Monroe Gas Magnum - I got a set of 4. I forget the pricing but Advance Auto had a 25% discount and it was $149 with sales tax. Also a $50 mail in rebate. Good stuff.

My back has been hurting seriously since I did all four brakes 3 months ago- so this time I am paying my buddy to Do this project. Hopefully I can talk him into doing the sway bar end bushings as well.

Im really excited to drive it afterwards. It's been very very "floaty" for a while. I was really wanting to get new coil springs and leaf springs, but can't justify the cost.

 

Sounds like a very good price. Next time you see the MAC truck stop him and ask to set their orthopedic creeper for "mature mechanics". Your next under chassis repair might be the best thing for your back. A spray can of fluorescent Lime-Green paint can make those old springs really cool too. ;-)

 

Let me know how you like them. I have a set sitting on the shelf.
I got mine from autozone about a year ago with the same type of promo.
I've just been to busy with other stuff to put them on.

 

you have the same ones? Gas Magnum?

 

Where's that thread about making it easy to change the front shocks: via the hole in the drivers side floorboard?

 

I just use a sawzall and cut the top nut and thread off flush with the mounting bracket.....loosen the bottom bolts first...I also remove the tires...

 

Well… I am 2.1 miles into my test drive with my new shocks. And I am not impressed. Maybe I will be more satisfied after getting some more miles on it. But it really feels like nothing was changed at all. I will report back later to everyone

 

The drive home was about 8 miles. And I'm not happy. Feels exactly the same as before. Absolutely zero improvement.

new shocks should feel differently than 200,000 mile shocks, right ?

 

on a car, yes, on a lightly sprung vehicle yes
on a heavily sprung vehicle, not so much. The shocks don't work that much.
that is one reason I was waiting.
put a ty-wrap on the shock shaft and see how much travel you use, same as you'd do on your race car. ( I assume you DO do that on your race car?)

 

theres a big o ring on the race car shocks. Zip tie is a great idea. But what's the point of the van experiment?

 

Off to work tomorrow. I'll put on the usual 150 miles of highway and city driving.

I will report back soon

 

Yeah, most of them do have o-rings but some don't so we used ty-wraps on the ones that didn't

I'm curious to see how much travel you use. The less travel the less the shocks matter (on a street vehicle)

I was using less than an inch most of the time.
That was another reason I have been lazy to change mine.

if it was a E150, I bet it would make more of a difference.

I always wondered about bilsteins on a van and if it was worth it. They sure are on my vettes.

 

My first highway miles – I can't think of a correlation, but it feels like the tires need balanced. Why in the world would I Notice this with just changing the shocks?

 

I drove 60 highway miles and about 10-15 city miles so far.

Honestly I am quite upset about this. If I didn't see the brand new shocks on it (and the old ones saved for inspection) I would literally doubt if the guy even changed them.

What at a damn waste of $200. I have half a mind to contact Monroe or Advance Auto for a refund.

 

Cheap shocks are rarely very good....kind of like buying $5 shoes and wondering why they are not very comfortable. The serious truck and van guys like JWA swear by Bilsteins which are about $100 each. Just because a shock fits your vehicle does not mean it's gonna be any good.

I put a set of KYB Gas-A-Just on an old Land Cruiser years ago and those were excellent shocks also--they were a Japanese copy of Bilsteins.

From what I recall, parts numbers on many of the van shocks are the same for 150, 250, and 350 vans, and controlling the suspension and unsprung weight on a 150 is gonna be a whole different world from the much heavier wheels, tires, and axles on a 250 or 350. The twin I-beams in particular have a LOT of unsprung weight and when my old 150 van was brand new, it never seemed to have the shock control I would have wanted. Likewise, a Dana 60 or big Ford rear axle is a LOT of unsprung weight to control.

George