Our 2001, 2wd has 130,000 miles and still has the original shocks. Rides a bit slushy. Is it time? The truck is our "family wagon" so we don't need a high performance shock. Suggestions for a shock that provides a good ride and not to stiff? Are they easy to replace?

Thanks,

MG

 

Oh yeah... Time for new shocks 4 Sure......
I went with Bilstein shocks on my 02 Screw --- I love them....
They took about 100 miles to "break in" but now they handle GREAT!!! And not too expensive.....
I had a shop install mine..... It took them an hour to do all 4.... It was like $65 total......

tj

 

It was time for new ones 100K miles ago. The stock shocks are crap and rarely make it past 30K. I also have Bilsteins on my 01.
I changed mine in my driveway, not hard at all.

 

While I agree that most aftermarket shocks are superior to the OEM's, I think your assessment here is a little harsh. My OEMs wern't too bad at 105k. I could only tell a modest difference when I replaced them recently with Monroe Reflexes.

I recommend the Reflex for your application, similar to mine. The Reflexes "firmed" the ride up a little bit without making it overly harsh.

 

Not harsh at all. Lots of users here reported the same thing. Mine were so bad I could compress them by hand and they would stay compressed. Two of them slowly returned to original position but the other two did not. I did change mine later than 30K.
If you had the "Rancho" upgrades they may last a little longer.

 

You could be right here. I haven't counted the posts, but I have read some posts claiming the original shocks to be toast at what I would consider low miles.


Have to disagree. I bet for the majority of modern vehicles the OEM shocks are just fine at 30k unless they have had the holy crap beat out of them on a regular basis. I didn't really need to replace mine at 105k. It still passed the old school bumper bounce test. As I mentioned, the new ones firmed things up a little, but the OEMs were not slushy, or dangerous, or anything like that. I did not have the "Rancho" OEM shocks, but I do have the trailer tow package which supposedly included HD shocks. This might have helped them last a little longer.

I have had OEM shocks on other vehicles last 60k and 80k without being anywhere near "shot".

Just my opinion and experience, but I think that worn-out shocks at 30k is a bunch of hype (in most cases, not all) by the aftermarket shock manufacturers

 

I have the trailer tow package, so it got the heavy-duty rear shocks. Heavy-duty....HA. Rear right side value broke at 35,000 miles, left side was weak. Front left broke at 38,000 miles. Truck would skip through turns. Took my new Bilsteins to a local Firestone shop, they installed them for $60 total. Mechanic handed me the old shocks and asked why I replaced them so early. Took the front shock and compressed it on the counter with one hand, and it didn't expand back, you could hear the fluid move through it as it compressed. Mechanic looked at it again and said, "looks like it's broke". The Bilsteins HD are a little too stiff, with the trunk unloaded it jumps around some. Might just be the combination of the HD shocks and the extra leaf in the rear.

 

Well, your assessment may be a LITTLE harsh, but in general I agree with you. My Ranger started bottoming out on mild road dips at about 40k miles and I put new shocks on which cured that.

Also somewhere around 30-40k miles I put new Edelbrocks on my S'crew because it was hopping up and down on overpasses and long bridges and giving the passengers' necks too much of a work out. The Edelbrocks are nice for a smooth ride but not that much of an improvement on the overpasses and bridges. In retrospect I wish I had gone for the Ranchos. A colleague at work has them on his S'crew and they are significantly stiffer.