need vx for comparison of shocks

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09/30/2008, 08:33 PM
garfull

Rancho RS5000's installed (need vx for comparison of shocks)

im considering changing the rear shocks on the vx. although its really hard for me to tell if they are worn. it rides really rough on bumpy roads and freeways. although it doesnt undulate like an older car would with a blown shock. if i have the rear door open and jump bounce the rear it wont keep bouncing either. but again the ride it far rougher than i would think it should be. ive been in sports cars with very harsh suspension and its very close to that.

a perfect example for those in the area. 880 north from fruitvale to 5th st, 2nd lane, the vx's rear doesnt absorb any of the road imperfections. it doesnt bounce but almost goes up and down like it is directly connected to the frame.

i bought the vx used with 90k miles on it, now 115k, a couple years back and it still has the oem shocks. so im asking if anyone local to the ca bay area, east bay preferred, wouldn't mind me driving or even sitting in your vx for a comparison.

pm me. thx.
10/01/2008, 05:41 AM
phines

Sounds like you have perfectly good shocks. :bwgy: The VX is a sportscar trapped in an SUV's body.
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Lovely Wendie99
10/01/2008, 05:49 AM
tom4bren

Your tires can have a huge impact on ride quality. It's usually a trade for performance .vs. ride. Try to air down slightly to see if it helps. Of course this is a trade off as well. Airing down will sacrifice mpg & tire wear. If airing down helps then the next time you buy new skins, look for something with a softer sidewall.
10/01/2008, 11:27 AM
garfull

yeah ive got the tire pressure just right so that the ride is bearable and the mpgs doesnt go too far down. it was the first thing i did when i got the vx.

ive recently had lower back problems so the rough ride is not good. with winter around the corner i want to make sure the long 3 hr drives to tahoe are as comfortable as i can make it.
10/01/2008, 11:36 AM
nfpgasmask

Quote:

Originally Posted by garfull

yeah ive got the tire pressure just right so that the ride is bearable and the mpgs doesnt go too far down. it was the first thing i did when i got the vx.

ive recently had lower back problems so the rough ride is not good. with winter around the corner i want to make sure the long 3 hr drives to tahoe are as comfortable as i can make it.

When you come to Tahoe, let use Reno boys know, maybe we can meet up.

Bart
10/01/2008, 06:00 PM
Hotsauce

Your shocks are bad.

You can easily tell by removing one from the lower mount. You'll see it no longer has any gas charge.

Shocks don't last 100k miles. Even less in a short wheelbase truck with lots of polar weight.

John C.
10/01/2008, 07:06 PM
phines

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hotsauce

Your shocks are bad.

You can easily tell by removing one from the lower mount. You'll see it no longer has any gas charge.

Shocks don't last 100k miles. Even less in a short wheelbase truck with lots of polar weight.

John C.

Really??? I haven't noticed any change in mine after 130k+ miles. I've slammed the heck out of them too with all the jumping I've done. Maybe I just got lucky...
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VOLCANO VAPORIZER
10/01/2008, 07:07 PM
phines

I should note that I DID wear out the rear springs, but they were aftermarket springs that I got from Calmini.
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LovelyWendie99
10/02/2008, 11:29 AM
garfull

guess ill just have to bring it to a shop and ask them to put it on the lift of jack up the rear so i can take the shock off.

bart ill be sure to let you know when im in the reno area.
10/02/2008, 12:40 PM
VehiGAZ

You don't need to bring it to a shop. You can remove one rear tire, lift that corner with a jack, and remove the bottom bolt of the shock to check it. 2 hrs in the driveway on Saturday...
10/04/2008, 12:06 AM
lasturbo

Shocks

My factory shocks had no charge left at 133k and the VX bounced around like an "E" ticket ride. Replaced them with Rancho 9000XL, set them to 7, and all is OK. I am going to try setting 9 and see if I can feel the difference. Tires are next as I bought it with snow tires 245/70-16. Bumping up to 265/70-16 BFG's or Geolander AT's.
10/04/2008, 01:51 PM
garfull

went underneath the vx earlier on a creeper. i just barely slid underneath. wanted to see if i could remove the lower shock mount w/o jacking up the rear(i dont have a large floor jack). ends up i cant remove the shock from just removing the lower bolt. no way i could do this myself. also the hardware is corroded from going to the snow so i doubt i could break loose any of the nuts with my tools.

i decided to go to the local 4 wheel parts, it was less than 10 mins away. after about 15 mins of chatting i decided to go with the Rancho 9500 shocks. The 9000 series wouldve been nice but cost twice as much and prob more than i needed.

thanks for all the advise.
10/04/2008, 02:43 PM
lasturbo

Shocks

I was able to get mine off the bottom pin first,then slide them down. Yes, it takes a little uumph but managed. It did notice my right rear bottom pin was built up with rust after removing the original shock so I had to clean-up the pin, grease it, then install the new shocks. Oh yeah, I did have a "lift" at work to do it so was able to get more leverage then a creeper!!
10/13/2008, 06:43 PM
garfull

Well I got the Rancho RS9500 installed today. Once the mechanic took the oem shocks off. I compared the two sets. The oems are much Much MUCH stiffer than the Ranchos. The oems have a positive pressure that wants to keep them fully extended where as the Ranchos are just plain oil filled dampers. I did accomplish getting a softer rear end but at the same time making the front end too plush where it'll dive more than before. Heinsight perhaps I should've forked up the extra cash for the 9500's or Bilsteins.

Does anyone know what the fatique life of the front torsions bars are? I'm curious to know if the extra motion of the front end is going decrease the life of the torsion bars.

Front shocks were hard as rocks. I was barely able to use all of my 155lbs body to compress it more than 1 inch at most. When it did compress it was quite slow to extend back.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...013081704a.jpg

Rear shocks, passenger side still good take alot to compress but extends out really quickly. However driver side wont extend any further than shown and compression is very hard. One thing I did notice was the driver side shock was still warm when it was removed from being next to the exhaust. Perhaps that had an effect on the life of the shock.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...1013081704.jpg

Side by side. My VX has about 120K miles.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...1013081703.jpg
10/14/2008, 09:48 AM
LittleBeast

If you are interested in selling your old OEM's I call first dibs, if you don't mind..... ;)
10/14/2008, 10:07 AM
VehiGAZ

There's a set on eBay ending in the next 5 hours or so...
10/14/2008, 07:26 PM
garfull

The fronts are way too soft. Feels like a boat ride. I'm going to swap the oem fronts back on. Those seem to still have life in them.

I'd be willing to sell one still good rear shock or the front Rancho RS5214's to whomever is interested. I'll prob post it in the for sale section once I get it swapped out.
10/18/2008, 11:18 PM
kobie

Quote:

Originally Posted by garfull

Well I got the Rancho RS9500 installed today. Once the mechanic took the oem shocks off. I compared the two sets. The oems are much Much MUCH stiffer than the Ranchos. The oems have a positive pressure that wants to keep them fully extended where as the Ranchos are just plain oil filled dampers. I did accomplish getting a softer rear end but at the same time making the front end too plush where it'll dive more than before. Heinsight perhaps I should've forked up the extra cash for the 9500's or Bilsteins.

Does anyone know what the fatique life of the front torsions bars are? I'm curious to know if the extra motion of the front end is going decrease the life of the torsion bars.

Front shocks were hard as rocks. I was barely able to use all of my 155lbs body to compress it more than 1 inch at most. When it did compress it was quite slow to extend back.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...013081704a.jpg

Rear shocks, passenger side still good take alot to compress but extends out really quickly. However driver side wont extend any further than shown and compression is very hard. One thing I did notice was the driver side shock was still warm when it was removed from being next to the exhaust. Perhaps that had an effect on the life of the shock.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...1013081704.jpg

Side by side. My VX has about 120K miles.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...1013081703.jpg

From reading the latter post I am assuming you got RS5000's and not the RS9500 series. I just replaced my originals with RS5000's and I am not noticing as much of a difference. The ride is still stiff but smoother at higher speeds. The front dips a little more when braking but I would not have noticed had I not been looking specifically for it. I can take tight turns quickly (and at high speeds) and don't feel much body roll. I am left to wonder if my stock shocks were so shot that the Ranchos feel similar or if I am not as sensitive to the ride differences.
Also, when pressing my weight on the stock shocks, they do slowly give but I do have at least 100lbs on garfull. One stock presses more easily than the others and I think if any were bad this one might be it. All are the same length laid out next to each other. My OEMs had just over 90K miles on them.
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edit: I take most of this back. I guess my RS5000s need some time to break in. The ride is really soft and bouncy. I expected smoother and even. Never has my head hit the roof so many times. I may retire these shocks more sooner than later but I'll get my money's worth first.
10/18/2008, 11:52 PM
lasturbo

Who can fix tired OEM shocks?

It looks like one of his rears are shot (no extension left). Is there a company in the US that can "refresh" or "rebuild" the OEM shocks?
10/19/2008, 06:27 PM
garfull

i did swap the oem fronts back on and now the ride is much better. it really does feel like a sports car now rather than the bucking bull it was before.

i did compare the stiffness of both front and rear ranchos before putting them on and they were the same. but once installed the front were, to me at least, way too soft. maybe its just the roads i drive that it seems to have more undulations to cause the boat effect.
10/19/2008, 08:42 PM
Ldub

Quote:

Originally Posted by lasturbo

It looks like one of his rears are shot (no extension left). Is there a company in the US that can "refresh" or "rebuild" the OEM shocks?

Do a search for "Bruces Suspension", you'll find what you're looking for.
10/20/2008, 06:11 AM
VehiGAZ

garfull - The front has a lot of weight on it and extremely stiff springs, so a weak shock is going to let the front end bounce and float.

There are very few shocks out there that are strong enough to balance the force of the VX's springs, which are the real culprit of the stiff ride.
10/24/2008, 09:44 AM
lasturbo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ldub

Do a search for "Bruces Suspension", you'll find what you're looking for.

Thanks Ldub!