I am needing new front shocks for my stock 1995 F150 XL 4.9L 4x4 and have no idea where to start. I am wondering, what are some good brands, where is the best place to purchase them from, do I need to know anything if I am thinking about using a leveling kit? Any help here would be great. I am not planning on doing any extreme wheeling or anything like that. I backpack a lot and need something to get me into the back country for 10-15 trips during the summer and don't need anything too crazy. I am hoping to get into some 31" tires or less in the near future, but the shocks need to be changed right now.

Any advice would be most appreciated. I am proficient at working on vehicles, but am not sure about brands, or what I need to do to my truck to get it ready for the Colorado Mountains.

 

Whatever you do dont get Rancho shocks. Complete crap.

Both of my brothers put them on their trucks ('05 Ram 2500 and '01 F150) and they rode like crap and werent even long enough for the Dodge (stock height truck). They both changed shocks pretty quickly and returned the Rancho's. I think the Dodge now has Monro Sensatrac's and the Ford might too but I forget.

 

I would get Bilsteins 5100 series shocks 2 inches longer than stock for the front. You will not be disappointed. Get the stock length for the rear.

 

Shock Recommendations IMHO:

1) Koni- Excellent for racing applications- overpriced for street applications
2) Tokico, QA1 & Bilstein- A very good shock for street/strip applications. If you are running very stiff tires on the street (such as Bridgstone that are 100% steel belted or tires with profiles shorter than 50 series), these provide the extra give that you need for both comfort & stability
3) KYB- A very good shock for street/strip applications. If you are running a softer tires on the street (such as BFG that are a mix of steel & nylon belted or tires with profiles not shorter than 50 series), these provide the extra stiffness that you need for both comfort & stability. The Exel-G’s (formerly GR-2) are the equivalent to the Edelbrock IAS automatic adjusting units. Overall, stiffness between the Gas-a-just and the GR2’s are the same, the difference is the GR-2's valving which stiffens things up from a oem setting to that of the Gas-a-just units.. Best shock for the $/best price typically found at Performance Suspension Technologies (PST) and typically about 1/3 less than Bilstein.
4) Gabriel- A very nice good quality HD OEM replacement type unit.

 

Completely retarded statement. Ranch makes some really awesome stuff. I have the 9000XL's and they rock. Did your brothers get the cheapest Rancho they could get?

 

I replaced my shocks about 5 years ago with Bilstien 5100's because so many people on this site raved about how great they were. I dont really like them that much. They're too hard. i'm not saying not to use them, but I wont ever buy another set. I've had lifted trucks in the past so I dont have a problem with a stiff suspension, but I really dont like these shocks.

 

I have used Ranchos on several of my Toys and they were pretty damn good. I had Dual 5000's on all four corners on a Toyota that was on steroids and 9000's on a dodge I built for a friend. Both worked great...no complaints.

 

Thanks, I will do a little more research and let everyone know what I think.

 

Just go get Monroe gas-matics (for trucks) and forget it. They are inexpensive and work. Unless you have some need for super-secret off-road or high performance street application then the cost/benefit just isn't worth the extra cost incurred.