Amazing shocks! Spent the weekend putting them on. Mines a 96. 114k miles the original shocks were not completely dead but almost no rebound. Cant wait to take them on the HWY. Smooth on the street and firm in the twisties!
Owner reviews for shock absorbers
I replaced the Ranchos with Bilstein 5100's after a couple thousand miles, night and day difference.
Ride quality isn’t noticeably different. Bilstein or Fox are great upgrades for the stock rancho badged shocks either way.
I love my rancho 5000s but used bilstiens on bigger trucks in the past and those do their job well still
I got some Ranchos on my 88 which have been great so far. Had them about 2 years, but I don’t go off-road, or at least hardcore anyway. They’re nice and firm
I went with Bilstein B6/B8's and was pleased with them, but they provided a slightly firmed-up, well-controlled ride compared to my high-mileage OEM units
I’ve had good luck with KYB shocks.
I have 6112 front 5100 rear and I cannot express the difference in ride quality and even “handling”. Totally eliminated understeer.
The Excel-G (which I believe are called the GR-2 now) are stock replacements. If you just want to freshen things up, they'd be fine, and with a mild drop I think they'd be okay in terms of longevity (but you never know). If you're looking for a performance shock though, the GR-2 is not it.
Pass on Rancho. I did a full set of them 4 years ago. Shop I had them done through is no longer in business. Even with receipts and invoices Rancho refuses to honor their warranty.
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