When I picked up my used Merc Mountaineer Premier (V8) with 40k miles I thought it had too much body role or bounce. So I put a new set of Monroe Reflex's on the front and frankly it did not make a bit of difference. Don't know what the tire size is but seems to look stock. I'd like to get this SUV to have less "bounce" in the front and less side to side sway.... any suggestions? springs, helper bars, whatever?

 

Shocks are what they say they are....shock absorbers. Without shocks when u hit a bump the tire would bounce up, then down, then up, etc, just like a rubber ball. Adding a shock absorber or strut disallows beyond the first bounce. Nothing in there about body roll.

 

Steve, I appreciate your comments, however maybe I should have commented the thread in this manner:

My 04 Mountaineer's (40k miles) suspension seems to bounce more than once with brand new shocks. Is this normal on this model?

 

No, it's not normal on any car. If the second bounce isn't a full bounce but more like a wimpy "just finishing up" bounce, I would say all is OK. By the way, you can test the bounce by climbing up on the corner of the vehicle and giving it your best heave-ho attempt at a bounce. Don't let your neighbors see you though!!

 

I have found KYB Gas-A-Justs seemed to make a big difference on bounce, though not body roll. To control roll, you can either use a stiffer tire, try moving from a passger tire (35-45 psi) to an LT tire (50-55 psi). That dramatically improved handling and body roll for me. The penalty is ride quality, you can feel more bumps, and you get more road noise. If you got a rear sway bar, that would control body roll without compromising ride quality.

 

If you do not have a sway bar you can get a aftermarket one.

 

srercrcr: Yeah, I did climb up on the front end and did my best pogo stick routine. It felt like this 04 bounced more than most vehicles I've pogo'd on.
That is what suggested in my mind that the shocks were shot, so I threw in a set new Reflex's in the front, however it did not make a difference. So I was considering a different spring, maybe something with a rate that starts off soft but is a bit stronger when the height reaches some measure. I'm wondering now if anyone makes an alternative spring (I did hear rumor that the factory has one but have not researched it) or if anyone has tried this route.

R031Kona: I have not found an alternative than oe yet although I have not researched it enough, then again we could get into an over-steer? problem if we get too aggressive.

Bear River: I believe KYB only markets the strut "mount" for an 04 Merc V8.
I've used adjustable KYB's on the front of a old 77 Porsche 924 and they were fantastic. What would be sweet would be air assist adjustable; there is probably something out there that could be mod'd. There are a few other brands that do support the 04 Merc V8 Premier but I don't feel shocks are the solution just yet, at least nothing on the market. With respect to tires, I've used heavier wall tires and various width ratio's and tire pressures on other vehicles to change ride but not the way to go with this vehicle. However thank you for sharing your experience.

 

You should be able to find KYBs, since KYB makes some OEM shocks for Fords. The Gas-A-Justs are not adjustable, but rather, just a really good high pressure gas shock that is highly responsive, great stiffness, without being harsh. I think Bilsteins are made by KYB.

In my case, I do not have an Explorer, but rather this was on my Aerostar, which is known for body lean and mushy handling.

 

Nope. BTD. Its not in their catalog.

 

Well, did a search, and these are not quite what I expected, but one of these products should address the body roll quite nicely.

Strut Bars & Suspension Braces at JC Whitney

Have you tried Motorcraft Shocks? If the car rode well when it was new, they should be the ticket, otherwise, I don't think there would be much of any choices.

 

"When I picked up my used Merc Mountaineer Premier (V8) with 40k miles I thought it had too much body role or bounce. So I put a new set of Monroe Reflex's on the front and frankly it did not make a bit of difference."

It had OE on it and they don't do the job, again I think what I need on the front is a more stiffer spring rate for the first few inches.

 

Like some kind of cargo spring? That would bounce less, but would also compromise ride quality.

 

Bear River,

I appreciate your thoughts, however I'm hoping a "Mountaineer owner" or mechanic who works on Mountaineers and has addressed this issue.... will chime in here with comments about what they may have done with a Mountaineer.

Thank you.

 

I can't chime in on the moutaineer, part, but I can I tell you I had the Ford Shocks on and finally replaced with Monroe shocks. They were great.. for the first 5000 miles and then they were worse than my old stockers.
I ended going with BillSteins and I love them 10,000 miles later and they are still riding good.