I Found My Shocks (RS5601)

jadcock · Mar 16th, 2004, 05:39 PM

The 5601s are right on! It's visibly a lighter duty shock and compresses much easier than the 5113s did. On a cursory ride around the neighborhood after installing them tonight, they ride very nice..."firmer" with more control than the Monroes, yet "softer" on the broken pavement that we're plagued with on the state highway into town. It's just plain better all around and I'm very happy with the whole suspension now (the first time ever!).

I'd still like to get a few more things here and there (like the AC foam stops). I didn't notice if AC had foam stops for the REAR of the truck. I've never seen those before. Anyone with a leaf spring suspension find a soft foam style rear bump stop?

Thanks,

aaronford · Mar 18th, 2004, 11:48 AM

Hey, happy to hear thay you finally got a shock you are happy with. I recently have been becoming more and more displeased with mine. My old commute had few bumps and a lot of turns. Monroes were great. Now my commute has a lot of bumps and even more turns. The problem is that when hit a bump in a corner, my rear bounces out. I like the fact that the Monroes keep it tight and flat, but how can I get away from the bouncing? I suspect that my increase in unsprung suspension weight plays some part.

jadcock · Mar 18th, 2004, 02:26 PM

I'm sure it has a lot to do with the shock's valving and particular design. At a cursory glance (and feel), it would seem that these Ranchos are stiffer than the Monroe shocks. When you lean on the back of the truck, it's pretty stiff. You can bounce it some, but not much. On the road, though, the rear suspension feels more plush than with the Monroes, but it's somehow also more controlled. I figured those would be mutually exclusive, but that's really not the case.

The state highway between my neighborhood and one of the major roads in town has a few large curves in it, and it's a fairly broken highway, with lots of perpendicular ruts and cuts, similar to a concrete freeway, but in asphalt. The truck used to feel almost uneasy while negotiating one of the turns at the speed limit (50 mph). The back end felt "trampsy", like it was just bouncing up and down and skipping across the road, and jumping sideways some. At the same time, the ride was harsh and I seemed to feel every bit of the axle's movement through the cab. It felt clumsy. With the Rancho shocks, the rear end feels much more planted, yet much more supple at the same time. The bed doesn't bounce around as much and the truck is more stable. It feels lighter on its feet -- like the suspension is taking a more active role in the truck's ride than a passive one. I felt the same sensation after swapping out the front Monroes for Ranchos. The front of the truck didn't seem to fall on itself after bumps anymore...it felt like it was "keeping its chin up" if that makes any sense. Same good results with the rear shocks.

In summary, I'd suggest that maybe the Monroes don't keep the truck as planted as you think, or as glued to the ground as the ride might suggest. Switching to the Ranchos, I got a smoother ride and more control.

aaronford · Mar 18th, 2004, 03:40 PM

I would likely benefit from Rancho's, but I'm kinda ridin' this one out til I get a new one. IE, less investing, more harvesting. Wife is kinda set on a Titan, but I can't see any reason if this truck is running well. Its a TMU (true miles unknown) so trade-in will be pointless. Would be interested in a lower window seal. Mine is trashed. The ash/limestone at work ate it up. Titans come with Rancho's, right? (and Dana's, and 300+HP, etc.)

jadcock · Mar 18th, 2004, 05:26 PM

Yeah, I think the off road package you can get comes with 5000 series Ranchos. Otherwise, they're standard Nissan shocks. I wasn't going to put any more money into mine because I was thinking about selling it/trading it in another year or so. But I think I'd rather keep the truck since both vehicles are running very well with no unforseen problems in the near future, so I think we're just going to keep them both running for now. So I decided to put a few bucks in the truck and fix it so a really like it. It's a pleasure driving around now. I don't think I'll invest in one of the aftermarket steering kits for it, but may end up having to get a new center link...not sure yet. The steering seems pretty tight and linear, but I keep hearing how weak the system is when taken off-road. Frankly, I think that with some smart driving (like taking obstacles head-on instead of trying to turn into or against them) will "save" the steering components from too much damage/wear.

aaronford · Mar 19th, 2004, 06:26 PM

I have heard of people complaining of the steering, but I think they were pushing them beyond normal off-roading. My old man's 89 never had any problems, and it was mistreated and abused every day of it's life. I took it out often and did some rather advanced wheelin'. Never fast or abusive, but more like " It climbed that?". Stumps, logs, road embankments, three wheeled descents, and granny low diggin' were common. Kelly Mohawk's seemed to do the best. I would have liked to have run some BFG's, Duelers, or Geolander's on it. Dirt stuck in places it shouldn't have been was common, but never any steering problems.