RS9000xl vs Evo Spec King 2.0 vs Evo Spec 2.5

TrailHunter

TrailHunter

Hooked
I’ve had a hard time finding comparisons between these 3 shocks and was looking for some opinions. I will be lifting my Jeep soon and I am looking for the best shock.... I am willing to be patient and save my money for better performance..... but only if it’s worth doing so.

Jeep: 17 JKUR
Lift : EVO 3” enforcer
Tires: 35” (37’s way later after pr44)
Driving Style: I want to do more rock crawling, but I also visit Glamis & Cal City frequently where I find my self cruising through the whoops & rutted areas at a decent speed.... (nothing crazy fast as I’m not looking to snap axles... its a Jeep, not a Trophy Truck)

Does Having adjustably in the Rancho outweigh the King 2.0 performance?.... Is the King 2.5 really worth the Cash? Do I NEED a reservoir? Is there a WOW factor with the 2.5’s, or do you have to be doing 80mph through the desert all Jacked up on Mountain Dew for it to even matter?

Thanks in advance for sharing knowledge & opinions!
 
I just talked to somebody at ORE yesterday about the king 2.0 and 2.5 and he said that the 2.5 is just a tad bit softer than the 2.0 then he said does a jeep NEED a reservoir no not really. I am also looking to buy either the 2.0 or 2.5 but leaning towards 2.0.
 
TrailHunter said:
I’ve had a hard time finding comparisons between these 3 shocks and was looking for some opinions. I will be lifting my Jeep soon and I am looking for the best shock.... I am willing to be patient and save my money for better performance..... but only if it’s worth doing so.

Jeep: 17 JKUR
Lift : EVO 3” enforcer
Tires: 35” (37’s way later after pr44)
Driving Style: I want to do more rock crawling, but I also visit Glamis & Cal City frequently where I find my self cruising through the whoops & rutted areas at a decent speed.... (nothing crazy fast as I’m not looking to snap axles... its a Jeep, not a Trophy Truck)

Does Having adjustably in the Rancho outweigh the King 2.0 performance?.... Is the King 2.5 really worth the Cash? Do I NEED a reservoir? Is there a WOW factor with the 2.5’s, or do you have to be doing 80mph through the desert all Jacked up on Mountain Dew for it to even matter?

Thanks in advance for sharing knowledge & opinions!
Click to expand...

I've had the King 2.5 non-adjustable and currently have the Rancho 9000's

they're both excellent at handling washboard roads, the Kings had virtually no fade over time while the Rancho's will - the benefit of the King shock reservoir.

I do like the ability to adjust the Rancho and wish I had ordered the 2.5 with the adjustable knobs. It's nice to be able to firm up the shock for highway travel when loaded down.

What I ran into that ultimately led me to sell my King shocks was the cost of rebuilding, having to ship them off to get it done and the turn around time.

It was cheaper to get the Rancho's and an even better deal during one of their buy 3 get the 4th free sale. Other that the fade on washboard roads I really haven't felt a difference in their capability - I'm not on washboard roads often enough so it doesn't matter.

Neither shock will take whoops and rutted areas well- you'll want to think coilover for that type of driving.
 
I can say that I really love my Rancho 9000s, but I can also say that they get hot as fuck running through the desert at speed (ie: the New Year run).

I am curious to see if they're still making the pro model with the reservoirs when it's time for my next set.

--
Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
 
To me this really comes down to budget and wheeling style. I'm confident in saying there is a reason the King shocks sell at a premium. It's more than just the cool blue sticker.

But if they are not in your budget, the ranchos are a good performing shock for the value. One could argue you can buy many ranchos for the price of king.

That said, I've yet to really see/hear too many people talking up how their ranchos did awesome absorbing whoops. That might be the difference. 2.0 vs 2.5s would also depend on how fast you want to go. The reservoir won't do all that much while crawling. But it looks more badasser and makes going fast a lot more fun.
 
Ran both with the plush rides and both were great for most days. I will say the ranchos faded after a while of off road driving at any speed while the kings did not. I do feel as if the Kings handled bumps better at higher speeds but that could have something to do with the king bump stops too. I’d say for most he Kings would be overkill but if you spend a lot of time in the desert at decent speeds like I did then they are well worth it.


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benatc1 said:
Ran both with the plush rides and both were great for most days. I will say the ranchos faded after a while of off road driving at any speed while the kings did not. I do feel as if the Kings handled bumps better at higher speeds but that could have something to do with the king bump stops too. I’d say for most he Kings would be overkill but if you spend a lot of time in the desert at decent speeds like I did then they are well worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
Click to expand...

When you say Kings, are you referring to the 2.0 or the 2.5 with reservoir?
 
Yes the 9000's can fade over time, if you do find yourself spending a lot of time going fast, get a shock that has a large shock body to dissipate heat.
And we no longer offer our reservoirs... :doh:

BaddestCross said:
I can say that I really love my Rancho 9000s, but I can also say that they get hot as fuck running through the desert at speed (ie: the New Year run).

I am curious to see if they're still making the pro model with the reservoirs when it's time for my next set.

--
Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
Click to expand...
 
Rancho said:
Yes the 9000's can fade over time, if you do find yourself spending a lot of time going fast, get a shock that has a large shock body to dissipate heat.
And we no longer offer our reservoirs... :doh:
Click to expand...
Thanks. I didn't think so, but I figured you might chime in here. 😎

Do you guys offer a better "go fast" shock, or are the 9000s your top-of-the-line?

--
Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
 
JAGS said:
To me this really comes down to budget and wheeling style. I'm confident in saying there is a reason the King shocks sell at a premium. It's more than just the cool blue sticker.

But if they are not in your budget, the ranchos are a good performing shock for the value. One could argue you can buy many ranchos for the price of king.

That said, I've yet to really see/hear too many people talking up how their ranchos did awesome absorbing whoops. That might be the difference. 2.0 vs 2.5s would also depend on how fast you want to go. The reservoir won't do all that much while crawling. But it looks more badasser and makes going fast a lot more fun.
Click to expand...

That’s exactly what I have in mind [emoji108][emoji108][emoji108][emoji108]


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I don't have experience with the Rancho 9000's but I'm currently running the king 2.5 with adjuster. They're unbelievably smooth at speed through the desert. They can get you in trouble because the faster you go the smoother it is! My friend has Fox 2.0 non Reservoir and after a long washboard Road his were on fire while mine were barely warm.

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So far my Rancho’s have been great but I haven’t really abused them either. As for the cool little knob, I’ve adjusted it exactly zero times. I suppose one of these days I need to try the different settings to see what I like.
 
Just built my sons 2016 jku with 3” enforcer and king 2.0s.
Recent New Years run had plenty of desert whoops. He kept up comfortably with my rig which has evo coil overs king 2.5s. He didn’t experience any fading by end of the day. ORE recommended the kings saying that that they are better tuned to work with the enforcer coils... namely less nose dive on hard stops or whoops.


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Sharkey said:
As for the cool little knob, I’ve adjusted it exactly zero times.
Click to expand...

Haha!
I have the King’s and have never adjusted them either.

I can’t give a proper review because it’s all I know besides stock. I haven’t felt or compared all the options personally. I will say though I am happy with them but I am not looking forward to having them rebuilt when the time comes.
($$)
 
I have the 9000s and I love them. I do use the adjuster often, towing or loaded for camping I turn them up. Normal every day driving I turn them down. I think it's a great feature to have the versatility. I don't have experience with the other ones.


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