Hi, not sure if this is the right forum to ask this but.....I ordered and just recieved a set of Rancho RS 5000's for my truck and when I opened the box the shock doesn't have anything on it to hold it compressed and I can pull the piston out and push it back in by hand!!!

I don't have any experiecne with these shocks, but in the past when I bought shocks, they were held together with some kind of holding strap to keep the piston in and there is no way you could push the piston in by hand.

These things just sit there and you have to pull on the piston to get it to come out and then it just stays out at whatever position you stopped pulling, 1/2 way, 1/4 way, all the way out whatever. But you can push it right back in by hand also, and it will just stay in unless you pull it out.

How is that supposed to dampen a truck suspension if I can push it in by hand!!???

Is this how these things are or did I get some bad shocks??

Thanks.

 

thats how they're supposed to work.

 

All the Rancho shocks I've dealt with over the years, the 5000 and 9000 series have been like that, so thats normal.

 

thats normal. shocks just resist, and dampen the motion of the springs. gas charged shocks will extend all the way if not held in, so that is probably what you're thinking of

edit: oh, and if you can still return them i'd recommend it. they're pretty stiff. I have a pair on my front right now, and I wish I had gone with something with a better reputation on here like OME

 

Mine where the same way when i pulled mine out of the box. So it is normal.

 

I thought these were Gas charged shocks? The box says "Cellular Gas Cell Shock Absorber".

Is that not a gas charged shock? Sorry I don't know a whole lot about shocks.

I just figured in order to dampen spring motion they would have to be stiffer than this.

How can these shocks stiffen the ride if the can be pushed in by hand? I really don't understand how they do anything to be honest with you.

 

If you push them slowly by hand they will compress easly, but try and compress them fast and I bet you will have more resistance.

 

"Cellular Gas Cell Shock Absorber" means there is some foam inside the shock tube:

http://www.google.com/search?q=Cellu...Shock+Absorber

Shocks are a velocity sensitive dampener. That is they generate a damping force proportional to the velocity of compression or extension of the shock. Compress them slow (low velocity) and you get low force. Compress them fast (high velocity) and you get high force.

Gas charged shocks have high pressure gas inside that creates a slight extending force. This force has nothing to do with damping.

 

Ahhhh OK, well I guess all I needed was an explanation, awesome, makes sense now.

So I guess I will get both good and bad reviews of these shocks if I ask the question, "what do you guys think of these shocks?"

So I guess I'm open to both the good and bad opinions, either way they're going in the truck, I got them pretty cheap, so if they suck no big deal. They will be used 95% on road and the off road part is just the beach, nothing hard core.

Thanks for the help.

 

I've run them before, they tend to be somewhat on the stiff side. So if you like a firm ride, you'll probably like them, if you want a soft ride, you may not like them. I replaced mine with RS9000X shocks, for the adjustability.

 

dashpot- f=kv^2 or something.

you guys dont like the 5000? I've heard they're great

 

Slow terrain, RS5000 are good shocks... fast terrain, RS5000 are harsh and over-damped: tend to make the tires bounce over instead of following the surface letting the suspension do what it's supposed to do.
So they'd be good for fire roads and non-technical trails at low speed, but anything at speed like desert washboards and you're gonna be beating yourself (up for buying them .... j/k)
To note: they're not that bad on the street- have a set on Sin91's 2wd truck and they don't take crap from any bump in the road: just a dip or rise in the frame and it settles right down to where it was... they won't knock fillings out or anything, they're just firm.


*edit- I'd take the RS5000 in her truck over the stock F350 Ford suspension any day.

 

I ran them on my old '91 4x4 longbed, they were too soft for my liking. I replaced them KYB's. They're a good shock. I'll be running DT 8000 series on my 4runner, they are not as stiff as the KYB's, but a bit stiffer than the Rancho 5000's. My dad ran the 9000's and kept blowing seals in them, on his '94 Dodge powerram 2500. It all comes down to personal preference, and $$$.

 

Couldn't have been said better.