VX's BUMPY RIDE?!?!

[J A M E 5 W A T T 5]

I've owned my VX for about two months now and there is so much that I absolutely love about it -- the good looks, rarity, low cost (I paid 12.5k for a crisp Ebony w/ 65k from Pennsylvania)...however, the thing that is absolutely bugging me to the point of considering getting rid of it is its bumpy ride -- driving this bad boy to NYC leaves me getting tossed around the front seat! Are there any suspension/shock modifications/upgrades that are out there to cure this problem? I appreciate all of your replies and help in advance!

[Francesco Rizzo]

do a site search or internet search for rancho rs9000x shocks, they are adjustable so you can decide how fast you want to turn, or how much dirt you want to play in. There is even a remote control so you can adjust on the fly, but people talk about it having leaking issues and not working great. I keep mine at the softest setting all the time.. it makes my truck ride a lil bounce, but I love it

[thebear54]

As far as I know(which sometimes ain't much ) the stock shocks are adjustable up to a point to give you a softer ride. You are not going to get a a "Caddy" ride from a VX not matter what you put on but the Ranchos are a good bet.
John

[VX crazy]

Are you running stock tires and wheels? Stock tires are more likely to exhibit this behavior. Have you experimented up and down with air pressure? This can make a huge difference but this an enthusiast's vehicle, not a cushmobile.

[Green Dragon]

I am lifted with stock shocks & running 265-75-16 MTs not a great combo for a soft ride. However, the ride is very confortable and I attribute this in part to cutting off the Triangular portion of the rear bumper stops.

[StormTROOPER]

Crazy's right, definitely an enthusiast's vehicle. No rear visibilty and the driver is practically sitting on the rear wheels,(hence the rocking horse ride) but there are ways to improve (but not totally illiminate) these design sacrifices.......rear view camera and better shocks and tires, a small price to pay to drive a classic.

[Offroad vx]

I just installed a set of the Rancho 9000s and I'm not overly impressed with the ride. My stock shocks were trashed but the only big difference I feel is over speed bumps. I've thought about doing something with the bump stops because I think the Ranchos on the softest setting are bottoming out. But the bottom line is the VX does ride rough but I don't care it's still cool!

[Heraclid]

I'm considering trying the Ranchos out just to see what that's all about, but the VX's ride doesn't really bother me. I'm pushing 70K miles on the original shocks and I rallycross the truck too. So far so good. And the stock shocks aren't adjustable.

I have always hated driving cars with that floating feeling - I like to feel the road and get that feedback. Soft shocks compress to their limit more easily. Stiffer shocks may give you a harsher ride, but it takes more to fully compress them to the limit, and like Isuzu said, these things were made to "go farther".

[VehiGAZ]

Offroad, please give full disclosure - what did you set your Ranchos at? They are 1-9 adjustable, and I wouldn't be too surprised that a soft ride would result from anything but the 7-9 range.

I'm in a similar dilemma - I just realized my 3-month old VX is not riding on the stock shocks. The ones in there are really bad - either too soft or worn out or both. I bounce down rough roads like a rubber ball. $2k for new stock shocks is out of the question, of course, so I'm looking for options.

Some posters on this board have praised the Rancho 9000s as the best mod they ever did to their VX, while some complain about them. Some say that at a max setting of 8 or 9, they are almost as stiff as the OEM shocks and have a better ride, while others have said that they are far too weak even at the max setting.

Obviously, everyone's *** has a different idea of what makes a good ride, so comparing any replacement shock to the ride of the original shock in good condition is the only decent benchmark we have to work with.

My ride is bouncy and floaty now, and that's no good. I want shocks that will control the body motions and absorb big heaves and speed bumps athletically. I went from a Prelude SH to this VX, so a stiff sports-car ride is OK by me. All I know is that I have a long way to go to get to that kind of ride.

Please, someone tell me what worked! :-)

[PeteVX]

i have rancho 9000x's set on their softest setting, i still find the ride firm compared to my nissan pathfinder but then again it corners and holds the road better than the nissan too.

I might be wrong but i think the springs are on the firm side too as far as compression goes which comes into play, so even with a softer shock which really only controls the damping you still get a pretty hard ride.

I havent heard anything about going to a softer spring anywhere... i could also be talking out of my arse too, i'll be the first to admit i'm not an expert.

At the risk of sounding like a girl I'd be still willing to lose a little handling for a little easier ride.

Can anyone enlighten us?

Pete

[Raque Thomas]

$2k for new stock shocks is out of the question, of course, so I'm looking for options.

There is a set of used (40k miles) stock shocks on eBay right now, suppossedly in good condition:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33590

currently at $55 + $40 shipping - maybe an alternative??

[VCrossfan]

Rancho RS9000X Sale is still on at Sams offroad. $223.95 and Free Shipping. Installed mine 2 weeks ago and love them. ! !

http://www.samsoffroad.com/samsoffroadsto/rancho.htm

[Offroad vx]

Offroad, please give full disclosure - what did you set your Ranchos at? They are 1-9 adjustable, and I wouldn't be too surprised that a soft ride would result from anything but the 7-9 range.

I first set them at 1 which was squishy, now they're at 3 and seem better. I'm still experimenting with them and have been bumping up a few marks at a time. I never had the chance to see what the stock ones were really like since they were leaking when I bought it. I just have issues with the ride mainly on rough surfaces and speed bumps (which I can't avoid). Speed bumps are killer in this vehicle. I will keep you posted but don't spend a fortune on something because I don't think the ride will be any better for $1800 more!

[WyrreJ]

The cure for speed bumps is to go faster. Really.
I'm sure it is tougher on the suspension, but it can really smooth out the jaring effect of the bump. This goes for most any car too, not just the VX.

[VehiGAZ]

Wow, thanks everyone for all the replies! I have new info to report too. But first...

PeteVX, you are not talking out your arsse. You are dead on, and a lot of people need to learn how suspensions work. The car rides on the springs, and the shocks only dampen the motion of the springs. Harder/stronger springs need harder/stronger shocks, which is the challenge for the VX. No one makes softer springs for aftermarket - only sport springs which are stiffer than stock. I was behind an Integra the other day that had been lowered with sport springs but had the OE shocks, and it was bouncing up and down like nuts down the highway! HAH! I'm in a similar position, but I'll get to that in a moment.

Raque - thanks for the eBay tip; I'm already watching that auction.

Offroad - thanks for the clarification. I've seen a lot of positive posts about the Ranchos and a couple of negative ones, and I figured someone had them on the softest setting and didn't like them. I'm guessing the ride will be pretty good if they are set in the 7-9 range.

New developments - I took a closer look at my suspension, and the original shocks were replaced with KYB Gas-A-Just shocks. While these may be made by the OEM company, and they are gas charged, they are NOT adjustable, as the name suggests. Also, they suck. They are not up to the job of damping those stiff VX springs. The ride is not out of control, and it is not harsh, but heave-type undulations in the road will send my VX bouncing. Now with 50k miles on my VX, those shocks can't be THAT old, so I'm guessing they were not up the job from the beginnning.

I've heard only a few but very positive posts about Bilsteins, so I'm gonna price those out, but based on everything I've read here, I am willing to give the Ranchos a try. Unless my warranty will pay for the OEMs!

This topic is FAR from settled. Please continue to post your experiences with replacement shocks. I'm sure everyone appreciates the info!