Question - about rear shocks. NEED HELP QUICKLY!

[tomp]

I do not have rear air suspension. I just noticed the OEM rear shocks are gas charged. When I removed one of the them, that side dropped down a couple of inches. Are these non-charged Rancho 9000 shocks going to provide the same vehicle height?

[Ed G.]

I put a set of 9000's on 2 weeks ago. I noticed that I had lost a bit of height in the rear, I'd guess about an inch. The ride is great.

[tomp]

Finished installing and it's lower in the back. Probably should have measured it before starting. I am not happy about it being lower than before. Now I will probably have to drop the torsion bars back down some and do another alignment

[KenP]

Originally Posted by tomp

Finished installing and it's lower in the back. Probably should have measured it before starting. I am not happy about it being lower than before. Now I will probably have to drop the torsion bars back down some and do another alignment

Don't do a thing until tomorrow. If you're not happy, be prepared to remove them.

There are too many alternatives out there for you to not be happy.

Pull them and get something else.

That sucks.

[ASTAR]

That is really surprising to me that you lost height with a shock swap. The shocks are not meant to suspend the vehicle but to dampen the suspension movements. I can't imagine a shock (other than a true air shock) changing the ride height of the rig. I guess if its lower, its lower but its just really weird.

[PARAGON]

gas charged shocks are "charged" for only one reason. To keep the dampening oil in suspension. The compressed gas inside the shock keeps the oil from frothing.

The negative side of that is that it forces the shock to full extension. But it's not enough to pick up a vehicle.

Put it this way, the pressure in the shock is low enough that one can simply push the shock back into compression. That is not enough "power" to lift the truck which would likely be over 1500 lbs at the to rear corners.

Back to the height of the vehicle when you removed the shocks, that doesn't really mean much. The height is dynamic as you move and the shocks work themselves as the truck moves over rough surfaces. Drive around on the new shocks for a few days and if afterwards you still don't like the way the truck looks, get some coil spaces to raise the rear.

IMO, it's dumb to sacrifice ride quality and function of the suspension just to have the truck sit level when it's still and the Ranchos are the shiznit.