I HAVE A F250 2001 7.3 AND LOOKING TO CHANGE MY FRONT AND BACK SHOCKS ANY NEEED TO KNOW THOUGHTS BEFORE I DO THIS

 

Its an easy DIY.
Get the Bilstien HD's and yu won't have any regrets.

 

I put on Bilsteins in November and replaced them with Rancho XLs under 2000 miles.

I recommend the XLs.

 

If you have 4x4, Rancho or any of the other good brands will work.
I personally like the Superlift/Skyjacker products myself.
Inexpensive and good warranty.

If you have 4x2, dont use these as they will be too harsh on it.
Use the Bilstiens instead, they will a lot more forgiving,
but will work just as well.

 

I'm due now too...but I've gotten good service with the OEMs so I'll probably head that direction. They've lasted 106K miles...if it ain't broke...don't fix it.

Joe

 

I'm looking at Bilstein 5100 or BWPs for my 99 250 SD CC LWB 4X4. Why did you change from Bilstein to Ranchos? I've looked at Ranchos but not sure which way to jump. SO please elaborate on why you switched so quickly. I'm looking for all the info I can before I drop $300 on shocks.

 

Because they hurt my wife's and my neck and back. They were ok on perfectly smooth and straight road. But if you had a speed bump in a residential area, WHAM! Or, a swale in the road to control the rain water. The same thing. When you go over a bump or a dip the vehicle should bounce 1.5 or 2 times but come to a controlled OEM level. They would compress and slap back to home position.

And, I did not like the way they controled the vehicle in a turn on the freeway at 65 or 70 MPH. No real control. If the truck had a load in it the rear end was all over the road.

Shocks are suppose to control the bounce. I just didn't feel as though the Bilsteins did that as a premium shock company should.

They do fine on my daughters Mercedes. And on BMWs my kids have had. One of the reasons I purchased them. But on a Superduty. They just did not do the job.

I have to guess that on a car like a Mercedes or BMW they are limited to street roads.

On a Superduty they have to meet the challenges of varying extremes of loads and road types that the Bilsteins do not seem designed for. IMO.

I realize that weight alone is not a determining factor in choosing a shock but the Rancho XLs are a larger, heavier product.

And, the adjustability feature of the XLs makes them more friendly to the extreme demands that we require from our vehicles. Whether it be empty, carrying at capacity, or towing.

Now, to be honest, I did suggest yesterday to someone with similar questions as yours, that if you are happy with the ride and performance of the OEM shocks you may want to simply replace them with OEMs.

It is an option.

 

i was looking at the skyjackers 8000s

 

I have pro-comps and have been very pleased

 

Not sure if you were looking for advice on what brand of shock to buy or advice on how to install them... Others have covered the brands, but installation is easy.

A little penitrating oil is never a bad idea on those stubborn bolts.
Remove the front tire for easier access (chock the wheels, use jack stands etc... etc...).
Leave the plastic compression strap on the shock until it is installed... otherwise you have to wrestle it into place.
Torque to spec and check after 100 miles to make sure they stay torqued.

On a scale of 1-10 this job is a 0.2

Slam a beer after each shock to make it more interesting, at least that's what i do.

 

do you have to get a front end alignment once done

 

Well, no, not because you changed your shocks... but if it has been a while since your last allignment it is probably not a bad idea to do it anyway.

While you have your front wheels off the ground it is a good time to check your ball joints (put a 2x4 under the tire and lever it up to see if you feel any movement) and check your hub bearings by grabbing the tire at 3 O'clock and 9 O'clock and wrenching it back and forth listening and feeling for play. Also check your U-joints for binding by rotating the ujoint by hand(make sure your hubs aren't locked). They should spin freely.

Also not a bad time to clean and lube your locking hubs while you are at it, although the tires don't need to be off the ground for that.

 

Replaced my original shocks at 205k miles with the bilsteins and it made quite a difference. Pretty sure anything I replaced the 10 year old original shocks with would make a difference, but these seem to work well. Haven't towed or carried a load with them yet, but they keep the truck under control pretty well. Used to have the whole rear of the truck start bouncing if I got on the brakes too hard coming to a stop. The hardest part of replacing them was getting the lower bolt out of the front shocks. Might want to consider getting replacement bolts before you start the job just in case you damage them getting them out. Rears are cake, just keep the packing strap on them when you put them in, that way you don't have to fight with compressing them to get the bolt in.