Shocks

[Ruflyf]

Julian, how much would you want for the originals?

[AlaskaVX]

I would probobly go with the 9000's, unless you have enough money for the Bilsien 7100's... I have no experience with them but from what I have heard they are really nice (but not even sure if they make the right size though) If they don't have the right size I remember someone stating that they do custom sizing. I loved the way the 5150's rode but snap, crackle, pop goes the top eyelet with MILD/little offroading. The front Bilsteins (H1's) that I have (their OEM type ones) seem to be too loose, I would go with H0 maybe or if you can find a gas pressurized one go with that, and let me know what you went with.

[nocturnalVX]

I recently went to Rancho 9000 shocks & have to say that I'm very pleased. I am running them at setting #5 on all corners and am enjoying the cushy ride right now, but I do plan on experimenting on different settings. I'm pretty sure I'll go higher... I'm not a fan of the body roll around corners (it's not as bad as a Blazer's or Exploder's and much better than riding around on shot shocks), but it's nice to know I can elliminate it with a twist of the dials!

[VehiGAZ]

I'm a Bilstein man myself. Note that the pro-and-con views you cited are for two different Bilstein models.... 5150s and 1738/39s. You will not find any complaints against the 1738/39s on this board.

I went with Bilstein B46-1738-H1 and B46-1739-H1 front and rears, and have been very happy with them. I was even able to compare the to a VX with original shocks and found them to be very, very comparable in ride quality. And I got the delivered to my door for only $325. Installation was easy, too... I posted a procedure on the board here sometime last year.

There are lots of Rancho 9000 fans here, so you will probably be good with those, too. I agree with you, though... it seems from people's posts that you have to crank them all the way to get a similar-to-stock ride.

Good luck!

[transio]

I have the Bilstein H1's front and rear. Very stilff ride, comparable to stock. Do a search for "Bilstein 1738" to find posts with reviews on them.

If I had to do it again, though, I'd probably go with the Rancho 9000 adjustables. I find that for most of my commuting, the ride is just TOO stiff. I drive the VX these days when I DON'T want a sporty ride... that's what my sportscar is for.

[mbeach]

I have (had) Bilstein 1738/39s on the dragon and Rancho 9000s on the Ironman.
I used to swap vehicles all of the time, so I have a pretty decent idea of how they compare to each other.

The Bilsteins with the stock 245/60 tire were too hard for most people's taste. I had a coilover-shod S14 in my stable for awhile, so I know what hard is -these were just uncomfortable. Same shocks paired up with 285/60 tires (taller sidewall), and it was like a completely different vehicle. It rode well, and it felt as sporty as I believe the VX is capable of.
For a brief period, I had the stock shocks in good shape (4 out of the 10 in my posession) -I'd say that the Bilsteins with the fat tires rode very close to the stock/intended ride.
As a side note, I towed a 4000 lb dual axle trailer from Ohio to Alaska this summer -the Bilsteins did a great job of taking the weight on some very rough roads. I never once felt that I was being tossed about by the trailer.

The Ranchos were too soft with every tire, on every setting. As for the in-cab controller, I had constant leaks, not just from the shocks. They were everywhere. For a brief period, I considered doing a hardline conversion for the air compressor -I even machined a nice aluminum manifold for the system plumbing. It's now a nice billet paperweight. I'm using the Ranchos set at 6/5 during the winter with a set of super-soft 255/60s. In the snow and ice they are fine, but I'll be wanting something with some more control come summer.

I'm thinking about pairing some stiff shocks with some softer/taller tires. Bottom line, tires are also a part of your suspension -it's impossible to make a fair comparison of shocks without taking this into account.

Oh, dual fronts have been done -check out the Dakar VX here:

[Ruflyf]

just saw these on Ebay, dont know if its a good price or not

9000's

[Nazrat]

Julian, how much would you want for the originals?

And Ruflyf, if you get the stock rears let me know if you want to sell the OMEs.

-Tad

[Chopper]

Get stockers. Don't think anyone has done it better.

[Ruflyf]

Heya Tad, didnt plan on switching the shocks, love the ones on it. Just thought it would be good to get as much of the original equipment as possible, therefore one day in the distant future, i'd have the ability to make it completey stock again if I wanted to.

[driver3]

Ok.. so to follow up.. Great news.. went to sears after ordering some Rancho 5000's... I was intending on those based on price and the fact that I'll just set the adjustables at 9 and leave it anyway. I was told that the 5000's were basically the 9000's on 9. Anyway.. their shock guy goes in there to check mine out.. he loves them, tells me I'll be unhappy with anything else but the factory (he builds lifted race trucks and race cars)... AND that mine are in great shape and there's no reason to replace them!!! Good for sears in SouthWest Colorado Springs.. so I got an alignment and since I "saved" $300.. I bought tires from him.

So the new tires are Bridgestone Dueler APT III's... 265/75/16... They are a lot like my current tires, 60k warranty and they look real nice..

WOOHOO.. stock shocks still rolling at 102,500 miles... I love this car