I've got 90K hi-way miles on my 2001 F150.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

How many more miles can I get out of the original shocks?<o></o>

 

I got 115k out of my 97 shocks, most of its life its hauled some VERY heavy payloads and towed a heavy trailer. They were pretty much shot when I pulled them off. So bad I could compress them with 3 fingers. I wouldnt run much past 100k with the originals, even if you dont see much heavy use with your truck. After replacing the shocks I noticed a large gain in handling, which made me realize how bad they actually had gotten.

 

I changed my oem ones at 171k and they were, as anyone could guess, SHOT... can't beleive I drove on them as long as I did. The right rear had crap rattling around in it, and the two fronts both had damaged to the casings, they looked either melted or bent up. I replaced them with Monroe Reflex shocks and promptly totalled the truck 3 days later in the rain, I wasn't used to the new handling and should've made that corner a little slower.

 

Actually they were probably gone by 30k.

 

I just recently replaced mine at 82k and they were by no means shot. I could have kept them much longer but i was geting tired of feeling like i was going to flip every time i went around a corner. I put bilstien's on it and the ride is without a doubt better. I am very pleased with them and am now very glad i didnt get rancho's.
John
99 f-150 ext. cab(83k)
rear steel buper..grilleguard w/4 KC lights
tool box..bed linner
dual exaust..K&N air intake...<!-- / message -->

 

Meaning...?

 

Meaning at 30k I have replaced shocks on every one of my F150s, and every time the shocks removed were shot. They had some dampening ability, but you could move them back and forth easily by hand.
You just can't tell on a truck as easily as on a car due to the stiffness of the springs.
I hit a piece of debris with my 04 that put a hole in my one rear shock. If it wasn't for the difference between the right and left sides, I would have not known it was gone.
However, once you replace the shocks, there is a world of difference between old and new. It's not a gradual change.

 

I have 109k miles on my 97 F150 2wd. I was wondering how to test or tell if my shocks are good or bad without taking them off. I don’t know if they are originals because the truck is used. Were the originals painted blue? I don;t do any heavy hauling or towing.
Thanks

 

If I remember correctly, all OE shocks on the trucks are black, except for some of the FX4 models. I have never been successful using the bounce method on truck shocks, the springs are just too heavy. They only travel back and forth once, even when bad.
I have just assumed, and been correct, that at 30k the shocks are done for.

 

This is really interesting to me. I thought that, *by definition*, if the shocks damp the springs after one full excursion, they were doing there job. What else do you expect your shocks to be doing?

 

Again what I am saying is that the springs are heavy enough that they will dampen themselves. At least on any test I can do by hand. When I did the bounce test on cars I previously owned, it was obvious the shocks were bad. This just doesn't seem to work on trucks.
If you plan on replacing shocks anytime soon, do a bounce test with your old shocks, then without shocks, and with the new shocks. I am almost certain the only difference you will feel is with the new shocks and how tight the suspension feels when you try to move it up and down by the bumper.
I do not mean you can run without shocks, especially if you are carrying a load, but after so long with shocks there dampening affect gets less and less, and you do not feel it because it is gradual. Once you change shocks you immediately notice just how bad the old shocks were.
I just replaced my OE shocks with Bilsteins at 31k. The difference is not as much as I have noticed on previous trucks, perhaps because of the different suspension on the 04, but have noticed a much smoother ride and better cornering. Like the day I picked the truck up. Also I don't believe the OE shocks are going to be the best on the market anyhow. Ithink I would have noticed some difference with the Bilsteins if I had changed to them at 100 miles.

 

Well I knew mine were bad because on every little bump I hit, it would send a shudder through the cab and rattle anything that wasn't bolted down. The truck had a more 'boat' like feel on certain roads, it wouldn't bob wildly out of control but the truck was sloppy in corners and had a lot of side to side sway. I also replaced my sway-bar links at the same time, they weren't shot yet but were showing signs of wear, they had been replaced 30k miles earlier.

The bump test didn't work on the old truck either, it wouldn't hardly go down at all b/c of the front end having coils. I had a few friends jump up and down on the back end and you could hear the one really bad shock making noises.