- First Name
- Gene
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2020
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- Location
- Gulfport, MS
- Vehicle(s)
- Bronco Badlands, F-150, Dodge Challenger R/T
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
Thanks for the sightful write-up on the shocks!Alex with Hammer Built here again. If you haven’t seen my initial review, I recommend checking it out first (link below). For those who did, here’s an update after taking my Ride Shocks off-road and putting them to the test.
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/accutune-ride-shocks-first-impression-and-review.105211/
Trail Testing
We started with some dirt roads that had a mix of holes, washboard, roots, and some off camber stuff. With the adjusters set just 1-2 clicks from fully open, the ride was plush and controlled. These were slower, more technical trails, like 5-10mph max.
Knowing we had some higher-speed trails ahead, I stiffened the adjusters slightly above my street setup. The next stretch was a curvy, sandy trail with some mild whoops. The shocks handled everything effortlessly. The overall handling inspired confidence. This was like a 25-35mph section.
Next test was in my favorite area in all of Florida. A long, wide-open sandy powerline trail with some good whoops and a jump spot that the Raptor guys love. I did a prerun to check for any new holes or water, etc. Everything looked good. Actually, I think the whoops got bigger…. Hell yeah!
Honestly though, I was scared to hit the jump at first, so I eased over it and then opened it up. With the adjusters dialed to full stiff, I hit about 55 mph through the whoops and freaking launched through the air. It was so sick. Made for a sweet video. I ended up hitting the jump spot a few times later too.
Performance Observations
While the shocks excelled in handling the milder whoops, I noticed the rear end bottomed out easier and more frequently than I anticipated during the more aggressive runs. To be fair, I was pushing the truck really hard, and the Ride Shocks still absolutely crushed the stock setup. But I felt like there was some untapped potential, so I reached out to Accutune.
The Culprit
Accutune told me that their early batches of Ride Shocks had a more aggressive tune designed for high-speed off-road use, which would’ve been perfect for my case. However, some early reviews noted that these were too stiff for on-road driving, so they dialed back the tuning for a more street compliant ride. The result was less performance in the high speed stuff. Nothing a revalve can’t fix, or just have them custom tuned when placing your order.
Currently, the shocks offer an incredible ride on the street and handle slow to moderate off road stuff extremely well. They can take on mild to moderate whoops effortlessly, but that’s about as far as the factory tune goes. Since I prefer more aggressive wheeling, I decided I’m going to send mine in for a revalve. The change in on road ride quality is a worthwhile trade off in my opinion, and I prefer a firmer ride on the road anyway.
Takeaways
I think the lesson here for you review seekers and guys on the fence about high end shocks is to set your expectations right. If you put race shocks on your truck, it’s going to ride like a race truck. Bypasses click, Uniballs and heim joints make noise. It’s just a part of it, it doesn’t mean that part sucks.
That said, these shocks are still an incredible upgrade, especially on road and in the more technical trails. They’ve already exceeded my expectations compared to the stock setup, and with the revalve, I’m confident they’ll be exactly what I need.
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