Those shocks are fine. They make the 8000 and 9000. I guess the 9000 is Nitrogen charged, which is supposed to reduce fade for hard use, like continous bumps off-road, but I don't think that there is a lot of difference between the two. They are comparable to rancho, pro comp and everyone else's shocks, so I wouldn't be afraid of them.
What you need to look at, though, is the spring rate in that lift kit. That is what will make your ride stiff, not the shocks (unless you run quad front shocks) and the Rough Country spring rates are generally some of the highest in the industry. It really makes sense ($$, shipping, etc.) to get everything from one supplier, so my advice would be to get a Tough Country Blazer EZ-ride kit with shocks, boots, brake line adjusters and steering arm. If that's all that you can afford right now, that's fine. But if you can spend some more, go ahead and get a shackle flip setup and some degree shims as well and see if you can get the lift kit cheaper by leaving out the rear blocks and U-bolts.
When you talk to lift kit manufacturers and ask them "How will it ride", you will almost never get an honest answer that means anything. They usually say "Oh, it rides nice, probably a little better than stock." What you need is a number and that number is spring rate. Other than that, more leaves are better than fewer for the same spring rate and lift amount. Also, grease the poly bushings and don't tighten the shackle bolts too much--if you have to , use a jam nut on the shackle bolt so that it doesn't have to be too tight.
Another thing that the lift kit makers don't tell you is that their springs have the WRONG geometry for the stock sway bar. The springs are longer than stock, which is good, but makes for binding in the front end. Call Off-Road Design or 4WPW and get a price on some sway bar disconnects. These add an extra pivot point that allows the sway bar to work without binding the front end. I recommend keeping the sway bar if you drive on-road much and with the disconnects you get the best of all 3:
-no binding like with stock springs
-full articulation like with no sway bar (pins pulled)
-good handling on road (of course the term "good" is relative to trucks...
)
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