Ill be trading my 98 f150 for a 87 f250 with a 6.9 and 4 inch lift. And i test drove it and yep it drove like a older 3/4 ton lol So i was wondering if i got some really nice shocks if thatll help the ride for off road. Or will it always ride that rough because of the bigger leave springs... So basically is it worth the money to get some really nice shocks ? its got ranchos now

 

she'll never ride like that f150.if the current shocks are good,keep your $.

 

More than likely the springs are what your problem is. Put some weight in the bed. See how that feels. Hard to get leaf spring 3/4 ton trucks to ride smooth empty.

 

ok so yeah the heavy leave springs are going to over come any high end shocks i get. I need a f250 to haul the horses anyways but im just seeing if theres any shocks out there thatll help. And yeah i think there some sort of rancho or skyjacker

 

That F250 is never going to ride soft like your old F150. Different shocks are not going to do much for you either IMHO.

 

You need to inspect your entire suspension first before drawing any conclusions. I had a terrible ride on my 88 f250 and it turned out to be solved with new shocks and reworking the sway bar links... I've been pretty comfortable for the last 2-3 years now with the new suspension work.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...with-pics.html

Take your shocks off and push them down and see if they rebound. If they don't rebound pretty quickly or don't rebound at all you need to replace them. Too many people ignore $100-$300 in suspension parts/work when it will make a world of difference in how your truck rides and handles.

 

yeah the rest of the suspension was fine, it road like a typical 3/4 ton truck just seeing if i get some nice gas adjust shocks if itll help and yes i dont expect it to ride like my newer f150 i know that wont happen lol

 

If you're original shocks are no good, then you will notice a little difference.

When I replaced my original shocks they were completely shot(they just stayed fully extended) I used Skyjacker 7000 Hydro's all the way around, they definitely made a difference, so now it rides a little less like a tank....lol

 

Good shocks will help to reduce the speed at which stiff springs move through their normal motion, thus quelling the 'jarring' effect of a 3/4 or 1 ton suspension setup as it reacts to irregular road surfaces.
Poor shocks will not have the damping strength to counter the springs.
Cheap shocks may actually make a truck's ride poorer.
I like Bilsteins, but I'm sure a good set of Ranchos, especially the adjustable ones, would do the trick.

The shocks (Monroe) in my F350 were shot when I got it, and driving over local pot holed roads, it felt like the only suspension was in the seat. Put Bilsteins on, and suddenly, I could feel the suspension working and the wheels staying in contact with the road.
Still rides like a one ton, though...

 

hmmm ok thanks guys, yeah iv heard from other people say that ranchos ride on the stiff side, and bilsteins ride alot softer. I had some on my ranger and they were awesome i did some hard wheeling on those, but a little range is waay lighter then are tanks. I was looking into the bilsteins 5100s, but thats a $400 set up witch ill pay if it helps. Only because i go down alot of pot holed drive ways and logging roads

 

I put F250 springs in my F150, she rode pretty rough. Shocks were junk. Put Bilstein 4600 HD's on (bought on Eshocks.com for $280) and it was better. Still firm, but as others stated less harsh and handles washboard much much better. The on-road improvement was noticeable but not drastic, off-road is where the huge improvement was.

 

Mine is due for some new shocks, I got new tires and was very surprised by the difference in the ride. Yes I did get e-rated 10 ply LT's and still noticed a difference. Not suggesting that you go out and spend $800-$1,000 on new tires just sharing my experience

 

same impressions.the bilsteins are the way to go when shocks are needed.i had forgotten about the difference between them and normal auto zone grade shocks since it's been a while now.it's very noticeable on the dirt roads like you say.
more than likely,the best upgrade one could make to the hd platform (f250/350) would be to swap out to some '99+ super duty leafs.
just keep in mind,those newer super duty trucks don't hold a load like our old truck due to their long flexy leafs.they will look bottomed right out and pointing to the sky when our trucks will level out.that's the drawback there.that's why so many who need to load their SD's install air bags cus they can't take the load like the older rigs.they ride a heck of a lot nicer though.pro's and con's.it's always pro's vs the cons.

 

Well actually yep ill be needing new tires soon once i get the truck and was going to get some 35 inch load D tires for a softer ride off road. Because the only reason why im getn this truck is to haul horses so theres not going to get alot of weight on my truck to were id need a load E tire. Saying that what do you guys think about me taking out that upper helping leaf spring thats for extra bed weight, will that help much. kind of like what FORDF250HDXLT was saying how the newer f250s dont have that and need the air ride to leave out there truck where these old trucks have them big leave spring helpers