Ok guys i just got doen installing a 3 inch PA body lift and while i was on the floor lifting those couple days i noticed that my rears shocks looked SHOT (so so rusty and flaking apart) so i want to replace them before they break...I have a 2001 f-150 4x4 king ranch. and i do want shocks that will work well offroad also....now i dont really know too much abuot shocks at all...so bear with me on these questions

1. whats shocks would you guys recommend for me?
2. how much will they cost for 4 of them? and where should i go to get them?
3. how hard is it to install them?
4. what is average price for a mechanic to install them?
5. lastly ,what are some benefits of aftermarket shocks?

thanks guys..sorry for the long post

 

i only really noticed the rear two..so how much for all that if i just upgraded the rear two???
thanks

 

I paid $135 for a set of 4 Pro Comp ES3000 shocks from 4 Wheel Parts. This included a "free" Pro Comp steering stabalizer. However, I had to purchase a $30 mounting bracket kit to go with my "free" stabalizer. I would look at the Pro Comp, Rancho, Edlebrock and Bilstien shocks. 4Wheel Parts carries all of these and they have sales all the time. The main benifit from aftermarket shocks is improved handling. They are so easy to install, it would be more of a hassle to take the truck to a shop and wait on the work to be done.

 

I bought a set of Bilsteins for my '03 KR 4WD, and me and a buddy installed them. They were not difficult at all to install, and I consider myself mechanically challenged. :o I don't remember what I paid for them, but I ordered them from performanceproducts.com when they were having a sale. The truck handles much better in turns and curves since there's not as much sway. Again, it's not difficult to do, just find a buddy who can help and it shouldn't take more than an hour or two.

 

I wouldn't do just two of them. I think the $135 that Wandell said was pretty accurate on a good set. You won't be sorry you spent that money!

 

Yeh guys thanks alot for the ideas...anyone know of any good sales right now???

 

the best shock out there right now that isn't too soft and isn't too stiff is the monroe reflex. they cost a little more than the pro-comp but the comfort level and control is unreal and they do have a lifetime warranty.

pro-comp isn't exactly the best choice for quality or ride. you get what you pay for with them and they are a pretty stiff ride but they do have a lifetime warranty. i have the cheapo pro-comp shocks on my truck right now only because they are cheap and because i'm not really a picky guy when it comes to ride quality but i know others out there are.

economy line rancho shocks are pretty much the same shock as the pro-comp except way more expensive and their adjustable shocks aren't really anything to talk about. every person i've ever known that has the adjustable shocks have adjusted them one time if ever and the one time they go back to adjust them again the **** is siezed into the original setting.

edelbrock makes a shock that is supposed to be pretty decent and their prices are ok.

if my truck wasn't turning into a 10 year old beater truck i would definitely have monroe reflex on it.

 

If the rears are shot, so are the fronts, guaranteed. Replace all four.

I;ve got the Rancho RSXs (essentially a reflex in white) and LOVE them. Rides smooth, not over-damped, no excessive sway.... very well-engineered.

-Joe

 

Does anyone have any feedback on what he said about the monroe reflex shocks? The lifetime warranty does sound good...and i can get a complete set of 4 for 175.....what do you guys think??? anyone have experience with these shocks??

 

that is a really good deal for those shocks. if could have found a deal that good on them i would have them on my truck right now.

 

I installed Ranco 5000 shocks on my 98 4x4.Vast inprovment in ride. got them from truckaddons.com. 38.50 apiece.Did all four.

 

I installed Reflex shocks last fall with 43000 miles on my '99. I bought them during Monroe's ShOctober promotion (buy 3 get one free). With the right tools, they weren't too hard to install.
I like the ride, but honestly, I couldn't tell too much difference than the OEMs. Maybe my OEMs weren't shot yet.

 

do i get to pick the color or do they all come in the same color?? if so..whats the color that they come in??

 

i see in the pic that one of the rear shock studs broke off. i just replaced mine today and had the same problem. my rear passenger shock stud broke. i thoug i was screwed because i couldn't get the nut off. then i looked in the box and saw that they came with a nut. i was sceerd for a minute.

 

Actually, that is the front that broke... both fronts broke. My rears came off all the way, but I wish they would have broke too. It would have been much quicker.


No choice. The picture color is fairly accurate. It doesn't matter though, mine have started to rust already... and I waxed them before installation.