If money is not an issue go with RadFlo with external reservoir and OME springs for the rear.

Extra travel and added lift

NmexMAX wrote:If money is not an issue go with RadFlo with external reservoir and OME springs for the rear.

Extra travel and added lift

honestly unless you're going to be doing some heavy offroading, there's no -real- reason for the extra travel. you won't need it for beginner or intermediate type rock crawling.

doesn't radflo have the same (with lift) without the ext res?

Yup, thats very true.

Yeah they've got it without the res. Slightly less travel but more than stock. Somewhere in the 9.5 - 10" range. Fair for an IRS.

I have the Rancho Quick Lifts in the front and Rancho Spacers with Bilstein HD's in the rear, with airbags. I am quite satisfied with the ride, for the driving I do on highways, logging and mining roads, with the occasional side trip to some remote lakes. Are these the best struts and shocks on the market...no, but they are way better than stock.

So now that I have these installed, maybe I can answer my own questions

1) I ended up with an average of a 2"lift and a level truck, no more rake
2) I had never done this type of work before and quite enjoyed it. It wasn't that difficult at all.
3) It took maybe 5 hours or so. I am sure someone who knows what they are doing, could do this a couple of hours faster.
4) A floor jack comes in handy and really speeds up the work. Jack stands, metric socket set with long handle, adjustable wrenches, Scissor jack or hydraulic jack and hockey puck (inside joke). Don't think we used anything else.
5) Running LT285-65/R18 BFG AT KO's which I think is a shade under 33".
6) As I mentioned I quite like the set up.

Insight - I chose the Rancho Quick Lift front coil overs because of the adjustable settings and the ease of installation. Didn't need to go to a shop and have the OEM spring removed and reinstalled onto the new strut. There are 9 settings, on the Rancho's with 1 being the softest and 9 being the stiffest. Right now I am running them at setting nine and like it for highway driving. Ran some logging roads at setting 3.

As for costs to have this done, hey, if I can install these, anyone could. Save some money and give it a go. As for the lift, I think it was around $500.00...I think.

The UCA's do not rub on the coils.

Other members suggest replacing the rear springs with better ones, because the OEM ones aren't very good. I think the air bags compensate for this but better springs would be good, if you get a similar lift as the Rancho Quick Lift will give you. The 4x4Part springs didn't so I switched to the spacers and sent the springs back.

You do not need an extended length shock in the rear. I posted a few pictures. The OEM shock is the same size as the Bilstein and works fine, with my lift.

Hope this helps...good luck with your decision.




Northern BC Main Logging Road (Blackwater Road)

thanks for the inputs fellas. now on to decision time haha.

Based on other's opinons I went with the spacers and 2"longer shock and couldn't be happier with end results.Although that top shock absorber bolt was a pain in ---,even with a 2' ext with universal joint

JermZ260 wrote:Based on other's opinons I went with the spacers and 2"longer shock and couldn't be happier with end results.Although that top shock absorber bolt was a pain in ---,even with a 2' ext with universal joint

yup mine was a big pita too. the passenger side was hard to get to, and the drivers side you could only get like two clicks of a turn with the ratchet on the bolt.


i really want to change to those ranchos for the front....maybe the rear too. i'd probably do the fronts myself, but i'll probably take it in for the rears.

finally ordered the Rancho Q\L's for the front and the Rancho spacers for the rear, and the cam adjustment bolts from PRG. looking forward to getting it in, finally decided to push GO on it last night , had previously had it in my cart 3 or 4 times haha. Hope the install is fairly straight forward, never done anything like this before. Anyone know of an install write up on this at all?

Figured i might just as well do some plastidippin on the wheels while they are off as well.

Thanks again, will do some picture takin' just for reference.

Great thread, post your updates after please. Very interested in your results...

I'm thinking the full Rancho set up with the 9000 shocks but wondering if I went to lil better spring in rear would that be good for everyday driving and some off road use or should I stay stock springs ?

personally i think the rear springs are complete crap. i changed mine out with the 4x4parts 2in lift springs and am pretty happy, especially when coupled with the airlift 1000. night and day difference in handling.