What shocks seem to be best for Xterra's? I am looking into upgrading shocks, and don't want to make the ride too stiff nor do I want the ride too soft. Advice?

Bilstiens, no question. If you are keeping the truck otherwise stock, get the standard Biltien replacement. Do a search for shocks and you will see lots and lots of info, but there's no question the Biltiens are the best option. They just work well in all situations and they generally last a long time.

guess right and buy bilsteins..
buy rancho 9000's and change the valving from soft - hard - soft..
if you change your truck later, like a bumper & winch, or skid plates - you won't have to upgrade later..you are already set!

Bilsteins..

I second that.

Go with Bils.



Some people like the adjustable Rancho's...but they don't seem to last as long.

Thats funny because:

Rancho Industries U.S.A. Limited Warranty


LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY

Tenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc. (TA) warrants qualifying Rancho® products against defects and wear-out when used on private passenger cars and light trucks under normal operating conditions for as long as such purchaser owns the vehicle on which they were originally installed and TA continues to make the warranted product(s).

Qualifying Products
• Rancho® RS9000X™ Performance Shock Absorbers
• Rancho® RSX™ Performance Shock Absorbers
• Rancho® RS5000™ Performance Shock Absorbers
• Suspension Components

Tenneco Automotive's obligation under this warranty is limited to replacement of the worn-out or defective product in accordance with this warranty. Cost of removal and installation are not included, and any incidental and consequential damages are excluded under this warranty. This warranty does not apply to products which have been modified, improperly applied or installed on vehicles used for commercial or racing purposes.


gorancho.com

what about offroading?

The people I know with Rancho include those that needed to replace them...so, that is how long they lasted....the warrenty coverage is another matter, unrelated to how long they actually last.

So - The warranty on a Hyundai is longer than the warranty on a Mercedes...I guess that means Hyundai's last longer than Mercedes?



I'm not bashing Rancho, its just the Bilsteins last longer...I know people who like both, just more who like the Bils...And I liked the Bils better on the Jeep before I liked them better on the X.



And, as to the actual coverage...from what I've seen, "under normal operating conditions" does not include driving off road, at least for people trying to get new shocks, like in my club, etc.

So - the Bilstein recommendations on this thread are pretty much the collective experience of this group....including those that prefer the Ranchos.

cranky, offroading is not listed as an activity that excludes the warranty, as such.. go for it.

tj, I don't know which will last longer, but if/when the ranchos fail, it will cost you shipping for replacements, with the bilstiens it will cost you shipping + the cost of the shocks..

I am a fan of the 9000's due ot the fact that you can change the valving as you see fit. I tend to run stiff valving in the sand, to reduce the chances of bottoming out, super soft everywhere else offroad, to keep the tires on the ground, and somewhere in between for daily driving. It is nice to be able to stiffen the rear end when I am loaded, and soften it when I am not..

I have Bilstein' on the front and Rancho 99116's on the rear. As the quote says - I love being able to change the shocks for different loads.

Not sure if the 99116's will fit a stock rig.

Toy Man

If it matters I have the Bilstein 5150's on the back of the X for now. I was planning on putting a set of racerunners back there to match the front, but I might just keep the Bils at this point. They are doing really well.

Since it seems Bilstein's are the preferred shock for our Xterra's where's the best place to pick up a set? I did a search on Ebay and found a set of 4 for around $250 delivered. Does that price sound about right or is there some preferred place on the 'net to order them from?

Depending on what size and style (5100, 5150 and so on) you might want to check out eshocks.com They seem to have pretty good prices.

would the bilsteins make a noticeable difference in ride for on-road use?

Yes, very noticeable.

For a stock bolt in shock Bilsteins seem to be the best shock around. They make a big difference both on and off road. We recently put a set on a suburban - went from nightmare to drive to great

i'm looking at buying them off ebay and the seller tells me the 4wd shocks are the same as the 2wd shocks. is he right or wrong? i dont want to get screwed on a 250+ investment

Same ride height, same a-arms, same mounting points.. They should fit

They'd fit, might ride a hair different, as the unsprung weight in front is less on the RWD version...so the front might be a tad stiffer on rebound control...probably not enough to worry about, but I never had the opportunity to compare before/after 2wd shock to 4 wd shock set ups....so I don't know if Bil even makes a different shock for the different drives.

Anyway - that would be the only logical difference.

The front Diff cant be more then 60 or 80 lbs.. would you notice an 8 year old in the back seat? Other then the noise that is..

The kid is sprung weight, I was talking about unsprung weight...more akin to using a heavier rim, etc., than cargo, when the drive train is hanging onto/supported by the steering/ hub, etc.



IE: think of it like this - If your wheels weigh about 30-40 lb more each, it increases the forces on the shock that have to damp their motion....

So - A shock valved to control (Let's say a random weight) 60 lbs bouncing up and down (tire bounce, etc..) would be unable to control a load of 200 lb bouncing up and down, it would not be "stiff" enough...

If the load was only one pound bouncing up and down, that same shock would be "too stiff".

Does that make sense yet?



So - It might not be enough of a difference to matter, but if it does, that would be why it might.

How much difference in hub weight is there? I was thinking of front driveshaft, and diff.. kind on ignoring the cv's..
With the weight of the tires, rims, spindles, brakes, upper & lower a-arms.. The Hub assembly cant me more then ~1-3% of that...

They'd physically fit, but they aren't the same - the front 4wd shocks have a different part number than the 2wd shocks (the rears are the same). If I were you I'd get the proper part number.

You can get the proper shocks on eshocks for about $260 with free shipping. That's where I ordered from (though I bought Xterra front and T100 rears) and the shipping was fast.

im also looking into a set of shocks, i was leaning towards rancho, but bilstein seems to be veyr poplular among this group. new questions, im not looking in to voiding my
100,000 mile factory warranty, will something like new shocks void the warranty

You wouldn't void any warranty by changing the shocks.

PS - Bils really are the way to go, in my opinion.

RANCHO.

I knew you'd be showing up shortly after I posted my Bilstien recommendation...

will most shops carry bilstein, or is the a specialty item, cause i know i can get rancho real easily, just dont know about bilstein

The best bet is probably to just order them online.

Check ebay and eshocks - eschocks had the best price when I bought mine last year ($260 including shipping)

my buddy can get rancho at NTB, but he needs the exact part number, can anyone help me out. all i need is to replace the stock shocks

I was in this same delema and had already replaced my front shocks with Blis 5100. I just did a 2" SLR lift on the rear and the stock shock broke at the bottom weld on my first outing. I just purchased the Rancho 9000X (99116) and Desert Rat in AZ is having a sale, buy 3 get one free. If anyone local is still looking at getting some, PM me today and we can go in together and save $45 on a pair.

I do agree that the Blis are great up front, but I like the manual adjustablility of the Rancho's to suite my needs. The Blis are supposely "self adjusting" to the type of conditions you're driving.

The stock rear is fully extended about 22" eye to eye...the same distance the Extended Bils ride at with a 3" lift (In the driveway, level, the shocks are extended 22" eye to eye with a 3" SL...)

This means from level, the stock shock with a 2" lift would have just one measly inch of droop before it's poop.

If you let a wheel drop, its yanking on the shock as the limiting factor...increasing the odds of breaking something...and if it doesn't break, you have almost no down travel.

Poke around, maybe we can get a deal on the auto-adjusting, air actuated adjustment system I've heard (from the salesman) they were not built well early on. It looks as though Rancho has revised their production values . It simply means not having to get under your truck (10-15 seconds a wheel) to adjust the ride, it's all done in-cab.
Edit to add RcXLINKY

4x4parts.com has the bilsteins listed for $60 a piece... are these the same as found on slr's website and eshocks? Why the price difference?

I reallt like my Bils too. I got the 20% stiffer ones from SLR to compensate for the absence of the sway bar.

I don't like the control and guage panel.. Looks a little big... I'm sure you found a happy medium that you keep the setting at. I have not seen you tinkering with your shocks.

Rancho 5000 best shock in the industry great for off road firm to take a really fast turn on road they last longer than bils for sure

The Rancho 5000 is the best shock in the industry?



Nothing wrong with'm, I had'm on a jeep, just the Bils were better.



(I think its apparent that it comes down to personnal preference, and that people with Bils and Rancho's generally like them...so even if you pick the wrong one, it won't be THAT wrong)

Just don't get the Rancho RSX, they aren't too hot.

I've been running Bilstiens for about 80K miles now and am still very pleased with the performance. They always respond appropriatly for any given situation and I don't have to adjust anything. If I had shocks with adjustments on them I would drive myself insane trying to find the "right" setting for every situation...I don't have to worry about that with the Bilstiens; I just drive!

Im looking to upgrade my shocks and I know that most on here have a preference for Bil's, but I have never had a problem with the Rancho's. I am leaning toward the RS9000X.

My question is, has anyone tried out the supposed new remote system. (I know from searching and reading old posts that the old one was shitty). Just wondering if anyone has tried out the new one and if it was worth the money?

Sorry this is what I am talking about.
CLICK HERE CLICK HERE

One guy I know of...not thrilled or anything, but not unhappy either.



Its a gadget...you adjust your shocks from inside instead of crawling under the truck to do it...if you are the type who fiddles with that sort of thing, the inside controls are far more convenient.

If you want adjustable Rancho's and can afford the extra doo flickies, its better to get the doo flickies.

on eshocks.com they do not list the % stiffness. What do they give you? I do mostly road driving so i should go with the 10% correct?

Depends...how firm a ride do you want for control vs softness for comfort?

I like 20% for the street myself...better control at hwy speeds...and more comfy than the OEM's were anyway, as they soak up the bumps better.

There's no wrong answer though...no matter what you get, it will be better than you have now.

Its subjective after that...weigh your comfort vs control needs, and pick...no wrong answer.

yeah i want good control on the road since off road use is minimal, Will the 20%'s be too stiff for a comfortable ride though?

yes they will. they ride better than stock. i just put mine on and love them. oooh yeah, the bils also look beter than the rancho's.

I don't think so, for me at least...the 20% stiffer bils had better control, and rode smoother than the OEMs anyway.

I have about 500 lb more on my truck than you might have though...

Again...I can't feel your butt going over bumps and tell you how you're going to like it.

I got the 20% all around in anticipation of the heavy metal soon to be installed on my X, so I'm running pretty much stock weight on the new shocks. It's not harsh at all. In fact, I don't think I notice any more harshness than what it was before with the OEM shocks. It just handles alot better on road. I haven't had a chance to do any serious offroading yet, but day to day driving is fine.

Well, there you have it...a normal weighted calibration butt, that says the same thing as my armored butt....

The 20% stiffer Bils ride better than the OEM, and just improve the handling too.

I don't think anyone that knows my fat ass has ever said I had a normal weighted butt of any calibration

alright thanks guys, i guess i will go with the 20's. but my question still is from eshocks.com they do not give you a choice of what stiffness to get. Which ones do they give you?

call 'em up... getcha some extended lengths with 20%... Tell them you have part numbers and they'll set ya up

The last post is my eshocks experience:
http://www.xterraownersclub.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=73;t=001215

also, check out my post in this thread:
http://www.xterraownersclub.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=73;t=001206

even if you don't have any lift at all, those extended length shocks compress to the same size as can be seen in my pics. If you do ever get some lift in the rear, the shocks won't be your limiting factor.

how does 20% in the front sound and 10% in the back? I know some of you guys have done this. I just want good handling and of course comfort, i do not have a bumper or any xtra weight on the front...but who knows about the future

You can mix and match...I'd keep the left right the same on the same axle, that's about it.

just my opinion, but I noticed no stiffness increase between stock and 20% stiffer with no heavy additions. Get whatcha want, I don't think it'll make that much difference.

alright thanks alot guys..just didnt want to buy something i wasnt happy with..but im sure now that wont be a problem

tj....i was actaully planning on putting 10%on the left and 20% on the right...haha i'm no fool...

When we used to set up race cars for Lime Rock, etc...we MIGHT use different alignments, shocks, etc...for the left or right...

If you drive in circles, it can help.

one last question, i have searched around and havnt found it.
What are the part #'s for 20% fronts and 10% rears?
do i even need them...or if i called eshocks and just told them what i wanted would that work?
i think im going to order them tomorrow

Call AC. They can tell you exactly what you need and their prices are good too.

I know you already ordered yours, but for anyone else looking for part of the answer to this question, the guy I talked to at eshocks didn't know anything about extended length or different stiffnesses, he reccommended I call up bilstein engineering if I wanted a non oem type replacement.

From my understanding though, it the last 2 digits (the h0 part) that make the difference in stiffness, the rest of the part number stays the same.

i just installed the 20% stiffer bilstein shocks on my truck last thursday and friday nights(rear thurs. night, and front fri. night) huge differance over stock. it took me about 4 hrs to get the front driver side off(with the tire removed). i ended up rounding the top nut off and said f it and i cut it off with my sawzall. had the new one on it 15 minutes. driver side went straight for the saw and cut it off and had the new one on in about 10 minutes.