Guinea Pig for the Rough Country M1 shocks

[Mr. Yuck]

I just ordered the M1 shocks for the rear. These are NOT the N3 twin tubes.

They have the exact description of the bilstein 5100's. 46mm digressive valve with 18mm shaft in a stainless body.
Everyone who i have talked to who has ACTUALLY tried the M1 rough countries have stated that they ride exactly the same as the bilsteins and last just as long.

To get the 5100's to hawaii it was 240 for the shocks and 90 in shipping for 330 total.
OR
160 said with free shipping said and done for the pair.

I will be the guinea pig for that price difference.

They also have a good warranty so I guess we will see.

Anyone else running these?

Please don't chime in with bs opinions that don't have a user basis, let's keep this scientific pretty please.

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[9zero1790]

have not used them but i will say rough country is good about warranty and standing behind the products. hope they work well for you!

 

[Wolfman00]

i’m all about hidden gems.

 

[Frenchy]

So what you are saying is there is a good chance these are simply a Bilstein with different paint and sticker? If that's the case why not just stick with Bilstein?

 

[LaBalbe]

So what you are saying is there is a good chance these are simply a Bilstein with different paint and sticker? If that's the case why not just stick with Bilstein?

He's already answered that, and yeah, that's definitely worth trying....

To get the 5100's to hawaii it was 240 for the shocks and 90 in shipping for 330 total.
OR
160 said with free shipping said and done for the pair.

I will be the guinea pig for that price difference.

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

So what you are saying is there is a good chance these are simply a Bilstein with different paint and sticker? If that's the case why not just stick with Bilstein?

Because one option is $330 and the other $160?

 

[FunInTheSun]

So what you are saying is there is a good chance these are simply a Bilstein with different paint and sticker? If that's the case why not just stick with Bilstein?

I think he has about 170 reasons to give it a shot...
330 - 160 = 170

 

[Mr. Yuck]

So what you are saying is there is a good chance these are simply a Bilstein with different paint and sticker? If that's the case why not just stick with Bilstein?

I'm saying that they are of the same type of shock. Both have digressive valves and a 46mm piston with a floating chamber. They are most definitely built in different factories but have the same specifications. Other than .35inches more travel with the rough country but .88inches shorter. I don't believe the length variable will matter but will know more when i install as i plan on lifting by the frame and seeing if it affects full droop on a stock ranger. Plan on a 1" block for the rear as well. I will let everyone know if this has any affect.

Half the cost if they work exactly the same and last just as long sounds like a deal to me.
Just looked and the bilsteins are now 135 a piece so it would have been 270+90=360 vs 160......... 200 reasons to try now, lol!

Anyone have ACTUAL experience with these shocks? I know people are going to do the "my uncle back in the 70's jumped his truck and rough country shocks broke" sillyness which is why i want to keep this scientific and ignore those %&*#ers.

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

I'm saying that they are of the same type of shock. Both have digressive valves and a 46mm piston with a floating chamber. They are most definitely built in different factories but have the same specifications. Other than .35inches more travel with the rough country but .88inches shorter. I don't believe the length variable will matter but will know more when i install as i plan on lifting by the frame and seeing if it affects full droop on a stock ranger. Plan on a 1" block for the rear as well. I will let everyone know if this has any affect.

Half the cost if they work exactly the same and last just as long sounds like a deal to me.
Just looked and the bilsteins are now 135 a piece so it would have been 270+90=360 vs 160......... 200 reasons to try now, lol!

Anyone have ACTUAL experience with these shocks? I know people are going to do the "my uncle back in the 70's jumped his truck and rough country shocks broke" sillyness which is why i want to keep this scientific and ignore those %&*#ers.

More than 50% off for what may be a very similar product looks like good math to me. Especially when much of that cost is shipping, it suggest the product is of similar build cost. Hopefully they are as good or at least almost as good. Keep us updated on how it all progresses, good luck.

 

[Frenchy]

I'm saying that they are of the same type of shock. Both have digressive valves and a 46mm piston with a floating chamber. They are most definitely built in different factories but have the same specifications. Other than .35inches more travel with the rough country but .88inches shorter. I don't believe the length variable will matter but will know more when i install as i plan on lifting by the frame and seeing if it affects full droop on a stock ranger. Plan on a 1" block for the rear as well. I will let everyone know if this has any affect.

Half the cost if they work exactly the same and last just as long sounds like a deal to me.
Just looked and the bilsteins are now 135 a piece so it would have been 270+90=360 vs 160......... 200 reasons to try now, lol!

Anyone have ACTUAL experience with these shocks? I know people are going to do the "my uncle back in the 70's jumped his truck and rough country shocks broke" sillyness which is why i want to keep this scientific and ignore those %&*#ers.

Fair answer to say the least. Once they come in please let us know where there are made. That wasn't on the website from what I could tell and it has me curious.

One thing that does concern me a little is for the Ranger there was no listing for the front shocks. Why is that concerning you ask? Simply for the fact it is always a good idea to have the front and rear shocks matching on the valve dampening so the ride can be balanced and work together vs mixed parts that can fight each other in a way

Regardless I am curious to see how this goes.

 

[Mr. Yuck]

Fair answer to say the least. Once they come in please let us know where there are made. That wasn't on the website from what I could tell and it has me curious.

One thing that does concern me a little is for the Ranger there was no listing for the front shocks. Why is that concerning you ask? Simply for the fact it is always a good idea to have the front and rear shocks matching on the valve dampening so the ride can be balanced and work together vs mixed parts that can fight each other in a way

Regardless I am curious to see how this goes.

I like my 6112's up front to hold the weight of the 589 w/winch. The larger coils hold weight better and the extra dampening is noticeable. I just could not find someone to ship to me at a reasonable cost that i was willing to pay for the rear 5100's. Plus I've been hiking the PCT, AZT, PNW etc. every summer and putting it off. Finally saw a deal on these and pulled the trigger.

Probably made in china but that isnt necessarily a bad thing. It usually comes down to who does the final inspections. I know that people like to support america and I agree. But even as an aircraft mechanic/telescope technician, I have seen things made in america get past inspection that make me cringe.

I will definitely keep everyone updated but be aware, it usually takes awhile to get heavy things to Hawai'i.

 

[Mr. Yuck]

Arrived today! That was super fast shipping and installed them without a problem.

ONLY GRIPE: and only if you are being a picky aircraft/telescope mechanic like me;

They come with 4 different length shims. I used the second smallest shim for the top and it seemed to poke out slightly from each side of the rubber. I used the smallest shim for the bottom and it seemed to be slightly smaller than the rubber width. I installed these with the shock body on top. The tubular shims are slightly larger ID than the factory fx4 shocks but not enough to really say sloppy.

Feels exactly the same as my friends ranger with 5100's on the road. If you like digressive valves these are for you. I can now go around corners without feeling like the back end is floating but instead pushing back. Usually digressive valve shocks have a break in period of like 10k but they feel great on the road.

I will update more as I am heading to green sands soon and will come back with a report on how they do offroad.

So far I'm pleased, feels same as 5100 for less than half the price(w/shipping to hawaii(most won't even deliver at ALL)) for me.

 

[Frenchy]

Please show us what you mean by spacers. I am confused a little bit there.

 

[Mr. Yuck]

The tubes that fill in the area between the rubber bushings and attaching bolt are sometimes called shims for whatever reason.

 

[Frenchy]

The tubes that fill in the area between the rubber bushings and attaching bolt are sometimes called shims for whatever reason.

I'm surprised you had different ones to use. I have never had to worry about those with any shock/strut or bushing at all.

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