I have a 04 F250. FX4 5.4 super cab. I has 100K on it and think its time for new shock. I has Rancho's on it now and am thinking of putting them back on unless other brands are recommended . My big question is do all F250 use the same shock, meaning regular 4x4 vs FX4? What would the model and part# be for the Rancho's? Thanks

 

The factory FX4 Rancho shocks are not actual Rancho Shocks. They're made specially for Ford. It depends on what your actually using the truck for and where you live. Bilsteins are s great shock. The 4600 series are yellow and blue and work very well if you don't do any heavy offroad. The 5100 series are aluminum bodied and look very nice until you get salt from winter on them and then they don't look nice anymore. But they perform very well on road, a nice upgrade for a firmer ride and handle offroad quite well.

You could also get Ranchos I believe all of there shocks are a bit firmer for offroad. 5000 series would be the closest to you factory FX4 shock. But a much better ride from what I've seen on here. At least a few member have replaced their shocks under 20k miles and reported much better ride from the real ranchos vs the FX4 version.

if you're not taking the truck offroading or towing heavy a lot you can always go with something a little more simple like a monroe reflex or sensamatic.

I run Bilsteins on mine front and rear. I had the monroe and they rode nice but switched back because I liked the firmer ride from the bilsteins.

 

I have an 04 and no matter the year of truck you need to be honest about what your doing with the truck and what kind of roads you drive on.
I tried Bilstein 5100 and persnally found them way too stiff for the rough and bumpy roads i drive on.
I really wanted some sweet high end shocks ike Fox etc but could never part with that much coin.
After the Bilstein experiment i tried a Monroe and now have on a SkyJacker Black Max shock and while not as bling as the Bilstein i find it works better and is more compliant for what i do with it.
Just my 2 cents.

 

Not worried about looks,. It is mainly a daily driver. I do tow a car trailer at times and use the truck for a lot of snow plowing during the winter. Would like it to have a nice ride when I take it on road trips upstate.

 

I went stock then a standard monroe replacement. For the past six years I've had skyjacker nitro and have zero complaints, I'm actually replacing them with the new skyjacker m95 becasue of all the good reviews I've read about them. For the price and the warranty it's a no brainer