I have a 2000 F150 Supercab with the 5.4L V8. Its a short bed. A lot of the freeways here in SoCal have expansion joints and when I drive about 70mph there is a lot of bouncing at the rear of the truck. Can anyone recommend better shocks than stock to help reduce the bouncing?

 

I've got them and I love them. You can adjust them to ride however you want them to within reason.

Bob

 

Vote #2 Rancho RS9000s. There are none better. Don't expect them to change the roads or the general vehicle design.

 

Thanks for the reply. I have been looking at Edelbrock and Monroe brands, didn't know anything about Rancho.

 

The previous posters are correct about the Rancho shocks. I've also owned the 9000's and they are great because you can set them from 1 to 5 for the ride that you are looking for. You can set the front on say 3 and the rear on 4 if the bed is empty. If you have a load, just turn a **** and put the rear on 2 and the truck will handle MUCH better.

Another good choice would be the Bilsteins. They are real good about not re-bounding. They are not adjustable though.

My own recommendation, based on past experience, would be the Rancho 9000 series.

Creole

 

Is the install a piece of cake? I have a 2WD and am looking to upgrade from the factory shocks. I can see the rear are easy to access while the front look more challenging.

Thanks

 

It's very straight forward and simple. You just have to increase the clearance under the front shocks to have room to slip them out the bottom.

 

The RS9000 install on my F250 was a piece of cake. The only problem I had was breaking loose one of the bolts on the fronts, and I think that was just me being stupid. All told, probably 30 minutes for all four with the truck sitting on the ground.

 

Whatever you do don't go cheap and get some of those Explorer ProComp 3000's or whatever the model is for their nitrogen charged "larger" shock. I replaced my leaking OE shocks with those and the back was so stiff and bouncy I was getting whiplashed on expansion joints.

Unless you do some serious offroading or have really large tires I've always found a fresh (albeit expensive) set of OE nitrogen shocks are the best... designed for the vehicle I guess. Well... everyone has their opinion, the Rancho's do sound good with an adjustment feature. Stay away from those you can't adjust cause once you buy'em you're stuck with'em.

Aside from your OE shocks being worn out (@ 52k miles mine are ok), the design of your truck affects bounce on expansion joints more than the shocks - the length of the frame and natural resonance frequency. Sometimes your frame flexes with the right motion and frequency to make expansion joints seem worse than they are. Shocks can help as well as perhaps lower/higher tire air pressure... not much else does any good.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

 

Yeah, I was pretty sure that the truck design and the resonant frequency of the frame flex at certain speeds are the main contributors to the bounce. I'll be doing some research before I buy and I'll post the results. Thanks for the input.

 

Doug,

After much pondering and poor choices I previously made with the Gabriel Monotube and the Bilsteins, I narrowed my choice down to Rancho 9000's and Edelbrocks. I went to 4 Wheel Parts a week ago to purchase the Rancho's and talk with the salesman there about which one was better for sway control...and he quickly said the Edelbrock IAS shocks were my best choice.

I ordered them, picked them up and just put them on today and took a test drive. Results....Awesome freeway drive. I took a "posted" 40 mph freeway transition down here in Costa Mexico at 75 and my SuperCrew handled it just fine. I know the expansion joint bumps you're talking about on CA freeways. I drove up the 55 and headed east on the 73 and I could barely feel the joints on either freeways. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Edelbrocks.

The salesman did say that he would recommend the Rancho's if my truck was a 4X4. He also said the Edelbrocks are much smoother on paved roads and freeways than the Ranchos. Therefore, my decision was made.

Good luck,
Kevin

 

Kevin,

Thanks for the reply. I, like you, narrowed my choices to the Ranchos or Edelbrock. I'v been leaning toward the Edelbrock shocks. Glad to hear you are pleased with them. I am currently pricing them against the Rancho brand. I'll post when I decide. Thanks again.

Doug

 

I ordered a set of 4 Edelbrock IAS shocks yesterday.
I have o wait for them to be shipped to me. I can't
wait to install & cruise.