OME N76 or Rancho 9000 Shocks

[jtraf]

Specs

OME N76 - Open 685mm Closed 408 non adjustable $238 pair

Rancho 9000 - OPEN 653 Closed 400 5 stage ajustable $230 pair

now the dilemma is which to buy?

what are others thoughts?

[roly]

for a gq or a suzi?

[christover1]

Specs

OME N76 - Open 685mm Closed 408 non adjustable $238 pair

Rancho 9000 - OPEN 653 Closed 400 5 stage ajustable $230 pair

now the dilemma is which to buy?

what are others thoughts?

Altho the OME are not adjustable, I believe they are load sensitive, therefore stiffer at speed and softer at slower paces.
Remote reservoir allows extra travel without extra closed length, explaining the closed similar length but OME having longer open length.
Just my theories, haven't driven on N76 and only limited driving with ranchos.
The Ranchos are good, tho.
Are N76's still made in Aus?

christover.

[jtraf]

For a LWB sierra.....NT wearing WT diffs...

N76 or still sold by ARB

[-ZukChiK-]

Call Joe at 4Play Offroad in Kilsyth 9761 4694. He has some good knowledge as to why Rancho's are not the best for a Sierra, but the OME Nitro's are (I think it had something to do with christover's advice, and the rancho's getting too hot or something with the oil inside - I'm no expert!)

The last time I checked the RS9000 adjustables were $198 EACH! Where did you get the price of $230 pr? I only thought the non-adjustables were around that price ?

[christover1]

The last time I checked the RS9000 adjustables were $198 EACH! Where did you get the price of $230 pr? I only thought the non-adjustables were around that price ?

There is 5 stage and 9 stage adjustables, maybe that is the difference?

[ljxtreem]

Rancho's are fine, I had them in mine, there should be no problem with heat, no more problem with heat than a OME would have.
Rancho's were cool but there is no point in having adjustability if you need them on the lowest setting for road driving and you cant valve them any softer. I had 9012's which I think are about the softest valved of the ranchos.
N76's are cool, way cool, their valving seems to be just right for a zook, so you dont need the adjustability and also give you a good amount of travel.

I would go for the OME for the valving not for the heat thing, wich I think is a bit of missinformation.


Mock

[Boopa]

Specs

OME N76 - Open 685mm Closed 408 non adjustable $238 pair

Rancho 9000 - OPEN 653 Closed 400 5 stage ajustable $230 pair

now the dilemma is which to buy?

what are others thoughts?

are they the same shock length for front and rear on a WT Zook?

[ljxtreem]

Not shure if they are the same length stock mounts are diferent, but a N76 is way longer than stock and requires custom mounts front and rear, they are also eye to eye mounted.


Mock

[sierrajim]

The Rancho 99012's are valved for a dual skock application from memory, this means they're softer than many others around.

[-ZukChiK-]

We visited ARB's headquarters this morning on a quick overnight Melbo trip ... Nice showroom, lots of cool stuff, including OME. I got the big spiel (although I knew most of it already) ... moral of the story, if you want to buy & fit OME shocks you should match it with their springs etc etc Each model car, whether it be zook or yota or whatever, their suspension systems are designed specifically to each & every vehicle... which includes the valving, shock length & all that stuff. It even made sense to a novice like me ! LOL Also, don't expect them to cover warranty if the components are not installed by one of their authorised dealers, which is fair enough from a manufacturers point of view. I'll let you know what I think when I get my Dakars on in a couple of months, hopefully

[Gwagensteve]

That is all true surf chick, but of course in our applications, 6" of travel front and rear is not really adequate, so the stock shock mounting positions, stock shocks, spring clips, leaf numbers etc are all modified as required voiding any claim to warranty.

There is no "problem" with Rancho's on a suzuki, likewise they do not suffer fade with heat more than any other shock per se. Shock fade due to overheating is very unlikely in a suzuki anyway, due to the low weight/light shock valving required.

The real problem with Rancho's is that 99% of the time they are bought on an "if it fits it must be ok" basis. Unfortunately, that will mean that on a sierra, they will tend to be too stiff. Yes, the 99012 is soft (it is acutally intended for the rear of a 4" lifted old school dodge pickup) but is too long for most owners to be bothered with fitting - it has about 13" of travel. i have these in front of my 2500kg Gwagen and run them on aorund setting 2 (old 5 speed versions) with a 140lb/" spring. The sierra applications that run them tend to run them around setting 1-2.

Rancho will not release valving information for their products, so finding shocks that are soft enough for a sierra application is tough. I can recommend a 99009. this has around 10.75" travel and is very soft. I have to run mine on the rear of my merc at setting 5 (of five) and they are still a little soft. I have used 99112's on sierras, but they are a touch stiff for the front, but a good length at about 10" travel.

The OME N76 shock is a universal or "buggy" fitment of OME shock that has been avialable for years. It is apparently now used in 4" lifted wranglers in the US market, but even this is a "non approved" fitment. I recommend N76's mostly because thay are far cheaper than RS9000's, and in my experience, 9000's tend to not get adjusted once you have got over crawling around in the mud adjusting them and ending up with a crook handling car because you overdid it.

N76's are pretty long though. mounted to the spring pads as per stock, they will require about a 4" taller front shock tower with 2" bumpstop spacers, and will go through the floor in the rear even with a 2" body lift and 2" bumpstop spacers unless they are laid over so much that they will go a bit soft. Set up like this, the front uses nearly all of the afe shock travel with rear sorings in the front, but the back doesn't use anywhere near that much travel.

ALL MODERN SHOCK ABSROBERS ARE VELOCITY SENSITIVE and it is in fact quite hard to make one that would work as we know it and not respond differently as the speed changes.

There is nothing special about OME shocks but they are quite good value. In the case of the N76, to be able to buy an off the shelf shock that is long, soft valved and very very durable in a sierra application is the cincher for me.

Steve.