Which monroe shock should I get... here's what they say.
 

It's a toss op between the Sensa-trac, and the reflex, both are available locally, so I don't need comments about ranchos, billstiens etc.. But if any of you prefer one over the other, which did you choose, why, and are you happy? Thanks

Here's what Monroe says about their 2 lines:

The Sensa-Trac shocks will give you a slightly firmer ride than the factory
while having two firmness settings. The firmness settings are based on the
position of the piston, which is determined by the road conditions. Most of
the time, the ride will be fairly soft, somewhat of a floaty ride, then in
extreme conditions such as during braking and cornering the ride will
become firmer to increase control and handling.

The Reflex is a self-adjusting shock that will allow the firmness of the
ride to change based on the road conditions. The Reflex will give the
vehicle a firmer ride most of the time which will become softer over road
inputs such as expansion joints.

I went with the Reflex because of some of the comments on the site. It has a nice firm feel, like when a truck is new, but is soft enough to provide an excellent ride. This is the one that I would go for. :thumbsup:

http://www.monroe.com/products/mp_de...ck%20Absorbers

I'm happy with my Sensa-tracs.

You guys aren't making this very easy. I've got one vote for each! Thanks for chiming in though, I appreciate it!

Do a search and you will find many people with these shocks with other opinions.

THe search isn't the easiest but I just do say I did, guess how many threads it pulled, and most aren't relevant... 423. When I tried to narrow it down I get 1. At least I got 2 replies here!

https://www.f150online.com/forums/ar...f-100-p-2.html

Thanks guys!

I went with the sensa-tracs because they're black and not blue. You may say my answer doesn't give you much, but you aren't considering Rancho, Billstein and the others so I'm guessing you're not too picky about suspension. My friend's always used Sensa-tracs on his vehicles, so +2 for Sensa-trac.

Just go through some of these threads and read everyones opinions:

Monroe Reflex Shock Search

Thanks B_J_H,

That search is much more navigable... Well, to defy the wife's requests, I just bought the expensive ones "the reflex" Everything got positive reviews, so I just bought the most expensive set, and not to mention the commercial last night really sealed the deal. It was a pre 2004 f150 running a 'slalom' street course like a mustang, and of course these marketing people made it look really really good!!! Didn't wanna take any chances wondering, if the lesser priced shocks could be better...

Thanks to everyone for your input! Even those who chimed in for my search!

I've always like the Sensa-Tracs on other vehicles and still do on my Expy. I like them because they use rubber bushings instead of the poly ones. I've had shocks with the poly bushings and it seemed that I always had a clunk in the front end that I was able to feel in my feet after they had been on a short time. The poly bushings will be harder and don't spring back like the rubber so the bushing will fit looser in the shock eye. Sensa-Tracs ride nicely without being too stiff. You need to remember though that you can't run the stock length shock if you have any suspension lift. The shock will fit but the Sensa-Trac has about a 3" stroke in the middle of its travel where it is designed to ride on a stock truck. Once it is lifted the shock will be extended more and it will ride into the stiffer portion at the end of its extension. A lower truck will have the same problem as they also get stiffer when they compress beyond that 3" ride area. Good luck.

Thanks everyone on this post. I HONESTLY thank you for your time and advice!

I purchased the REFLEX shocks, and it's a world of a difference, the truck is better than new! It handles now like my old 1990 mustang gt with lowered suspension, although a bit bumpier. My wife says if feels like she's sitting on a 2x4(wood beam) hee hee hee.

Not that it'll help much now, but here's my 2 cents.

I had Monroe Sensa-Tracs on my Explorer. They were shot after about 15,000 miles. When new, they rode better than the OEM ones ever did. Our roads here in MI put a hurtin' on suspensions and shocks.

I recently replaced them with Rancho RSXs (re-badged Monroe Reflexes). The RSXs ride better 15,000 miles later than either of the first two choices did.

I also have the RSXs on the F-150 (which was what prompted me to get them for the Explorer) and can't say enough good about them. Critically damped, and well-tuned for the truck. I think they're on the way out again, but that's after 30,000 miles of rough MI roads and trips to the sand dunes a few times each year.

-Joe