shock recomendation
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shock recomendation
Hello everybody. I posted on here a few months ago during me and my dads restoration project, and the time has finally come for new wheels, tires, and shocks. The truck is a totally stock, no lift or anything. Can anyone reccomend a good offroad shock to use in the front and the back that will perform OK on the street, also. I've tried searching, but i cant really seem to find anything too useful. Will any Rancho or ProComb shock bolt up, or does it need to be a specific size, etc?? thanks for any help! Also, i know this will bring about a lot of different opinions, but what would be a good tire option. I love the 34x10.5 Swamper LTB's, but my dad says they will wear out too soon. any other ideas?
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Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Lewistown, PA
I would go with Rancho RS5000's. I have them on my '77 4x4 and they work pretty good. I would recomend Bilstein's, but they don't make them for pre '80 Ford trucks 
The Super Swamper LTB's are bias ply tires. They do tend to wear quicker on the street, and don't ride / handle as well as radials.
The Super Swamper LTB's are bias ply tires. They do tend to wear quicker on the street, and don't ride / handle as well as radials.
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From: lino lakes, mn
with stock ride height and suspension I would probably look at monroe magnums or some simular shock i.e a heavy duty large piston & shaft like the magnum has. A good all around tire one thats good in rain,snow, off road with good hi-way wear, bfg all terrains they are radials and depending on the size a pretty good deal I paid 170 ea for 12.50 x 35's
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Originally Posted by 77300i6
I would go with Rancho RS5000's. I have them on my '77 4x4 and they work pretty good. I would recomend Bilstein's, but they don't make them for pre '80 Ford trucks
The Super Swamper LTB's are bias ply tires. They do tend to wear quicker on the street, and don't ride / handle as well as radials.
The Super Swamper LTB's are bias ply tires. They do tend to wear quicker on the street, and don't ride / handle as well as radials.
Originally Posted by plowpusher
with stock ride height and suspension I would probably look at monroe magnums or some simular shock i.e a heavy duty large piston & shaft like the magnum has. A good all around tire one thats good in rain,snow, off road with good hi-way wear, bfg all terrains they are radials and depending on the size a pretty good deal I paid 170 ea for 12.50 x 35's
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I would go with the rancho RS5000 shocks, if you are going with stock suspension. I've never used them, but my brother in law had them on his full size Bronco, and they did well off-road at sucking up big bumps, but still retained good road manners. As far as tires go, the BFG All Terrains can't be beat for all around traction, wear, and excellent handling on the highway. I run 33X10.50s on my 78 F-150 in the winter. They go quite well in the snow and I will never run anything else in the winter. They are that good.
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BFG Mud-Terrains are built for you. theyre radials and they grab clay a lot better than the AT's. i do remember hearing a little bit of street slapping from these things though :/
http://www.4x4cyberstore.com/website/bfg.html
http://www.4x4cyberstore.com/website/bfg.html
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Spokane, WA
Rancho 5000's are a good shock. If you don't mind spending a couple more $$ I'd highly recommend the 9000 series. You can adjust your ride and really fine tune them to your vehicle. They can also be set different for on or off road. If you REALLY want to get fancy you can buy an in-cab contoller for them and then adjust them while you drive. Otherwise it's just a simple little **** on each shock that you turn and takes all of 30 seconds to do all 4.
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Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Louisiana
I agree with the rancho shocks, they were my first option, but I didn't have the cash, so I went with Skyjacker, and they work fine on and off road for me.
I would say go with BFG, Good year, Radial M/Ts for good agressive tread and they'll last on the road.
I would prefer almost any super swamper over other name brad tires, but I don't really travle the road alot so the wear isn't a big deal for me. You can buy SS tsl, iroc, ect.. radials that should last a good bit longer than the bias ply LTB.
I would say go with BFG, Good year, Radial M/Ts for good agressive tread and they'll last on the road.
I would prefer almost any super swamper over other name brad tires, but I don't really travle the road alot so the wear isn't a big deal for me. You can buy SS tsl, iroc, ect.. radials that should last a good bit longer than the bias ply LTB.
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From: Elkins, WV
I have used trailmaster 'N7' shocks for the past 5 years. Before that I had the Trailmaster 'hydro' shocks.. Both these shocks are for big tires and and supposed to be made with bigger components. I think now they changed the current name to 'SSV'. The ride quality is hard to tell since my leaf springs make my truck ride like a dump truck. They each lasted 5 yrs, and then the rust got to them and they leaked out.
I picked these shocks because they were only $30.99 each at the time and they fit a 77 F250 4x4 with a 6" lift..
Heck, after I ride around town for 30 minutes, I look down at the shock and see that it has only moved 1.5" up and down. I guess my suspension is a bit stiff. (Skyjacker soft ride 6" front / National Spring 6" rear)
MY goal is to custom build shock brackets (dual front, single rear) that will fit shocks that have 'eye lets' on each end for a stock model truck. Then I can just go to autozone and buy some some inexpensive/lifetime warranty shocks over the counter for a (example, 1994 f350 4x4 CC) and I'm done. No more custom orders dealing with huge shocks...
I picked these shocks because they were only $30.99 each at the time and they fit a 77 F250 4x4 with a 6" lift..
Heck, after I ride around town for 30 minutes, I look down at the shock and see that it has only moved 1.5" up and down. I guess my suspension is a bit stiff. (Skyjacker soft ride 6" front / National Spring 6" rear)
MY goal is to custom build shock brackets (dual front, single rear) that will fit shocks that have 'eye lets' on each end for a stock model truck. Then I can just go to autozone and buy some some inexpensive/lifetime warranty shocks over the counter for a (example, 1994 f350 4x4 CC) and I'm done. No more custom orders dealing with huge shocks...
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Thanks for the replies everybody. I think we will go with rancho, and possibly get the 9000 series as suggested if we can afford it. I really like the BFG's, but maybe by explaining the radial deal he'll go with a TSL or something similar. The Trxus mud terrains seem alright also. Ofcourse, money is tight so i dont blame him for not wanting to have to buy new tires again soon. By the way, does anybody remember a 36x9 tire back when these trucks were new? He swears that is what he used to run. I saw a picture of the truck when it was new and he was my age, and it looked like an awsome tire. It was a really aggressive bias ply, and the whole fender well was consumed by the tire. He said he used to try and make them scrub, but even flexing with the front wheels cut all the way they never did