new dually and rancho shocks

diver57 wrote:
Was thinking of the rancho"s 9000 xl
thanks

I have those on my dually, I love 'em. I don't really touch the fronts, but the rears make a huge difference empty vs. loaded. I turn them all the way up to 10 loaded, and down to 1 empty.

I can sure tell when I've pulled out and forgot to adjust them -- loaded set @1 it floats like a tuna troller, and empty set to 10 then hitting a speed bump requires a chiropractic adjustment.

I run 35psi in rear tires empty, rides great.

My dually has a 5,000 pound payload so you feel most of the bumps when empty. With my toy hauler hooked up I have 3,500 pounds in the bed and the truck rides much smoother. I also replaced OEM shocks with Bilstein 5100.

Drop the tire pressure when you aren't carrying a load. I have Bilstein 4600s and they seem way better than the Rancho 9000s I had on a SRW for smooth ride.

Don't have a GMC, but a '15 Ford dually. It rides rougher empty than the similar '99 it replaced, maybe because the GVWR is 14K instead of 11K?

Anyway, at about 570 miles I removed the OEM shocks and put on Rancho 9000XL. Empty with the rears dialed down to 1 or 2, it made a *small* difference in ride quality. Not sure I would to it just for that small difference. With the camper and the rears dialed up to 8 or 9, it make a fairly substantial difference in overall handling, including an improvement in ride. To me, worth it for that difference.

I also installed large (Hellwig) anti-sway bars front and rear. That made a very noticeable improvement in handling with the camper on. It made the empty ride a tiny bit worse I think. I would do this to any truck with a heavy camper.

Next mod is full air suspension in the back, with the hope of improving ride both empty and full.