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Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts

entropy

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FWIW: The Rancho 0" lift shocks actually have less travel than the OEM Sport shocks. Keep in mind, the 0" lift number is based off of Rubicon height. So if you had a stock height Rubicon and put on the no-lift Rancho shocks, it would flex less than a Sport.

The Rancho 2" shocks have 7.05" of travel. OEM Rubicon shock travel is 7.88", but obviously doesn't have the proper droop for a 2" lift. I'm not normally one to recommend shock extensions, but in this case you would get more travel with them, and save some money over purchasing the Rancho shocks.

None of this is factoring in any ride quality improvements the Rancho shocks may or may not give (I've never run them so I can't comment or ride quality).

JL Front Shock Travel.png
What a piece of crapola. I was considering rancho shocks replacement for my rubicon suspension, but looks like it is either fox or sticking with rubicon shocks. So glad you shared this.

This doesn't make sense, so with such a short travel how does this work? I mean the shock will limit suspension travel instead of the bump stop am I right? how does it even work when getting a rancho lift? A rancho lift is a downgrade if you get worst suspension travel.

Care to shine more light about this @RanchoShocks
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PiroJeep96

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What a piece of crapola. I was considering rancho shocks replacement for my rubicon suspension, but looks like it is either fox or sticking with rubicon shocks. So glad you shared this.

This doesn't make sense, so with such a short travel how does this work? I mean the shock will limit suspension travel instead of the bump stop am I right? how does it even work when getting a rancho lift?

Care to shine more light about this @RanchoShocks
Thats what i was beginning to think.. shock being the suspension limiting component spells bad news lol
 

RoccoV

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I'm running the 3.5" Rancho with the 9000s on my Sahara and really like it. I had the 9000s on my 2012 JKU and loved them. For the Sahara I think the 3.5" lift is perfect but to each his own. Here's a before and after with 285/70/20 G2s

Before
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts JL-5 New Wheels & Tires


After
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts JL-10 3.5 Rancho -2
 

entropy

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I'm running the 3.5" Rancho with the 9000s on my Sahara and really like it. I had the 9000s on my 2012 JKU and loved them. For the Sahara I think the 3.5" lift is perfect but to each his own. Here's a before and after with 285/70/20 G2s

Before
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts JL-10 3.5 Rancho -2


After
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts JL-10 3.5 Rancho -2
But what do you like about it? do you have any pictures of your Jeep at max flex? do you take it offroad?
 

PiroJeep96

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I'm running the 3.5" Rancho with the 9000s on my Sahara and really like it. I had the 9000s on my 2012 JKU and loved them. For the Sahara I think the 3.5" lift is perfect but to each his own. Here's a before and after with 285/70/20 G2s

Before
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts JL-10 3.5 Rancho -2


After
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts JL-10 3.5 Rancho -2
Wow 3.5” looks pretty dang good! Did you do a front drive shaft aswell? Was that a kit designed for a Rubi or a Sport/Sahara?
 

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wibornz

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We have 5 JLURs that use the Rancho 2in sport lift. We have completed 33 badges from all over the US. including all of them in Moab, Colorado, and the Rubicon trail. We have a combined mileage of over 145,000 miles on the lifts. The only downfall of the shocks are the adjustment knobs are easy to damage. Lucky they are about $10 to replace, easy to get and take about 2 minutes to replace them. The Rancho lift flexes great and personally, I don't think you can buy a better lift for under $1000 or even under $2000. I can afford pretty much any lift that I want. But the Rancho has been great for the price. The ride is great. I turn the shocks down to soft and my JLUR rides like a nice passenger car, dial the shocks up and it handles the Sand Dunes fine and dropping off ledges when rock crawling. Can you buy better, Yes, you can. If you expect a bargin shock to prerform like a $1000 shock well..... get real.

If you are wondering how the Rancho lift works, here are some real life pics of it performing.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts 1602762962719


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts 1602763025297


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts 1602763049035


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts 1602763150063


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts 1602763186693


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts 1602763222765


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts 1602763277779


Just know that Home Depot parking lots are paved so every lift will be fine. If you want to be able to do the Rubicon Trail, Moab, or other hard trails all over the US, the Rancho lift is up to the challenge.
 

Coops4284

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I am a big fan of Fox products. I had ranchero on my 2018 Sierra 2500 All Terrain, and they were rusty after 6 months.... I have the Mopar lift kit that came with Fox mono tube, and I love them. I also have the fox stabilizer. They are well mannered on the road, and work very well on the trail.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 1
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3
 

Jabarsetti

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Ahh I gotcha I thought you ment from the rancho shocks and thank you so much again for all the info! Yes I figured out how touchy the LCAs can be after a install about 2 months ago on my brothers JLU we had a clunk after the install and narrowed it down to the LCA bolt on the frame not quite being tight enuff (even tho it was tight) i think spec called for 160 ft lb.. after re torquing the issue subsided.
190lb's, I ended up using the floor jack to get the final clicks.
 

Jabarsetti

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@PiroJeep96 this is the man that helped me decide on this lift. He is probably more knowledgeable then @RanchoShocks :LOL: . He is the reason I try to stay on top of these questions and help when people have questions. (paying it forward)

@wibornz I knew you'd get to this thread eventually! I figured you where out making the rest of the forum jealous with your amazing excursions!
 

entropy

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We have 5 JLURs that use the Rancho 2in sport lift. We have completed 33 badges from all over the US. including all of them in Moab, Colorado, and the Rubicon trail. We have a combined mileage of over 145,000 miles on the lifts. The only downfall of the shocks are the adjustment knobs are easy to damage. Lucky they are about $10 to replace, easy to get and take about 2 minutes to replace them. The Rancho lift flexes great and personally, I don't think you can buy a better lift for under $1000 or even under $2000. I can afford pretty much any lift that I want. But the Rancho has been great for the price. The ride is great. I turn the shocks down to soft and my JLUR rides like a nice passenger car, dial the shocks up and it handles the Sand Dunes fine and dropping off ledges when rock crawling. Can you buy better, Yes, you can. If you expect a bargin shock to prerform like a $1000 shock well..... get real.

If you are wondering how the Rancho lift works, here are some real life pics of it performing.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Just know that Home Depot parking lots are paved so every lift will be fine. If you want to be able to do the Rubicon Trail, Moab, or other hard trails all over the US, the Rancho lift is up to the challenge.
Nice! it looks like the shocks are NOT limiting suspension travel at all.
 

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PiroJeep96

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We have 5 JLURs that use the Rancho 2in sport lift. We have completed 33 badges from all over the US. including all of them in Moab, Colorado, and the Rubicon trail. We have a combined mileage of over 145,000 miles on the lifts. The only downfall of the shocks are the adjustment knobs are easy to damage. Lucky they are about $10 to replace, easy to get and take about 2 minutes to replace them. The Rancho lift flexes great and personally, I don't think you can buy a better lift for under $1000 or even under $2000. I can afford pretty much any lift that I want. But the Rancho has been great for the price. The ride is great. I turn the shocks down to soft and my JLUR rides like a nice passenger car, dial the shocks up and it handles the Sand Dunes fine and dropping off ledges when rock crawling. Can you buy better, Yes, you can. If you expect a bargin shock to prerform like a $1000 shock well..... get real.

If you are wondering how the Rancho lift works, here are some real life pics of it performing.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Jeep Wrangler JL Rancho RS9000XL vs. Fox vs. Lifts Jeep 3


Just know that Home Depot parking lots are paved so every lift will be fine. If you want to be able to do the Rubicon Trail, Moab, or other hard trails all over the US, the Rancho lift is up to the challenge.
Awesome post man great pics and that’s awesome you guys have covered that much ground and wheeled em that much. Great info!
 

AnnDee4444

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I decided to look into Rancho's other products to see how the different products compared. For some reason the RS55065 is marketed for the front of both a 2" & 3.5" lift, where as they have separate rear shocks for those two heights (RS55066 & RS55068). The same thing occurs with the RS7065 & RS7068, and I can't seem to find the rear RS5000s for a 4.5" lift. (the fronts are RS55067).

The 2" front Rancho lift shocks with the most travel are the RS55065, @ 7.69". For reference, OEM Rubicon is 7.88", Mopar lift is 8.75". The maximum Rancho front axle flex is around 24.6°, which is 0.6° less than the OEM Rubicon, or 3.6° less than the Mopar lift (assuming my measurements ant calculation are correct...).

The 2" rear Rancho RS 55066 shocks have 9.18" of travel. For reference, OEM Rubicon is 8.5", Mopar lift is 9.25". It should also be noted that the rear shock motion ratio is around 1.12:1 at a 2" lift height, which would put the Rancho rear axle flex about 1.3° more than OEM Rubicon, or 0.2° less than the Mopar lift.

TLDR: Assuming nothing is limiting travel besides the shocks, the Rancho RS5000 2" lift shocks will flex a little better than a Rubicon (0.6° more), but not as good as the Mopar lift (4.0° less). For some comparisons, Rock Krawler's RRD 2.5" lift shocks would allow 21.2° more total flex than the Rancho RS5000 2" lift. Fox's no-lift remote reservoir shocks for a stock Rubicon would allow 14.2° more flex than the Rancho RS5000 2" lift.
 

wibornz

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I decided to look into Rancho's other products to see how the different products compared. For some reason the RS55065 is marketed for the front of both a 2" & 3.5" lift, where as they have separate rear shocks for those two heights (RS55066 & RS55068). The same thing occurs with the RS7065 & RS7068, and I can't seem to find the rear RS5000s for a 4.5" lift. (the fronts are RS55067).

The 2" front Rancho lift shocks with the most travel are the RS55065, @ 7.69". For reference, OEM Rubicon is 7.88", Mopar lift is 8.75". The maximum Rancho front axle flex is around 24.6°, which is 0.6° less than the OEM Rubicon, or 3.6° less than the Mopar lift (assuming my measurements ant calculation are correct...).

The 2" rear Rancho RS 55066 shocks have 9.18" of travel. For reference, OEM Rubicon is 8.5", Mopar lift is 9.25". It should also be noted that the rear shock motion ratio is around 1.12:1 at a 2" lift height, which would put the Rancho rear axle flex about 1.3° more than OEM Rubicon, or 0.2° less than the Mopar lift.

TLDR: Assuming nothing is limiting travel besides the shocks, the Rancho RS5000 2" lift shocks will flex a little better than a Rubicon (0.6° more), but not as good as the Mopar lift (4.0° less). For some comparisons, Rock Krawler's RRD 2.5" lift shocks would allow 21.2° more total flex than the Rancho RS5000 2" lift. Fox's no-lift remote reservoir shocks for a stock Rubicon would allow 14.2° more flex than the Rancho RS5000 2" lift.
Note there is a difference between the Rancho 2 in lift and the 2 inch lift for the Rubicon.
 

AnnDee4444

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Note there is a difference between the Rancho 2 in lift and the 2 inch lift for the Rubicon.
I ran into that a few times when trying to figure out what shocks were supposed to be paired together. I'm not really going off of advertised lift height though, since it's all about the shocks collapsed vs. extended lengths.

I don't think Rancho's 2" lift RS5000 shock is really the equivalent of a 0.5" Rubicon lift. The RS55065 collapsed length is 1.77" longer than the OEM Rubicon, which to me indicates that Rancho's lift heights are probably measured with the Rubicon = 0" like all other companies (at least for the RS5000 line).
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