No they don't...but please, try to explain anyways.

 

They are overload shocks, they support extra weight. They help with towing and hauling stuff in the bed.

 

Unless they're air shocks, they don't support any weight. If they're not air shocks, it's a sales pitch, and you have shocks with firmer valving to control the extra weight, but they don't support or hold up anything. If it's one of those shocks with a coil spring on it, also a sales tactic. If the spring on it is stiff enough to accomplish anything, then it's only making the shock stiffer, and not really stiff enough to support anything.

And once again, if it is the type with a spring on it, it's the spring that's supporting any weight, and not the shock that's supporting any weight.

 

damn phoenix, had me excited for a min. and I went over a lot of little bumps at about 40 mph and noticed that it is a rough ride....so mine are prolly shot. any for sure way to tell if they are?

 

Dude, if you have 98,000 miles on the original shocks...they're shot! That is the for sure way to tell.

 

lol how long do shocks usually last? good ones at that.

 

Drive my ranger. you hit a big bump and you bounce up and down a few times after. Like you are driving a pogo stick.


Not to add fuel to the fire...Galaxy...but what about the bilstein 5100s and the 5150 (no van halen pun intended ). They claim to lift the f1 2 inches by adjusting the shock pivot point? WTF? I'm with you Galaxy but how does this work?

 

ok my bad, i meant the coils on the shocks. either way you know what i meant.

 

I just ordered BILSTEIN 5100's which will LEVEL the truck by lifting the front end 2.5", right?

 

well the good ones (King, SAW, Radflo, Fox, etc) are rebuildable and it is very simple to put new seals, oil, and change the valving in them. Just have to have access to the nitrogen to pressurize them again.

I usually only rebuild them if they get a leak or something but back when I had a prerunner I would adjust the valving in sometimes and just change the oil and seals then as preventive maintenance.

 

and how much does rebuilding cost?

 

No problem, and you can search for this as well as it has been discussed several times including a few in depth articles by me, but here are some cliff notes...

The lift is achieved by altering the position of the spring on the shock. Remember, a coil ove is just the name given to a normal shock absorber (and they are not struts) with the coil spring attached directly around the shock instead of somewhere else on the control arm like on a conventional suspension. The new clip positions on the body of the shock compress the spring more than it's original position, 'pre-loading' it. This preload on the spring prevents the suspension from settling as much as it used to, thus giving the appearance of lift. Bt it is the spring, and the preload on it, that induces this and has nothing to do with the shock! Wile there may be some variances between manufacturers, the Bilsten shocks for this are no longer than the stockers if by much.

Your truck is also not lifted with this method. Here's ann example with generic numbers to make the math easy...let's say the truck has 8" of suspension travel full stroke, stop to stop. And when the truck is sitting under it's own weight stock, it settles into this travel by 4". This gives you 4" of compression travel and 4" of extension travel.

With these shocks, the spring position alters how far the truck settles in it's travel. You still only have 8" of travel, but now the preload on that spring only let's the truck settle 6", giving you the appearance of lift. But now you have 6" of compression travel and only 2" of extension travel.

This is different from a lift kit in that (as long as just the lift is installed and nothing else altered) with a lift, you still have 8" of travel and the truck will still settle 4" into that travel leaving you with full motion even thou your truck is X" taller. No, generic off he shelf lift kits do not increase suspension travel unless you are going with a specialty lift that's designed for that.

 

Thanks Galaxy, since I got you, I was thinking about squeezing another two inches out my truck. Do those bilsteins have any advantage over a coil spacer?

 

Yes, you get the benefit of substantially increased performance of a Bilstein shock!!

 

and thats only on a 04+ f150 right? you cant have that on a 97-03? or can you?