I got a 97 aerostar from my parents. Front Shocks are done for (seals leaking). Any good brands? Does one just unbolt and replace shocks or do they have the mcpherson strut assemblies. It only has 48,000 miles on it. No rust and pretty good condition overall.

 

count your blessings! NO McPhearson struts in the Aerostar. (I hate them too ).

I'm also looking for shocks front and rear but I want a semi-marshmallow ride, not a Flinstones-car ride.

I'll be checking this thread for replies to see what others use or reccomend.

 

They are just "shocks" or dampers, not MacPherson struts, so you should be able to remove them without having to compress the springs. If you have E4WD, the fronts are unique, and may not be available in all models.

If you can afford it, get the Bilstein dampers. They are the best, but they aren't available for the E4WD vans.

I hear KYB GasAjust dampers are very good, and I bought a set, but I haven't installed them yet. They are about half the cost of Bilsteins.

If you go with Monroes, don't waste your money on the Sensatracs, and just get the standard model. They are about half the cost of KYBs.

 

what about Gabriels?

I had KYB in my 1986 Aerostar and they rattled the suspension, way too hard! In my opinion Bilsteins are overrated and overpriced, I've also used them and concluded "never again".

 

I assume E4WD means electronic four wheel drive? Its just rear wheel drive. Glad its doesn't use the mcpherson struts. Should be easy to change out when it warms up a bit. Also putting in new rotors, brake pads and other parts for the front soon. Thanks for the info thus far.

 

Trust me, you actually want the stiffer shocks. The stiffer shocks ride smoother and softer most of the time. Sounds weird, but the thing is Aerostars are heavy enough that a worn shock, or one thats to soft, cannot arrest the bouncing motion of the vehicle as it goes down the road. I really liked my Gas-A-Just shocks. My mom's '92 Aerostar got Sensatraks, and they would good for about 3 weeks, then they just went all mushy, and the ride was worse than the old factory ones we took off.

 

Khan, I remember installing KYB shocks under a "30-day like 'em or return 'em" offer,

they were extremely stiff, like attaching a 2 by 4 inside each spring! Maybe they installed the stiffest shocks they had, I can't remember. I returned them.

Then they installed Gabriels and they were slightly better, but not better than the factory shocks.

 

Jose, KYB is a brand, which shocks did you actually install? Gabriel is a brand too? You have to be more specific than that.

Just so you know, Gabriel and Monroe are both junk. KYB Gas-A-Just is a descent one, but the GR2s are more like stock (too mushy). Rancho makes a good shock.

If you look around you might be able to get Motorcraft shocks.

The Sensatrak coil overs aren't bad on the rear. The extra springs increase ground clearance, and help compensate for sagging springs.

My Guess Jose is that you got the softest shocks. As I said, if they are too soft, the ride is terrible. What happens is the mushy shocks cannot handle the vehicles weight, and the vehicle bounces all the time. Hitting the stops all the time makes the ride very hard.

 

It's a sock fight, no it's a shock fight.

Shocks are like women, every man has an opinion. Some like them skinny and hard, some like 'em fat and soft.

When my OEM shocks wore out at 20k miles, I went sock er shock looking. Ended up with Tokicos made in Japan. High pressure nitrogen gas shock made in Japan. Nice firm ride just right for heavy camping/towing loads. Tokico quite making shocks for the Aero.
Back to the new sock hunt for the Aero. KYBs or Bilsteins, price decided for me. KYBs high pressure nitrogen gas shock firmer that the Tokicos but just the think with a 4000lb trailer behind pushing the little Aero. Lasted 60,000 and still with KYBs. Have heard the Bilsteins ride more like a skinny woman but haven't tried them, Bilsteins.

 

I went with Monroe Reflex on my '97 and was disappointed in how soft they were. I was hoping for more damping. It didn't seem like any change over the stock shocks.

 

I've owned 3 Aerostars myself, and put nearly 500,000 miles between the three. I spent a lot of time on the road, and in the course of that, I tried a lot of shocks. One Aerostars, I consistently found that a firmer shock resulted in a smoother and softer ride, and that soft shocks resulted in a rough bumpy ride. The shock manufacturers don't understand that the Aerostar is heavy enough that it is just slipping under as a passenger van. Only a couple hundred pounds more and the EPA would class it as a light truck, which had different emissions requirements. The weight of the vehicle affects the types of shocks it requires. Heavy vehicles require more dampening. The shock manufacturers spec out shocks that are way too soft.