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Curious, anyone have or know anybody that has this kit? Wondering if it is worth the $.
Rancho RS9000 Auto-Kit
I like the ability to adjust the shock control from that cab and the combo of ride preference. I'm thinking I would use a lower setting for the more comfortable ride since I am a city driver most of the time anyways.
Someone on the board had these on his VX, I don't remember who though. He had a lot of problems with the remote not working properly. If you do a search you should find a lot more on this and the Rancho shocks.
The remote did not work properly because it was not installed properly IRC.
I have the kit and when it works its great. Like the above post says it was installed by a moron. The guy didnt know what he was doing and he was a certified rancho dealer. If you get someone who is good and you really dont off road a lot you really shouldnt have a problem but keep in mind that the lines are plastic and from what i have been hearing they do break or leak sometimes but its not hard to fix ( all you have to do to trouble shoot is get some soapy water and spray the line and look for bubbles and thats the line that has to be replaced of fixed) and rancho's service tecs are really great. If anything goes wrong with the shock or compressor, or lines they easaly will send replacement.
adam
You might check these out.
http://www.doetsch-shocks.com/adjustable.php
If your VX is not lifted you would take #12069 on the front & #12129 on the rear.
Call the 800 # & ask for Derrick. Tell him you have a "Vehicross"
I delt with Derrick when I picked up my Shocks from Doetsch tec in El Cajon. I got the Rebuildable 9163 Nitrogen Steel Monotubes with Remote reservoir...and EXTRA FIRMS. Much more comfortable ride than stock rear shocks. Just a touch over $320 for both
If you get the extra reservoirs be sure to purchase the spacers and attching rings...hint...Doetsch tec's kits are ok on the spacers but the rings are too large..so, it might be cheeper to personally go to a local shock place and bring a shock to get the proper fit.
Also...the bushings that they provide for the shock eyes are ok on one end but the other end needs to be just a touch smaller...but not much smaller...they provide metal spacers but they don't work for us.
oh yeah...while I was there I loaned them one of my POS Calmini springs so they could produce a stiffer spring that will be more reliable and last longer than those POS Calmini springs. so...sometime in the future these will be available
Well, I may just go with the Rancho RS9000 remote kit. I just talked to the shop where my brother in law works, which is a speed shop, and they said they had installed them before and were quite confident about their installations of them. I used these guys before, although VERY expensive, but I trust them.
While on the subject of suspension though, has anyone gone with an aftermarket steering stabilizer? Did a search but nothing too helpful came up. Any offhand info about them on the VX?
I went with the Doetsch shocks (Part #: Front 15.50 x 10.00 M29069, Rear 19.50 x 12.50 M29129) with external gas reservoirs and love them! Derrick at Doetsch recommended standard firm, rather than extra firm, for everyday driving so that is what I bought. The VX ride is much, much more comfortable now. Haven't had it off road yet.
I also had 1 1/2" Daystar polyurethane lift blocks installed. I bought them from Suspension Connection. If you order them, make sure you call them because the part numbers of their web site are wrong. The web site lists 1" and 1 1/2" blocks, however Daystar makes 1 1/2" and 2 1/2" blocks. I ordered the 1" blocks and ended up with 2 1/2" blocks. Suspension Connection fixed the problem immediately (great company to deal with).
I would like to post some pics of my VX, but have not been able to figure out how. Can someone explain how to insert images that are saved as jpgs on my computer?
Hi erikrosekrans
I was wondering if you had any solutions or issues with the shock mounting? I have a pair of the same shocks in Xfirm but am still waiting on shock boots.
Thanks,
Reg
Hi Reg,
I had my shocks mounted at Central 4WD near me in Portland, OR. I also had them install the lift blocks and polyurethane bushings. For the front shocks with the separate nitrogen reservoir, the installer used his own rubber bumpers intended for use on a Buell motorcycle. He used hose clamps to hold the reservoir to the shock. It looks pretty good.
I asked Derrick at Doetsch about shock boots and he didn't really recommend them. He mentioned that any dirt that gets in will get trapped. Having been a dirt biker for many years, I wanted the shock boots anyway. Derrick said he would include a set with the shocks, but must have forgotten. Now that they are on, I won't go back and install them.
Derrick also mentioned that the shock bodeis should be WAXED every few months. I waxed them before they were installed, but can't imagine I will do that every few months.
They are great shocks. I think you will be very happy with them.
Erik