Hello everybody, woodythejet asked in a different post about which shocks were the best. My initial thoughts: The RSX's ride quite a bit firmer than the stock shocks but not "STIFF". The truck handles better than it ever has (bought it new). The old shocks allowed the truck to lean badly in cross winds, the new ones really controll the body lean, I can't believe the difference, its like night and day, no more "wollerin hog" feeling! The truck doesn't nose-dive under heavy braking nearly as bad. On the highway as I said earlier it does ride stiffer but..... when you hit a pothole, bridge transitions and thick "patches" of asphalt they just suck them up much better than the stockers. I'm very happy with them and would buy them again. By the way my stock shocks had 60k on them. Take off old and put on new time was about 4 beers! The left rear shock saved me a little time because the stud on the top of the shock twisted off on about the third crank on the ratchet. I hope this may help a few of you on your decision of which shocks are best.

Have a good one,
Ed

 

Good mod!

 

Thanks Wandell, I really like the way my truck handles now. It's better than new!

 

Im thinking about doing the same shock set up. I drive mostly on road but here in S.W. Pa. it is almost like going off roading with all of the potholes and raised humps that appear during winter. I hope thr ride will not be to rough. My previous ride was 1986 Bronco II that I bought new and kept for 18 years. I had KYB Gas adjusts on it and some NAPA junk when I sold it it had Monroe Reflex on and I liked them. I just thought that with the heavy F-150 I would need something stronger.

Reloader 55 (also Ed )

 

Hi Reloader55! I'm, originally from Pa. and know what road conditions you're referring to . I can only tell you that the RSX's do ride a bit firmer than the stockers but when you swerve to miss one pothole the truck body stays very flat but when you hit the other pothole or a heave/dip in the road they really soften up and "absorb" them! The nice feature is that they do this seamlessly. I think they are an excellent shock but there are many other folks on this site (Max Mitchel) is one, that really like the adjustability of the Rancho 9000's and highly recommend them. I can't compare the two but I am very very satisfied with the RSX,s. As for the Moroe Reflex shocks they are made by the same company that produces the RSX's. Tenco. My understanding is that Rancho "tweaked" the shocks to meet their specs, so the ride of either should be very comparable. Good luck with your choice of shocks!

Have a nice day!

ED

 

Hey Redmilk, glad to hear you had good luck with the RSX's. Makes me anxious to get mine installed. I bought the same ones for my '98 F-150. I do have one question that may be kind of stupid.
I took mine out of the box to get them ready to install (and put the decals on), and noticed that the rubber boots for the front shocks are longer than the boots for the rears. The rear shocks are quite a bit taller that the fronts. Is that supposed to be that way, or will it hurt anything if I switch them? Also, the zip tie is to hold the bottom of the boot to the shock body, right? Thanks.

 

Hi blaine96,
I installed the longer boots on the rear, actually thats how they were shipped. As for the zip tie, yes it goes on the bottom of the shock. I pulled the bottom of the boot about 1/2" past the flared part of the body and zipped it snug. The top of the boot has a groove that snaps/slides over the washer welded to the top of the shock. Hope this was helpfull! Any other questions, ask away, the only "stupid" question...is the one not asked . Let me know how you like the new shocks!
Have a good one.
Ed

 

Redmilk, I ordered my RSX's from samsoffroad.com too and wanted to know how long it took you to get yours. Also did you have any problems getting yours installed? I can't wait to get mine installed as I have over 100,000 miles on the stockers (I know they have been bad a long time). Thanks for any info. that you have.

 

Redmilk
Nice to hear from an other Pa. person. I do not know how long youve been away but the roads are worse than ever, drive thirty miles west on US 70 into WVA. and the roads are great.
I ordered my RSX from Sam's today. I called around town for prices but I got all four including shipping from Sam's for what I would have paid for two. I will be installing them as soon as I get them.

Reloader55 (Ed)

 

Hi there jre86,
The install time was about1 hr. 15min with my best friend helping (My Son), To speed things up use penetrating oil on all the fasteners, the top rear mounts are the most difficult but not terribly bad. Actually my left rear top stud snapped off! When you install the new bushings be certain that the cupped side sets in the washer and the shoulder of the bushing seats in the hole of the upper stud mount. To eliminate future squeeking, I used a small amount of grease specifically designed for urethane bushings, on all contact surfaces. Hope this helped. Let us all in on your opinion of your new "ride"!
Have a good day.

Ed

Sorry I ordered them on Sunday and UPS rolled up to my house on Wednesday at 4:30

 

reloader55, hello again. It's been 21 years since I've moved but I generally visit once a year. It's been that long and every time I go back to visit I'm reminded of how beautifull it is. Looks like I'll be going back in August
Talk to you later.
Ed

 

Thank you Redmilk. In this case I am the son. I have an F-150 which I will be putting shocks on, but will be helping my dad put RSX's on his F-250 PSD. I ordered mine on Tuesday and am hoping to get mine hopefully on Friday so I can put them on this weekend. I am sure mine will take longer to get because they have a little bit farther to go since I live in North Carolina. Did you get any kind of UPS tracking number? I am just so anxious to get them! Thanks for the advice and will keep that in mind while I am installing them on both of the trucks. Thanks again!

 

Redmilk, thanks for the info. Mine were shipped with shorter boots for the rear shocks (17024's). I don't think it will matter which way I install them, the tall ones are only about 1 inch longer anyway. Either way the rear shock should compress enough. Also, it was a good thing I asked, I didn't think to put grease on the the bushings to keep them from squeaking.


JRE86-I also ordered mine from Sam's Offroad. I ordered them on Thursday and had them on Tuesday. If you call Sams back, they can give you a UPS tracking number for your shipment.

 

Thanks blaine96 for the info. I will call them back when they open to get the UPS tracking number. I've got one more quesiton for Redmilk. What brand of bushing lubricant did you use and where did you get it?

 

Well, mine are installed now also. The truck seems to have a little stiffer stance now. The thing that might make a big difference is missing sway bar link on the drivers front. That might explain why it seemd to have more body roll lately. Luckily, I found MOOG replacements this time and did both front links with them.