Im going to replace all of my shocks. I'm 2wd but have oem 4x4 blocks in the rear. I'd like to bring the front up a little bit to the normal 4wd height as well. I like the smooth ride of oem shocks and they're only $38 each. Is there a better option? I know everyone loves the 5100s but do I need them and will they be as smooth? They also cost a lot more. What do you recommend for a stock 4wd hight and oem ride quality?
From my experience
Very costly experiences
It's better to put the extra money at first cause when you buy the cheap ones you will buy the expensive ones after
1) Koni- Excellent for racing applications- overpriced for street applications
2) Tokico, QA1 & Bilstein- A very good shock for street/strip applications. If you are running very stiff tires on the street (such as Bridgstone that are 100% steel belted or tires with profiles shorter than 50 series), these provide the extra give that you need for both comfort & stability
3) KYB- A very good shock for street/strip applications. If you are running a softer tires on the street (such as BFG that are a mix of steel & nylon belted or tires with profiles not shorter than 50 series), these provide the extra stiffness that you need for both comfort & stability. The Exel-G’s (formerly GR-2) are the equivalent to the Edelbrock IAS automatic adjusting units. Overall, stiffness between the Gas-a-just and the GR2’s are the same, the difference is the GR-2's valving which stiffens things up from a oem setting to that of the Gas-a-just units.. Best shock for the $/best price typically found at Performance Suspension Technologies (PST) and typically about 1/3 less than Bilstein.
4) Gabriel- A very nice good quality HD OEM replacement type unit.
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I would install the OE 4WD struts. It's easy and will get your truck sitting exactly where you want it. Monroe makes an excellent quality replacement. Found them for $79/each and free shipping.
i just bought a 6" rough country suspension lift, havent installed it yet on my 06 f150....it comes with rear shocks but not front.....I dont know what would be best. the only thing ive found is 200 dollar a peice ones from McKays....ANY info on the subject would be very helpful
Thanks guys. I know the saying "you get what you pay for" is true with anything. I was thinking about going with OEM shocks and struts only because I like the factory ride, they're cheap and I doubt I'll be this truck for more than another 40k miles tops.
When doing the front, is it better to just buy a set of coil overs? My friend has a coil compressor at his shop and said he'd swap my struts for free, but would I benefit at all from replacing the entire coil over assembly?
Checked out the link for the Monroe struts. Says they're for the 8200gvr. Would they be a little too stiff for my truck?
Checked out the link for the Monroe struts. Says they're for the 8200gvr. Would they be a little too stiff for my truck?
Ignore whatever information you see in that link. It's almost never accurate with them. I got the information directly from Monroe, and found that Amazon had the best deal on them.
They sell at NAPA for about $109/each. The quality is great! Just because it doesn't have a flashy name on it, doesn't mean that it's poor quality. Monroe Reflex (their premium line) will give you a factory-like ride. Not stiff, but not soft.
Now if you want, they do offer the entire strut assembly. It has the spring and spring mount already assembled and ready to bolt in. Best deal I found was $126/each and free shipping.
Im going to replace all of my shocks. I'm 2wd but have oem 4x4 blocks in the rear. I'd like to bring the front up a little bit to the normal 4wd height as well. I like the smooth ride of oem shocks and they're only $38 each. Is there a better option? I know everyone loves the 5100s but do I need them and will they be as smooth? They also cost a lot more. What do you recommend for a stock 4wd hight and oem ride quality?
I have a set of front & rear OEM struts taken off a brand new 2012 FX4. I'm willing to sell them.
I have never been a fan of Monroe....Gabriel yes, much better quality forthe same price
It's ok to have an opinion. If you have some hard data to back up that statement, you're welcome to share.
Gabriel is good, but they have always played second fiddle to Monroe in sales. A majority of parts stores sell Monroe as opposed to Gabriel. The only parts places in my area that sell Gabriel are Pep Boys and AutoZone. Everybody else (including NAPA) is on the Monroe bandwagon.
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