand rock hard.

Ken replied:

Hi I have just completed a trip in to the Kimberleys and Alice Springs that included the Gibb River Rd Tanami Track and Gunbarrel Hwy, I had Rancho RS9000 's fitted to my F250 before I left , one failed before we even left home and was replaced under warranty, during the trip both fronts failed and have now been replaced with Koni's at no extra cost to me. I have in the past used OME's on similar trips to this and on the Canning and have never had shockie failure! Regards Ken.

andrew replied:

Pathfinder,
As you can see, suspension has been, and will be for ever more, a red hot topic. Everyone has their own ideas and it is a real nightmare to sort out the answers for yourself. I have owned 4wd's now for about 16 years and have either had on the 4wd at time of buying, or have tried and tested OME, Rancho (5000 & 9000's), Overlander, Ironman, Koni and Series 2000. As you can see I have tried em all. So the results. The top 2 brands for me have been No1-Koni, No2-Rancho. The Series 2000 I had on a 92 Mod Hilux diesel and took it across the Simpson as well as a few years constantly off road. It comes in a close third.
However, I have just bought a Cruiser 100 standard and shockie wise, I am going to go Rancho 5000 on the front and 9000's on the rear with Lovells coils all round. Whatever happens, in the end it is just plain luck as to how any of these things go.