Boots or no boots on rancho 9Ks

[2nd.gunman]

I'm running the 331 front rancho 9K shocks and the boots never stay in place properly so I'm think of just taking them off and running without them. Anyone running this way? Worried about damage to the shaft.

When I fitted them I clipped the top in on the washer and just let the bottom sit on the top of the shock body, didn't fit the zip tie so I could clean them out every now and then but they've slowly been working themselves down the body and have popped off the top washer. See the photos

 

[catahoula]

No boots. They hold water and dirt.

 

[MedixJK]

Cut the boots off of mine as soon as i got them out of the box

 

[olram30]

No boots IMO.

 

[2nd.gunman]

I wasn't going to put them on at first but was a bit afraid of damage to the Teflon coating on the shaft. I'm can't believe they won't stay on properly though

 

[cozdude]

As others have said no boots.

 

[Hot94Z28]

I run without boots on the front and with boots on the rear.

 

[swampdog]

I also ripped the boots off prior to installation. No issues to speak of.

 

[wayoflife]

No boots. As mentioned, they just trap in dirt and water and will cause the shaft to rust.

 

[JeepJeep75]

I was wondering this as well. I just installed 9K's all around. The rear boots are hard plastic, that are not attached at all on the bottom. The fronts are floppy silicone that don't stay put no matter what. I'm cutting them off. Thanks guys!

 

[Clifford33]

Iv been meaning to cut mine well I know what I'm going to do right now haha. Thanks for the insite.

 

[Hammmerhead]

This question was answered almost 50 years ago

 

[BenJKWrangler15]

Hi-jacking the thread, does the same thing applies to stock Rubicon shocks as well?

 

[swampdog]

Hi-jacking the thread, does the same thing applies to stock Rubicon shocks as well?

No..........

 

[BenJKWrangler15]

No..........

Is this a serious answer to take from you Swapdog? :crazyeyes: Or are you being sarcastic :thinking:

 

[swampdog]

Is this a serious answer to take from you Swapdog? :crazyeyes: Or are you being sarcastic :thinking:

Not sarcastic. The answer is I've never seen anyone touch the shroud on the stock shocks, but I had to type 10 characters, so, thus the dots.

 

[BenJKWrangler15]

Not sarcastic. The answer is I've never seen anyone touch the shroud on the stock shocks, but I had to type 10 characters, so, thus the dots.

Sounds good, thanks! Yeaaah, that minimum characters requirement can be a real PITA sometimes But I guess it's there for a reason

 

[2nd.gunman]

Thanks guys. I'll cut them off when I get home from work this afternoon.

 

[MacRubi2]

This question was answered almost 50 years ago

That's hilarious....I have that album

Ok so most if not all say no boots so why do the shocks still come with them if they don't serve a purpose

I get the idea that dirt and water can be trapped in the boot causing issues but I'm still running mine on all four corners....I like the look

 

[WJCO]

That's hilarious....I have that album落

Ok so most if not all say no boots so why do the shocks still come with them if they don't serve a purpose 樂

I get the idea that dirt and water can be trapped in the boot causing issues but I'm still running mine on all four corners....I like the look

The boot is designed to keep dirt and crap out so the piston shaft of the shock doesn't get scratched as it moves up and down inside the seal eventually causing wear and leakage. HOWEVER, if dirt/mud gets trapped inside the boot (which commonly happens), then you have just made the problem worse because it doesn't come out. I've always ran boots on shocks up until a few months ago. One of my zip ties on the boot was loose but the boot was still on the shock body. Just for kicks I pulled the boot off and peeked inside and it was nasty inside. I decided to cut it off, turns out all four shock boots were the same. I've known enough guys over the years that run without them without a problem, so mine are staying off for now, I can clean them off with a pressure washer if needed.