Rancho Suspension...opinions?

I just found this on Amazon, and I'm thinking about it but wanted to see if anyone here had any input good or bad.

$646 Rancho Suspension QuickLIFT Loaded Strut and Shock Kit For Toyota Tacoma 4WD 2005-12 - Includes Rancho Front Loaded Struts & Rear RS9000XL Shocks

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P02S5XW/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_7?smid=A1S9YHSAOS3JWY&psc=1

If I'm understanding right, it will sort of level the truck out. Adds about 2" in front, no lift in the back, so they say. And I guess the "9 position tuning technology" means they are adjustable...?? So maybe the level could be fine tuned, I guess.

Don't know much about suspension, etc.

One of the people answering the questions, "Offroad Innovations" seems pretty knowledgable and is a seller on there. So I have to assume by the several times he answered that it WOULD fit on a 201(2,3,4,5), that it will. So I guess my only question here is regarding the quality. I trust this place more than amazon reviews lol.

Thanks in advance.

 

You can get a set of 5100s and lift coils for around that price. Lots of guys including myself have gone the 5100 route. Not too many guys on here with Rancho.

 

I had rear Rancho shocks, and front Rancho struts with stock coils for a while. They ride ok. The 5100 setups seem like a "good deal", but they're trash af. I think you should try these out m8!

 

Talked to the few rare guys that had them. They liked them, especially the adjustments. But heads up, the adjustments are for dampening, not height. So basically your comfort level. If you aren’t wheeling hard or much at all, they are a solid purchase. If you’re looking to do some moderate wheeling that may stress the shocks more than they’d like, go another route

 

I stating my previous Rancho owner in the past. Not so good. Just junk shocks. Adjuster eventually breaks.

 

I had the 9 way adjustable on the rear of a first gen. Tacoma, worked well though not serious "off road" miles.
Does not increase height only dampening.
Just put 5100s on my 2nd gen. and they are a big improvement on the black shocks that came off.

 

Gotcha on the dampening, that's good to know. No wheeling at all for me. This is my DD and it's all I have to get to work and back, so it stays on the pavement.

If it's the adjuster that breaks, then it may not be a problem for me...I doubt I'll ever adjust them.

I dunno....we'll see what route I take when I have the money to take ANY route .

Thanks for all the comments.

 

Yea I have that setup in my cart too. Bilsteins and OME coils. Speaking of that...these are what I came up with from my research of what I need to fit a 15 sport. Anyone see anything I have wrong in that setup?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MH8EUBS/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A1S9YHSAOS3JWY&psc=1

$214 ARB 2884 Old Man Emu Coil Spring

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004P9PGYM/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=A2MOBBHRX7CB6B&psc=1

$29 KYB SM5640 - Mount Kit

https://www.amazon.com/KYB-SM5640-M...automotive&vehicleId=3&vehicleType=automotive

Obviously I'd need one 4 pack of shocks, one 2 pack of springs and 2 mounting kits. And you're right, the price is about the same...within $50 or so, looks like, without getting out my calculator .

 

I have about 40K on Rancho Suspension and set at 7, factory ride is 5. It eliminates porpoising when towing, overall a great shock setup, Lots of offroad too. Makes the original Bilsteins look like toys when you change them out. Much larger diameter shocks.

 

Never been a fan of Rancho as far as quality... same junky Tenneco build (same manufacturer as Monroe shocks) for more money IMO. On the flipside, they do have the adjustable damping, and a lifetime warranty. So when the adjuster craps out, they leak, or rust out you could just get a new set without much issue. I prefer 'buy once cry once' bur they're easy enough to swap out and it's not like they're total garbage you'd be replacing that often.

I'm on my 2nd set of 5100s with aftermarket coils, a set of Toytecs on my 1st gen and now OME 884s on my '11. No complaints about either, but I'm not particularly wheeling anymore. Have to agree that the Rancho kit doesn't seem to be an above average value though, unless you just need your struts to come preassembled. I paid $300 for all 4 shocks on ebay, about $160 for the OME coils, and $35 for KYB mounts, just so I could take my new stuff in and assemble them without having to disassemble my old ones to reuse the mounts.

 

I have Bilstein 5100 in the front and Rancho adjustable in the back. The ranchos are not nearly as good as the bilsteins. I only got the as they are adjustable and I vary my payload a lot.

 

The Ranchos have good reviews, some seem to really like them. My 5100s leaked on the rears. I went with 5160s for not much more on the back.
https://expeditionportal.com/field-testedrancho-rs9000xl/

 

I had a set on one of my Rams and I liked them. The only complaint I remember seeing on the Ram forums is some did not get as advertised. Its kind of hard to expect the highest advertised lift height when they only come with one spring rate for all Ram 1500s when you see the difference in engine and cab options Ram offers. I was happy as I always buy light short bed regular cabs versus the heavy family truckster type cabs. I liked them more than 5100s because they were not so stiff

 

I don't necessarily need them to come pre-assembled. It makes things easier, but not enough easier to sacrifice quality.

Lots to think about....when I make a decision I'll post back here. I'm leaning toward the bilstein setup I lined out above, just for namesake if nothing else, because I hadn't heard of Rancho either until I saw them on Amazon. Looks like it's $550 vs. $516 so, again not enough difference to sacrifice quality...I mean if you're willing to spend $516, what's another 34 right?

^^ reading back through that paragraph, it seems like my mind is pretty well made up lol.

 

Rancho manufactures OME.....

 

Great.........so now there's more to consider lol.

I do appreciate all the info though. I'd much rather know everything I can going into it.

 

@jproffer check out @HeadStrong Off-Road , a vendor here. I did my '15 and my brothers '16 with 5100's and the add a leaf for roughly $450. Added about 3 inches and leveled the trucks.

 

Am I not shopping the right place? I'm just looking to replace OEM, no lift, and it looks like $550.

 

I'm running Rancho Coil overs and shocks with Built Right UCAs upfront, and a AAL in the rear. My coil overs aren't the QuickLIFT but the RS66901R9. Currently have around 20k miles on them and so far no complaints. Do a fair amount of off-roading on moderate trails in the fall and spring and they've done everything I've asked of them. Plan on going to OME once these are done.

Rancho has been around for awhile and was more popular in the 90s. I believe Rancho was sold to another company since the 90s and maybe the quality ain't what it once was which is why you don't see a lot of people running them, or maybe they aren't as cool as Fox and Icon and that's why.

IMHO they aren't bad, better than a spacer lift.

 

This is for front and rear. Front are adjustable so you can set the height, stock up to almost 2 inches. This is on Head Strong off road's site.

BILSTEIN 5100 ADJUSTABLE FRONT STRUTS (PAIR) - 24-239370 FOR 05-15 TOYOTA TACOMA
SKU: 24-239370/24-186728
$339.99