I was thinking about replacing the shocks on my 2005 DRW Superduty. It currently has the Rancho shocks that were on it when I bought it new. I have 89000 miles on it. Do you think its time to replace them? Also what do you guys think is good as far as ride quality for new shocks? What are you guys putting on as replacements. I know these Ranchos have been a bumpy ride.

 

If your truck has had Ranchos on it from new, I take it that it is a 4x4 with the FX4 package. An off road shock will provide a harsher ride, but if you don't go off road much, you could go with Gabriel Ultras, Bilstein MST HDs, or Monroe Reflexes. Any of those should provide a better on road ride.

 

the Rancho's on your truck arent actually rancho, they're Ford shocks painted white and slapped with a Rancho sticker...

get yourself a set of Bilstein HD's from shockwarehouse.com you wont be dissapointed. I've had mine on for about 60K now. the stock ones didnt last 25K and I bought the truck new.

 

Well I like the bilsteins too. I dont offroad much at all. Just go down some gravel roads in 4wd some towing the 4 wheelers and race trailer.

At 89000 miles do you think the Fordo's are worn out?

 

they were prolly worn out at 8900 miles LOL.

 

Bilstein shocks and struts for cars and trucks - Shockwarehouse.com

Is this the shocks? Do they ride smooth?

 

yup, thats them. night and day difference in ride quality. I love mine.

 

Is it easy to install them? I know the rear may be easy but can the front be done on mine or do I need to take it to a shop?

 

piece of cake. the rears dont take long, the fronts are a little time consuming b/c of the long "stud" on the top of the front shocks.

 

Is there a process to make the front easier to change?

 

eh not really.

 

ill check youtube for some installation videos

 

just jack up one side at a time, remove the tire, unbolt the bottom shock bolt, then unbolt the stud on the top of the shock. Installing the new one in reverse order of this.

 

Hey Robs. Look at this on the shockwarehouse website. Rough ride is what I'm trying to eliminate.


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Q. Changing the shocks / struts on my vehicle will make it ride "better" or "softer".....
A. How a vehicle "rides", or "feels by the seat of your pants", depends on many different things.

1. Tire pressure: (make sure yours is set at what your owners manual says, NOT what the tires says).
2. Wheelbase: (short wheelbase vehicles tend to be more rough).
3. Tire & Rim Size: (Shorter or less forgiving side walls (low profile tires) tend to be more rough).
4. Road Conditions: (Rough roads are rough roads, some roads are worse than others).
5. Suspension type: (Torsion bars and leaf springs can be less forgiving than coil springs).
6. Using performance or lowering springs: (Typically these would be stiffer and have a different rate).
7. Lifting a vehicle: (With stiffer springs and tighter suspension parts).
Shocks are only ONE part of a suspension. What you "feel" is a combination of the list above, and other things, including all the other suspension parts, from swaybars, springs, frame-type, etc. Shocks (or Struts) are only ONE part of the total suspension.

Remember: a shock or strut's PRIMARY function is to hold the tire in contact with the road. Just changing the shocks / struts is not likely going to change what the vehicle manufacturer built into a vehicle's characteristics. Car companies spend MILLIONS of dollars to make a vehicle feel a certain way when driving. Spending a few dollars on shocks is not likely to alter what they have done.

How a vehicle rides is something that cannot be "plotted or graphed" scientifically, it is a matter of opinion. There is no 'measurement' or 'scale' for 'ride'. 10 people can drive a vehicle, 5 will says it's a Lincoln ride, the other 5 will say it's a dump truck. It's up to the individual.

We do not recommend buying shocks or struts specifically for trying to change the "ride" of a vehicle, that is not what shocks or struts do. The products we carry typically are designed to give a vehicle better handling, control, and safety. Will they maybe change the "ride", what you feel in some way? Probably. Can that be predicted ahead of time? No.

We know it's a tough decision sometimes to choose the right shock. But we want you to purchase a product for the right reasons, and get something that's right for you and your driving.

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there's only so far you can go to try to "eliminate" rough ride on a straight axle truck.

Comparing the stock ford shock to a Bilstein or any other GAS filled shock is like comparing apples to lawn chairs... when I took my stockers off at 2X,XXX miles, I could compress them with one hand and they would not rebound... I have 84,XXX on my truck now and the ride quality of the Bilsteins is still the same. You'll be able to tell a big difference just by the shocks.

Im not saying they will get rid of the rough ride completely, b/c they are other factors for the rough ride like mentioned above... tires(MT or AT), tire pressure, tire ply rating, suspension setup... the list goes on and on.

if you search "Bilstein Shocks" or "Shockwarehouse" you will find a LOT of ppl on here have Bilsteins on there trucks and are completely happy with them.