well as we all know rancho came factory and still does to this day on ford rangers fx4 and sport 4x4. and the bilsteins are on the older Fx4 level 2. im making this thread to help everyone figure out what kind of shocks they want and the explain the difference in the two. first i'll start with the bilsteins 5100..

they have a monotube nitrogen gas pressurized piston. the shock has a self adjusting disc valve to compensate for stability (the valve adjusts to the driving conditions.) the piston is 14mm of case hardened chrome. and all the pistons are digressive.. length of piston is determined based upon how long you need the shock to be. oh and by the way these shocks are pretty expensive but well worth the buy and they come in two colors.. blue and yellow or black and silver




Rancho RS5000

the rancho shocks use a twin tube design and are liquid filled to keep the rod temperature low and to dampen the shock. the piston rod is 16mm case hardened chrome. and have 10 stages of valving for stability and performance(adjusts to driving conditions). also the shock has a internal rebound bumper. these shocks are cheaper in price than the bilsteins. these shocks come in one type of color and that is red and white.




so now I want to see what everyone else thinks. which do you think is better?

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2009 ford ranger Sport 4.0L V6/2 8" red hot glasspacks swept side before rear tire/2 catco high flow cats/K&N 77 series intake system/BFG all terrain 31x10.5x15 tires/Procomp 98 series rock crawler black rims/westin black sportsman brush guard/6-6'' Hella 500FF lights/black rhinoliner/Bilstein 5100 shocks/uniden 68LTW CB radio/Fx4 skid plates/cranked Tbars/autometer vaccum, Camper shell with thule roof rack/ belltech shackles/Pioneer headunit with pioneer speakers with Kicker 10'' sub

bilsteins, My experience is with bilsteins on a 17000 pound RV class A 1994 model year and they are still like new. I had ranchos bought from JC Whitney lasted 1 year on a class B motorhome about 12000 pound

So I say Bilsteins

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2001 Ranger Edge 4x4 , Stepside,FRF decals, 4.0L SOHC decals, Primus IQ brake controller, curt 2" rec. hitch, custom winch mount,
Tinted glass, Yellow BUGGMAN OVALS a real treat to have. OHC, CB, night vision goggles, 36" periscope,
DiabloAmarillo = The Yellow Devil

Bilstein 5100s are the next ones Im getting. Have great reviews

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1993 Ford Ranger Ext. Cab | stepside | 4x4 | 4.0L | Lifted | 35" BFG KM2s | MT Classic IIs | Dana 35/Disc 8.8 with 4.56's | Duals | Etc

RIP JASON

Higher internal pressure = higher fade resistance high frequency bumps.
If you needs that go with Bilsteins. Otherwise the two might just be the same as far as on road use.

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08 4.0 Sport 4x4
Stock

bilsteins are awesome

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2004 v6 3.0 2wd