Shocks for trucks
 

Since so many here have trucks and SUV's, I'd like to tap the collective wisdom about replacement shocks.

Full size quad cab 2wd P/U (~5000#); used more like a car than truck, so I'm looking for ride/handling over hauling/off-roading.

Orig. tires lasted about 45K mile and I'm expecting the replacements to last at least as long, but I don't think I should expect the stock shocks to make it to 90K miles, and old shocks generally equals increased tire wear.

There are quite a few options out there, anyone found a brand/model that they felt were good upgrades from stockies??

I have always had good luck with Ranchos--On my older mid-sized Cherokees I went with RS5000s, on my Full-Sized F250 I went with RS9000s which are adjustable. Most of the 5000s lasted over 80K, but I did have one leak after 10K, which was replaced free--I only have about 15K on the 9000s, but they ride well. I did just put Monroes on my Wagoneer because they were cheap--they ride nice, but I have no idea on thier long-term durability.

On my 2nd Cherokee, I waited untill Sears ran a sale--and I believe at the time the Ranchos were 28.00/shock installed with a lifetime replacement. best way to go IMHO--as long as you own the vehicle they will replace them for free.

I had HD Bilsteins on my '01 2wd Silverado, but I thought they were a little soft on rebound. I switched to Monroe Reflexes because they seem to work well on friend's truck. When I get a chance I'll be putting the Bilsteins back on.

After a lot of reading I went with Monro Reflex also. They're frequently on sale at Sears.

I went with the Ranchos too, currently running the 9000s on my F250 and love them. Before I had my first set of adjustable Ranchos on my old Toyota 4x4, I thought it was a gimmick. Nope, they really do change the ride with a simple turn of a knob.

-Chris

my pops has been very happy with the edlebrock shocks on his truck.

speaking of shocks, is there a way to reasonably improve the handling of a big full size pickup without making it overly harsh?

I put a rear sway bar on mine and it seemed to help.

My old 1993 Extend cab stepside handled like a new truck when I installed the Monroe Sensatracs on it several years ago (1997). They really need replacing again.

I plan to install Bilstein this time. I am thinking of going the HD version instead of the comfort version.