I asked my tire man when i should replace the shocks on my truck.{1999 F-150 4.2 5 speed.} He suggested around 75,000 miles.I have 62,000 miles now. The truck doesn't seem to bounce too much. I asked him about replacing with Edelbrock shocks which he carries. He doesn't want me to get the Edelbrock shocks because trucks have a bouncy ride anyway. He said there isn't a need to spend more money than i need to. He's quite honest. He did suggest Monroe shocks. What are your opinions? Do you find your truck rides smoother with higher-end shocks?

 

My factory shocks rode like crap when I bought my truck with 37K miles on it. You (and most truck owners) cannot tell just how crappy your truck rides because you are used to it and shocks degrade gradually over time. I've had excellent results with the Monroe Reflex shocks, I've put them on three different vehicles in the last few years. I can't comment on the Edelbrock because I've never bought them.

But YES, your shocks are trash. If you like the crappy ride, then don't worry about it. If you want a better ride, buy shocks.

 

i sell some shocks at sears and yes they are good shocks. the edlebrok and rancho and things are built more for off road and hauling loads alot. they are stiffer so you will feel a huge differance in ride quality. of course some poeple will beg to differ. some people like softer rides and some like stiff as he// rides. its just occasional hauling and alot of roads then go with a cheaper shock like the one you mentioned.

 

The Monroe® Sensa-Trac® truck shock absorbers really improved the ride of my 1998 4x4.

 

i replaced mine with rancho rsx's after 7500 miles. at first i wasnt that impressed but they apparently needed some break in time cuz they seem to be getting better now. Cornering is improved with less body roll and those washboard gravel roads are still rough but with worn factory shocks are twice as bad. so u will see an improvement but remember it is still a truck and will still be somewhat rough ridin' - i am hopin these will break in some more yet- i only have about 600 miles on them so far.

Dan.

 

I recently installed the Monroe Sens-a-tracs. Very noticable difference; my truck had 150k and I'm not sure if those were the OEMs from Ford.

OH YEAH!! I can tell the difference.

 

I just installed some basic Rancho shocks with my lift last week, and the ride has improved quite a bit, it takes bumps and ruts on worn out dirt roads like nothing, i never noticed how crappy my stockers were, i can hit dips in roads now at higher speeds without my CD player skipping like it used to, hehe... now there's a good method for testing shocks

 

What about if the truck starts leaning? My truck is beginning to lean to the driver's side and has about 42K on it. It's a 2003 FX4, btw.

 

For what this might be worth, i'm in the middle of replacing shocks at the moment.
I am putting on Motorcraft speced shocks for 4x4 with towing package on an 02 Screw.
I see an imediate difference in ride smoothness in the rear and expect the same will happen in the front when those are put on.
The truck has 52,000 on it and we tow a race trailer. Bought the truck with 32,000 on it so all shocks were original.
If I remember to return to this thread, I will reply on how the fronts worked out.

To the owner whose truck is leaning, check out the rear springs for flattening out. If you don't see anything out of the ordinary, a front torsion bar may need attention. They are adjustable but don't try to recover a severe lean without changing the bar or correcting a gross fault.
A torsion bar does not always last forever just like leaf springs don't.
We use 4 torsion bars on our sprint race car and these have to be changed every so often when fine adjustments no longer can be done with any relability.

 

Just replaced the front shocks today and the imediate feel is like riding on air compaired to the originals that came off.
Now both front and rear is the 4x4 tow package OEM shocks that the truck didnot have originally.

 

You have problems.
Shock absorbers do nothing other than stop or slow suspension oscillation. That's the up and down motion. They do this by means of hydraulic pressure in the compression or rebound mode. If it is leaning it is a weight issue or a spring/torsion bar issue.

 

How much does a set of 4x4 tow package OEM shocks cost???
I'm very happy with the Monroe® Sensa-Trac® truck shock absorbers at $90 per set.

 

$30 ea with the price brake, from a dealer, otherwise about $36 from Rock Auto without shipping costs added in.
Rock Auto is a web seller out of N.J.
Look up or ask for the 4x4 tow option shocks.

 

Just had them installed 2 weeks ago,50,000 miles on the clock. I got 3 price quotes 1) $400 2)$348 and 3) $290. All quotes complete (installation, tax etc.)

So for $290.00 I got SensaTracs front and rear. I was told by one mechanic I did not need new shocks. No leak, no bounce etc. But I wanted a quieter, smoother ride. That is why I got with the SensaTracs!

I can't say you will be happy with them. But for strictly "on road" use they're great. Don't know about towing (or heavy loads) as I have not towed anything since having these shocks installed. For the way I use my truck, these shocks give me a smoother, much quieter ride. The factory shocks are too "stiff".

Hope this helps,

Bill

 

Ouch. Sears put a set of SensaTracs on for $90 (installation, tax etc.). They run free installation in their sale flyer all the time. They didn't have the rears in stock, but they were $90 a set also (installed).