Rancho 2" Sport Lift

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Hi folks,

Does anyone have any direct experience with the Rancho 2" sport lift kit, as shown here:

https://www.4wheelparts.ca/Suspensi...spx?t_c=1&t_s=38&t_pt=3533&t_pn=RANRS66119BR9


At first glance, it seems pretty good:

• Progressive springs, which in theory should give a good range of loaded/unloaded performance.
• Rancho9000xl shocks, which are generally regarded as good by our own OverlandJournal editors.
• About 1/3 the price of the AEV DualSport kit with brackets for a similar 'boost' in height for Canadian customers.

A suspension upgrade for me is about how well it carries a load over long tracks -- washboard, gravel, etc., but all the reviews I've seen lean more towards the rock crawler types. They are all very favourable in terms of the value proposition, but rock crawling =/= overloading, so I was hoping someone in this community has some experience with this kit.

 

[ratled]

yep, you can read about mine on page 4 in my signature.

ratled

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

yep, you can read about mine on page 4 in my signature.

ratled

Thanks ratled! I’m glad you have already travelled the trail I’m looking at.

I’m sorry if you covered this elsewhere, but after using the kit since install how do you feel about it? If you were to need a JK lift today, would you buy the same one? Why or why not?

Much appreciate the assistance and perspective — next time we are in Nevada we owe you a coffee or a beer!

 

[ratled]

The Rancho works well and was a perfect match for my needs. It did sag about a 1/2" as it settled in. Remember it is a "sport" lift and expect performance in that spectrum - as opposed to say a true crawler or HD lift. If you have a a Skletor exterior rack with a RTT, 10 gallons of fuel, 15 gallons of water and a ton of other kit and 4 adults you might exceed the limits of a sport lift.

If I had to get another lift it would be the OME 2.5" HD lift as it would handle extra weight if needed.

If you do go the Rancho be sure to get before and after wheel aliment and the caster shims.

Best of luck
ratled

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Thanks ratled! Exactly the info I was hoping for. We tend to have heavy kit in some areas that is essentially permanently mounted (bumpers, rack, winch, RTT) but otherwise it’s all backpacker style stuff, as small and light as possible. So, the Sport style lift may be good enough for our needs. I’m going to go find a scale and figure out some weights and then decide which direction to go in.

Thanks for the tips on the caster shims and alignment — I wouldn’t have known about the shims otherwise.

Much appreciated!

 

[Ozian]

I installed a Rancho Sport 2” lift with the adjustable RS9000 shocks on my 2014 JKUS last year. I also put in a set of Teraflex Sport front lower control arms (instead of shims) and rear track bar bracket at the same time to correct caster and roll centre. Lots of people who have installed this lift haven’t bothered adding these, but I found the improvement in handling was well worth the minimal extra investment.

Overall, no issues with the installation other than the usual having to cut the inner fender to get to the passenger side top shock nut. Getting the bolts lined up for the new control arms took a bit of muscle, but nothing a good pry bar didn’t fix!

I gained about an inch (25mm) all around compared to the previous Teraflex spacer levelling kit I had (so about 3” up front and 2” in back over stock), and it was perfectly level at 505mm at the pinch seam corners. I eventually ended up putting the 1” spacer back in the rear to compensate for the weight of the large spare tire, Gobi rack and my camping gear when fully loaded.

The Jeep rides so much better than before. Smooth, controlled, no more brake dive or wallowing around corners. The added caster from the longer control arms is noticeable, and the steering wheel centres much quicker. On the highway it’s much more stable and only needs one finger on the wheel. This demonstrates to me how much even a small lift (e.g. levelling spacer lift) impacts on the Jeeps geometry without some sort of correction, such as caster and/or rear track bar relocation.

Off road it works really well for the type of wheeling I tend to do (bush tracks, beach driving and remote trails). I turn the shocks all the way down on the trails which softens things up nicely, and go with #3 on the front and #4 out back for road driving. For the price this kit is hard to beat.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Very nice rig, Ozian, and thanks for sharing a positive experience with that lift! I may look at the Teraflex additions you mentioned if I can get a good deal on the control arms and the brackets. Am I correct to assume the rear Track Bar bracket was a Teraflex product too? I love the stance of your jeep.

I'm jealous of how clean your jeep is -- the winters here in Northern Alberta really play hell with the undersides since they started salting the roads more -- mine doesn't look nearly as nice as yours!

 

[Ozian]

Thanks, I’m very happy with my Jeep, both in how it drives and how it looks! Yes, the track bar bracket is a Teraflex unit. Great quality stuff, and you can get them pretty cheap from Quadratec (without having to pay the shipping I do to get them to Australia). The geometry correction makes a huge difference, especially if your rig is a daily driver.

I know exactly what you’re saying about road salt and winter roads... I grew up in northern British Columbia and spent my young adulthood on Vancouver Island. I have to say, since moving to Queensland, Australia 15 years ago I haven’t really missed the winters from back home at all! It’s certainly a lot easier to keep my vehicles clean over here, and it’s topless/motorcycling season all year. Lol!

Good luck with your Jeep mods, and let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Ozian]

FYI, my Jeep certainly isn’t always clean either.



Btw, this was before the Rancho lift... just a Teraflex levelling kit.