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:
Reply With Quote
