Little help please!!

Talked to the local parts guys at O'reilly's about buying the Monroe Reflex. Contrary to what I had heard, he said that the Reflex were very stiff and only intended for off-road use. He suggested the Sensa-Trac as a better all-around model for my 02 F150 (non-4x4).

When I asked about the Gas Magnum, he said they were really just for towing.

Dang - I'm more confused than ever. Does this guy know what he's talking about?

Bottomline: I am looking for a decent all-around shock that is not too stiff or harsh. I mainly stay on-road and pull a bass boat or haul lumber occassionally. I've always had good luck with Monroe, but I'm getting mixed signals about the Sensa-Trac and the Reflex.

 

Replaced my shocks about 7 months ago. I wanted Monroe's also 'cause I've had good experiance with them in the past. I've read many here reccomend the Reflex. I went to the Monroe website and it lead me to believe the Sensa-Tracs were more suited to what I wanted.

I also asked at the shop where I had them installed. He had both and would sell me either but reccomended Sensa-Trac for my needs. He said the Reflex were "stiffer" and more suited to 4X4 and heavy suspension vehicles (E-250/350)

I'm very happy with the Sensa-Tracs. Much quieter and smoother ride. I did notice one time, on an Interstate in W. VA., where each section of road had an arc, like skiing over moguls, the Sensa-Tracs didn't handle it well. Other than that I'd give them a grade of A-.

 

The Monroe Reflex or Ranch RSX (Same shocks except for color as per Tenneco the manufacturer) are great shocks. I've been running them on my 98, 01 and 03 F150's. I typically get about 80K out of a set.

These shocks provide a nice solid ride. They are a great all around shock, but they are firm. After a couple hundred miles they do soften up a little. In my 03 I run 110 miles a day on the interstate and the shocks aid in providing a very comfortable ride. Tho I do prefer a firmer ride then some.

I don't think you can go wrong with these, but you can probably get very good results from the other Monroe's you refered to. I've heard that Bilstien's are great shocks that don't offer a comfortable ride.

Good luck

 

I bought the Monroe Reflex shocks based on the reviews that I read on this website. I love the ride that they give. It is a firm ride, like a new truck gives, but it is also smooth. Either way you go, it will be an improvement.

 

I followed these guys (above) advice, and bought/installed the reflex model shock. I am rather happy with them. It is most definately a much stiffer ride, and the "coarseness" is decreasing as they break in, but the truck corners like never before, no more wishy washy sway. I am also very happy with these shocks. I feel like I am driving a TRUCK again! not a 85 chevy caprice!

 

I bought the Monroe Reflex shocks last weekend. Since I don't have my engine in yet, I haven't had an opportunity (Duh) to see how they handle. I can tell you this - I can jump up and down on the front suspension and they dampen the force very well. The original OEM shocks had 185K miles. I also bought the Monroes because there is a 20 dollar rebate right now. Total cost of 4 Reflex shocks, including tax was $ 194 bucks - after the mail in rebate $ 174.

 

I just bought 4 Reflexes for my truck for $142.56 from Amazon.com, free shipping. (Shocks from Amazon?) I thought it was a pretty good price, so I took it. I just installed them this evening, and have not driven the truck yet. Tomorrow I will find out how they ride.

 

Hey SM. Any feedback on your new Reflex shocks? How do you like the ride?

JPTEX

 

So far, so good. I have only logged around 100 miles with the Reflexes on, but so far no complaints. To tell the truth, I can't tell a huge difference from the original shocks that they replaced. Perhaps a little firmer, but not really a night and day difference. I was a little surprised that there was not any more difference than there was, since the previous ones were the originals with 105,000 miles on them. The originals were the heavy duty ones that were part of the towing package, so maybe they held up better over time than standard ones might have.

 

That's right... didn't ford upgrde shocks in '01 with the introduction to the fx4 series? No wonder it seems such a huge difference for me, I didn't have pseudo-rancho shocks.

 

Hey frostby,

I have an '02 but not an FX4 with ~60K miles. I have the tow package which may explain why my shocks are still in fairly good. I'm considering holding-off for a while if the Reflex do not really make much difference.

Cheers!!

JPTEX