[NCHornet]

Truck is 6 1/2 years old but only 50K and I thinking about new shocks. What is a good brand? I had Rancho 9000 on a F150 4x4 and they were afully rough. I want a nice ride, don't offroad to much with this truck. I saw some rough country Nitro filled set of 4 for $130 on Ebay. I want to replace the steering dampner at the same time. Appreciate the info

 

[gregrob]

I'm seriously considering Bilstiens,

 

[MrPlowJr_EZ_V]

I went with a monroe reflex, they were great for a year or two then they started to rust, they ride nice but look like crap.

In my area its tough to find a shock that won't rot.

Had a set of the rancho's on dad's FX4 they were rotting in 3 months.

 

[stroke250]

without a doubt go with the bilsteins. ripped my stock shocks off my truck with less than 5000 miles and ran them for 80,000+ miles without any issues and the ride was absolutely incredible. you wont regret the decision. when i lower my truck back down, new bilsteins will be going(wish i wouldnt have gave the others away) my 2 cents.

 

[freddyfast9]

Bilstein.

 

[vapstroke]

Bilstein's /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smokin.gif

 

[chris bottom]

i have bilstein on my 96 and i swapped them out after 150k miles and when i put the new set on i couldnt tell the difference they are that long lasting of a shock........i will be throwing them on my 01 in the very near future once i figure out if i want to go to dual shocks up front or not

 

[NCHornet]

Thanks for the info, Now where is a good place to get the Bilsteins?
What makes them so good? You hear a lot of folks say my "......" are just as good as Bilsteins so I guess the best is what everything is compared to, so where's the best price?

 

[Oneof6]

I have had Rancho and others not much difference on these stiff front axle trucks. If you want a "nice ride" then probably your only choice is to get a 4X2 instead of a 4X4 or one of the later models with the spring mounted independent front ends. Or keep it heavy loaded. Everyone with the stiff 4X4's hates it on those cement roads where the speed and frequency of road breaks combine to rattle your teeth. There are sections of I-79S between Gadsden and Tennessee where I ride 20 miles of more in the left lane. Same with sections of 1-10. I bet other people have their hate to drive examples of road. I like my current Rancho's because I can dial them in somewhat, not perfectly, just good enough to suit most of my driving. My definition of a nice ride in a Ford 4X4 with a straight front axle, getting to drink a cup of coffee instead of wearing it. 106

 

[01crewcabtg]

[ QUOTE ]
. My definition of a nice ride in a Ford 4X4 with a straight front axle, getting to drink a cup of coffee instead of wearing it. 106

[/ QUOTE ]Couldn't have said it any better /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[NCHornet]

Gadsden Huh??? My Grandma lives in Hokes Bluff, small world!!!
Actually I can't complain a whole lot about my ride, it is a big truck. After just 50K the stock shocks are probably OK, but I just would prefer something better. My friend owns the local Napa store so I can get stuff cheap thru them, but of course they don't sell Bilsteins, the best price I have found on them is $280.00 for all four.
Napa sells a Monroe Reflex and I can get all four for $130, are the Bilsteins really worth over twice the cost???
Which is a better shock, the Reflex or the Gas Magnum?

 

[eShocks]

Hi, from the posts I've seen, and the feedback we get from selling 10,000+ Bilstein's a year, Bilstein's are the standard by which other shocks are judged. Some people may find they like something better for their application, but in general most people in most situations love their Bilstein's. The handling is great, the durability is very good and the warranty policy is strong.


Here's a link to the Bilstein's for your truck.
1999-2004 F350 4X4

For reference, here are the links for the 2005/2006 4WD Single Rear Wheel:

'05'/'06 F250 4x4 SRW

'05'/'06 F250 4x4 SRW

And here's a link to all the Bilstein Shocks for Ford Trucks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks everyone for their support since we became a TheDieselStop.com sponsor last year. Please let me know if I can help you with anything.

 

[NCHornet]

Thanks Paul,
You do have the best prices, if I go with Bilsteins they will be from y'all.

 

[jlrsn]

On my 2000 F250 4X4 I have very smooth riding KYB Gas-a-Just Shock Absorbers with 55PSI in my front tires.

I've used Bilstiens for over 25 years on all my vehicles but after the extremely harsh ride of the Bilstiens I put new on my 1989 F250 4X4 shown below I've had it with Bilstiens!

On my 1989 F250 4X4 I removed very smooth riding Monroe Sensa-Trac Load Adjusting Shock Absorbers with "Road Sensing" Technology, P/N 37055ST PK01NA1A in Front, and P/N 37038 ST FCK18NAZG Rears. I installed new Bilstein B461617F552 (On Shock: F4-B46-1617-H0) on the front and Bilstein B461618F552 (On Shock: F4-B46-1618-H0) on the rear and unless heavily loaded the ride will loosen your fillings going down the highways over the expansion joints. Even dropping the front tire pressures to 45PSI the ride is still rough! I'm going to reinstall the Monroe Sensa-Trac Load Adjusting Shock Absorbers in the front when I get time.

Good luck!
Jim

 

[PartyMarty]

Hey Kevin, I'm sold on the Bilstein's. I have almost 100K on my stock shocks and from all the advice I've received, it seems like they're worth the dough. I'm going to buy them, if you can hold out a week or so, I'll let you know what I think.

 

[DarthSurplus]

Four years of cobblestone streets have obliterated my factory shocks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif What a surprise. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I decided not to screw around. I ordered Bilsteins. The fronts arrived, but the rears are backordered. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Allow me to edify you in obscure trivia: Replacing 50% of your shocks does not fix 50% of your problem. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I can tell the difference, but the ride won't completely settle down until all four corners are behaving properly. I'll probably install my Velvet Ride Shackles at the same time. They've only been on the shelf for 2 years. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

 

[eShocks]

Great news for those of you who have been asking why the prices are so high for the 2005/2006 Bilstein shocks. We've been discussing it with Bilstein, and I just got word that they've more than cut the prices in half! Unfortunately I have a bunch on the shelf I'll be selling at a loss, but hopefully the lower prices will help everyone in the long run. For anyone who paid the higher prices, I will be trying to find a way to give a partial refund, but it may take a while to work something out with Bilstein... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif

For reference, here are the links for the 2005/2006 4WD Single Rear Wheel (with new lower pricing):

'05'/'06 F250 4x4 SRW

'05'/'06 F350 4x4 SRW

And here's a link to all the Bilstein Shocks for Ford Trucks.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[NCHornet]

I decided to go with the Monroe Reflex, less than half the price of the Bilsteins and I am happy with the ride. They too have a lifetime warranty and my buddy at Napa told me if I didn't like them he would take them back so I couldn't loose. I also replaced the front steering stabilizer, huge difference there!!! I may have to replace every 50K but it isn't that hard of a job and I won't have to buy shocks again!!!

 

[mikeceli]

At 40,000 miles I installed Edlebrock AIS shocks, on my Excursion. They greatly improved both RIDE and HANDLING! AIS are the ONLY shock, with the patented Inertia Sensing valve, that can detirmine if an input is road or body induced. 97,000 miles, still work great.

 

[Roadfrog]

Already said this on another thread, but I'll be going with these:

KYB Monomax - click me