bonanza

So, to rectify poor design, I spend time and money to install a custom mounting option to protect entry level shocks?

I went to Fox, haven't had an issue since. (In full disclosure, I've knicked the reservoir body enough to shove it upward, but it didn't cave in like my 9000xl) Rancho's are fine for what they are, and I'm glad they are a popular product. But anything past a mild fire road, those things are going to suffer. There is simply no reason to put a shock body in harm's way rather than using a sleeve or similar shaft protector. Funny thing about rocks, is that they never lose in a fistfight with components.

Like a previous poster stated, the less of my Jeep that can smash into the rocks, the better. Look at this picture. If those are your shocks down low like that, what makes more sense? Less shock to smash, or more?

Rednroll

The odd thing to me was their use of 25psi for tuning. I don't design shocks so maybe it makes sense? When I look at it, for DD highway use, I'm running 30-35psi. For off-road use, I'm airing down to 13-15psi. These seem to be pretty common PSI's ranges for those uses. I'm guessing 25psi is therefore a good sweet spot of compromise for tuning in relation to tire pressure. It's in the middle of the more common PSI ranges. I wouldn't get the best performance at 30-35psi, and I wouldn't get the best performance at below 15psi, but would likely get decent performance at both.

Greg@RME

I think that's fairly logical reasoning and makes sense as well. IMO, a lot of people that own Jeeps and take them off road aren't necessarily always going to be "rock crawling" and airing down to the low teens. If you're just going to be off roading in the mountains or the desert, but not necessarily crawling over big rocks, airing down to 25 psi still makes a decent difference from street pressures.

I would also think that at 25 psi the suspension and shocks are going to be doing more of the work controlling the Jeep's frame and body movements where if you were airing down even further, the tires are going to absorb more of the uncomfortable hits and bumps. Thinking about it that way, it makes sense to me that they would tune the Falcon shocks to optimally work with tires set at 25 psi.

Spartan65USMC

@TeraFlex

I'm considering running the New Falcon shocks, I was wondering if these might work with the MetalCloak JK Outboard Front Lower Shock Mount Spacer Kit #7104 and the MetalCloak JK Wrangler Shock Relocation & Clearance Kit # 7025?

Rancho

Here were are on a fire road out in Sand Hollow, no damage to the knob or the shock.
Weird....



See below in bold

karls10jk

I've got the same rear brackets and I don't think the post will fit in the. It's tight enough getting the sway bar link into place. I'll have to look at the mount.

Greg- how far out does that post sit? I can go measure.

TeraFlex

The fronts shouldn't be an issue, but rear could be an issue.

TeraFlex

TeraFlex did alot of testing there also and yet no damage to our new Falcon shocks either.

Dbird29

Dennis Woods explained, at the Winter 4x4 Jamboree in Hurricane, UT, that there is no restriction due to the remote reservoir hose and that allows the valving to happen more accurately.
I just wish they weren't so darn much money.

Greg@RME

I'll work on getting some pics with the shock removed and measurements so you have a better idea if you can make them work.