Scared Stiff - Stiffer Shocks That Is...

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Thomas Rogers

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The 04 ST XLT just turned over 10K miles. I have only been taking her around town and light trips for the past several months. Today we did a day trip, up and back to NY (we live in PA). Had my wife and two of the kids in the car. Round-trip just under 400 miles.



On the way up this morning I was talking to my wife about the handling, and telling her I was probably going to get new shocks. She has already commented how she doesn't feel as "in control" driving the ST as she does her 04 Mountaineer (bought months apart). She nodded that she understood what I was talking about when I described how the ST continued to bounce after hitting bumps, but she didn't seem to encourage me to go out and spend money.



About 1/2 hour later, she was sleeping and I was driving with the cruise on. 72 in a 65 on Interstate 81. Anyway, to make a long story short, I hit a pothole with the left front tire...a nice one, about a foot and a have long, about the width of the tire and it appeared to be about 6" deep. When I saw it, it was too late, so I just gripped the wheel...good thing I did! I was in the driving lane and the ST jumped and dived and side-stepped about 2 to 3 feet to the left, into the passing lane, JUST AS a small car was passing me.



My wife woke up, saw we were OKAY and said: "OKAY! GET THE NEW SHOCKS!"



I am going to call around. I don't have the time to install them, but am going to get them asap. Whatever best price I can get for installed Rancho RSX or Monroe Reflexes will get my business...all four shocks.



This ST just isn't safe above 40MPH!



TJR
 
TJR,



The shocks are easy to install. The price shops want to install them you would be better off finding time to install them.





Tom
 
Do come research here, and you might want to possibly go with KYB Monomax - especially on the rear. When we put the KYB Monomax on the rear because one of the Monroe Reflex went south in less than a year; all I can say is that it is the best thing we ever did. The Reflex in front give a nice smooth ride, while the Monomax really tame the rear end.
 
The shocks on the left rear is harder then the rest, but it isn't hard. I can do shocks in an hour or so.





Tom
 
Tom,



Check the project section. There are two projects for shocks. Reading both will (should) give you all the information you need. That's what I used for mine.

:)
 
I recommend you file a complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. It takes about 5 minutes, and may save a life. I already submitted mine. Here is the link to the complaint form below.
 
How much should I expect to be charged by a shop to install the shocks?



I have a full-time job along with a part-time job that pays hourly and I can set my own hours at the latter job. And, that job pays much better hourly rate than most mechanics I have seen and labor rates charged by shops.



So, for me, it's a cost trade-off. A couple of hours of my time, maybe some out of pocket expense (I don't have jacks), and the loss of money making potential, OR take it to a shop and get on with my regular work.



If I had the jacks and "free" time to spare, then it wouldn't be a question.



TJR
 
I did my own shocks with no jack stands, and didn't remove the wheels either. I've never done shocks before, and it took me four hours. An experienced mechanic can probably do it in half the time I took.
 
Given that quote, I would stand to lose money doing it myself.



The Wall St Journal ran a story last year about "professional" people who think they save money by cutting their own lawn, changing their own oil, etc. They made the point that if the professional could be working instead, and assuming they aren't treating the chore as a hobby and getting some entertainment or value or physical fitness value, that in most cases they were better off financially letting someone else do the work.



That hit home when I started work a second job, doing consulting on the side, off-hours.



TJR
 
For me, anytime I can spend it at home is saving me money. I am not a big fan of being at work. Over the past 4 months, I could have been working every saturday and sunday. With my OT rate, I am throwing away $500.00/week. I threw away $8,500.00 to pet my dog, wash my car, mow the lawn, change my oil, go on walks with Theresa, watching TV, sitting next to the camp fire in the back yard, etc. I look foreward to throwing away another $12,000.00 this year alone. Worth every penny to not be at work and spendint time with the important things in life. Life itself.





Tom
 
Don't get me wrong, Tom, I do all those things too. My PT, second job is for my own company and I ENJOY doing it, enjoy it probably more than I would enjoy changing shocks on my ST. That's why I look at it as a cost analysis. Some things you can't put a price on.
 
I paid $50 for Big O Tires here in Calif. to do both of my rear shocks. I did them the first time around, but when I wanted to put on the KYB's the weather was bad so I had them done. The fronts are pretty much a piece of cake; a novice could do them with no problem.
 
TJR, the exact same thing happened to me on the PA Turnpike about a week ago, which prompted me to get the new shocks. It is ridiculous that Ford would put such an unsafe product on their trucks. You will not be disappointed with the new shocks.
 
Just installed new ProComp shocks on Saturday and noticed right away that the Trac now "rolls" over bumps instead of "hoping" like it did before.

I agree with you guys. Shame on Ford for making such crappy parts for our ST's. (shocks, sway bar, brakes, etc.) Not against them saving money but when it somes to cutting corners at the expense of our safety, it kinda pisses me off. Although I love my Trac, when I get ready to replace it I will definitely be looking at other makes.
 
TomT,



I agree on the shocks. The Shocks were originally designed for the 4 door Explorer. Ford just continued using those. No biggie. Most people are happy with OE shocks.



The Swaybar is a matter of opinion. I have the EE sway bar. Most 4 door pick-ups do not even have a rear sway bar. Imagine us not having one, then installing the OE style one. Would would be giddy with it's performance. It is all about perception.



Brakes. Did you know the Trac's brakes are better then the others out there. The Trac stops faster then the Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma, and Chevrolet S10. Only the Dodge Dakota was better. If you put a load on the back, the Trac stoped in the shortest distance. This is for 2001 models. You should only compare apples to apples. Toyota, Nissan, and GM all have new models out. It is unfair to compare the newest models with something that beat them years past.



It would be like saying, Houses today have electric. When dad was a child, he did not have electric. Houses today are better then they were back when dad was a kid because they have electric. Never mind the fact nobody had electric back then. (At least in Southern Ohio where he is from)



See my point?





Tom
 
As Tom says above, have to be careful in comparisons...even with the Tracs. The 04 brakes are far better than the 01 brakes so one can't logically state that ALL Tracs have weak brakes. The swaybar is subject to opinion based on ones driving style. The shocks, though, are a different story. The factory shocks are not rated for the spring rates of the Trac. They do not provide sufficient dampening, period. They do dupe the driver into believing that the ride is soft and sedan like as long as one doesn't hit any bumps. But, when they are required to do their thing, they can't. I would rather feel one bump one time hard than to feel it many times while the whole truck scitters sideways.
 
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