Rancho shocks troubleshooting...

[creeg]

[said in a british accent] I'm turning mine up to 11.

[TheUltimateMan]

Thanks for the response everyone!

I'm going to experiment with the shock settings, and see it there is a change.

Could someone explain to me the difference in settings, because apparently i don't know...

1 setting= What kind of ride?

9 setting= What kind of ride?

I don't like bouncing all over the place, and I'd like as smooth a ride as possible- thoughts?

Also, I'm switching soon from the stock 16"ers to 18"ers- What kind of difference can I expect in the ride?

As always, thank you everyone in advance for the responses!

[Ldub]

Hmmmmm...

Thanks for the response everyone!

I'm going to experiment with the shock settings, and see it there is a change.

Could someone explain to me the difference in settings, because apparently i don't know...

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Re-read Cobra Jet's post...

#1 = Soft/bouncy (think cadillac)

#9 = rough/harsh (think gravel truck)
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1 setting= What kind of ride?

9 setting= What kind of ride?

I don't like bouncing all over the place, and I'd like as smooth a ride as possible- thoughts?

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If you want a cushy ride, you are starting with the wrong vehicle.
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Also, I'm switching soon from the stock 16"ers to 18"ers- What kind of difference can I expect in the ride?

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18" rims will give you less height in the sidewall, making the ride MORE harsh...
re-read deermagnet's response...slowly.
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X
As always, thank you everyone in advance for the responses!

[VehiGAZ]

Ultimate, suspensions work like this:

Most of the vehicle's weight rests on the springs, but springs are really bouncy. Shocks (or struts on other vehicles) dampen the bouncy motion of the springs, ideally giving you a compliant but well-controlled ride when the springs and shocks are well-matched. A "soft" ride isn't necessarily a "smooth" ride, as you've figured out.

VX springs are super-duper-sports-car-strong and require a very stiff shock to match their spring action, but not too stiff, because then you get a really hard ride. That said, it is not necessarily possible to give a vehicle like the VX a perfectly smooth ride - the weight, dimensions, and suspension design of the VX limit what can be accomplished. The shocks can be appropriately balanced against the spring stiffness, but that balance may not yield the ride you might want. It is a real challenge to find an appropriate shock for such strong springs without taking the engineer's approach to the problem by calculating spring rates and shock force and unsprung weight.

Anyway, to answer your question, if your shocks are set on their lowest (softest) setting, then you will avoid getting sharp jolts over bumps, but you will get a lot of bounciness from the springs. If you have them set at their highest setting, you will max out their stiffness, and control the bounciness of the springs better, but at the expense of getting sharp jots/vibrations over bumps.

Somewhere there is a sweet spot between stiffness of the springs and shocks. Hopefully that sweet spot is within the adjustment range of the Ranchos. :-)

Hope that helped! Good luck!

[WormGod]

Gotta agree, if you want a comfy vehicle, the VX is NOT THE ONE. I personally love feeling the road, and unfortunately, I found the Ranchos take much of that away. They were too bouncy for me, no matter what the setting. I have had them on for about 20k miles I guess and am ready to roll back to the stockers. One may be blown however, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is not....

[Y33TREKker]

Could someone explain to me the difference in settings, because apparently i don't know...

1 setting= What kind of ride?

9 setting= What kind of ride?

You can check out their website for a flash explanation.

http://www.gorancho.com/flash/rancho.html

Click: Products --> Shocks --> RS9000X Series--> Dial Your Ride --> Then move the slider with your mouse.