Upgrading Shocks

[Kevin Currie]

After reading all the topics regarding shocks i decided to go out and price them out.

I am from central Canada and in my city the roads are absurd... almost feels like off-roading just driving down our main streets. In my old Ranger i use to lean forward when i saw a bad roads to avoid moving with the truck. Our potholes are as bad as manholes with the covers off.



Canadian pricing:



Midas

Monro-Matic Plus $572 all 4 installed



Ok Tire

Kyb GR2 $589 all 4 installed



My faithful Garage

Kyb GR2 $375 all 4 installed



My ST is a 4x4 2004 with 68,000Kms



I do not do ANY offroad driving



Should i do the upgrade and what can i expect from the Kyb?

I dont want to feel every little crack or hole in the road.



I looked into the Swaybar replacement as well and all 3 places told me i wouldnt notice any diff and this is coming from a place that sells them.

 

[EddieS'04]

If you go with the monroes, get the Reflex. The monroe-matics wont be rugged enough for the roads you speak of. Iam not familiar with kyb.

Check the monroe link. Might help your decision.

 

[Ron N]

The swaybars will help on side to side movement. I ,myself like the rancho 9000 shocks. I have bilstens on the front right now but plan on changing to 9000's on th front as well, less bounce. Contact Rodger and Georgia They can help._Ron

 

[Tom Schindler]

I looked into the Swaybar replacement as well and all 3 places told me i wouldnt notice any diff and this is coming from a place that sells them.

They have no idea what they are talking about.





Tom

 

[Kevin Currie]

Id like to quote another member from another thread



"or for increased handling with less comfort go to the Monroe Reflex or Rancho RSX;

and the best on road handling will come from a monotube shock like a KYB Monomax"



I can always do the swaybars later if i decide that they are a problem. The garage told me you could even have 1 broken and not even notice it until someone told you.



i do find that the ST does have a large side to side movement such as when entering a driveway over a sidewalk or large speedbumps



I did spend $23,000 so that i could have a awsome truck for the next 10 years so might as well spend the money now and enjoy all of it upfront.



i did look into bilsteins but the places i went said they are special order.

there were two models of the Kyb and the other was for offroad with the stiffer feel.



Is it the Ford shocks that cause the tire problems?

 

[A K]

The garage told me you could even have 1 broken and not even notice it until someone told you.

I'd avoid that garage if I were you. You can tell the difference between none, a one inch bar, and an almost two inch bar. Unless the mechanic has no sense of lateral motion, you easily will notice changes in body roll without, with OEM and with an upgraded sway bar.

 

[Matthew W]

I agree that those mechanics are full of crap !! If you break one of the sway bars and don't notice the difference, then why have them on there to begin with ? ? ? ? :lol: :lol: :lol:



They do make a big diference ... both of them (this is my second Trac, and I modify every vehicle i've bought to make them perform better).



Also, check e-bay for the Bilsteins - I bought mine there last summer for $250 delivered ! Worth every penny !! :wub:



Good Luck !

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

Do NOT put on the KYB GR2 as I put a set on the front of our '01 job 2 and had to remove them as they are not much better than the OEM shocks. Otherwise I agree with all of the above.

 

[Dingo]

The KYB Monomax is the ninja of all shocks.

 

[Kevin Currie]

Are the Monomax for Offroad because they provide a stiffer feel?



How does it feel when you hit a large pothole using the Monomax?

 

[Tom Schindler]

Any aftermarket shock will be an improvement over stock shocks.



As for the sway bar comment about one being broken, those mechanics do not deserve to work on a car. I mean, you will not notice one if it is broken. OMFG, thos guys are complete idiots. If you were visiting Ohio, I would pull my rear EE bar and put it on your Trac so you could feel a difference.



I would not trust those mechanics to to clean up my dogs poo poo, let alone put a wrench anywhere near my vehicles.





Tom

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

I totally agree with Cayman, and have to add that you could have broken sway bar end links which is why MOOG came out with the Problem Solver end links. You can purchase them at AutoZone or CarQuest and both places will have the MOOG part no. on the box. Do the MOOG end links anyway as it is well worth the $30 US. Send me your address and I'll send you a set of the front sway bar end links, and if you like them pay for them, if not keep 'em.

 

[Kevin Currie]

Thats a pretty nice offer...

I live in Central Canada so that might be a long ways out



Im a Computer Tech by profession .... so what are front sway bar end links?



I really want to get the best ride out of my truck and im finding as i drive the city that the shocks are not bad but im only comparing them to my other Ford that was 10 years old and those were really bad. I find that the truck does bounce and this also affects the handling around turns.



I can get shocks done for $355 complete but i really want to make sure im going to feel a difference.



When does Ford recommend that shocks be replaced on the 2004 ST anyway?



I was told weather they are plastic or metal they both do what they were intended to do.

I dont understand suspension all that well. I just buy the truck and drive it, and let the pros tell me whats the best thing to do.



If your computer is broken then im your guy.

 

[Dingo]

The Monomax are more for performance. Very stiff.



A swaybar is basically a U-shaped bar. When the truck leans, the bar uses the position of the wheel on one side to push the other side's wheel back down. The stronger bar and connecting hardware, the less body roll you'll have.

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

Front end links are the vertical bolts w/ a sleeve around it and upper & lower bushings at each end. You can locate them by finding the front or rear sway bar and look at what is attached at each end. The front end links are just to the inside and below the front shocks. And you can do them yourself as the are about a one, maybe two, wrench job. Just use a wrench at each end of the bolt; one on the nut at the top and one on the head of the bolt at the bottom. I'm sure you can find a friend that can assist you to save you some money.



There is no recommended time interval for changing out the shocks, but you should get a minimum of 30k miles and at least 50k miles out of a set. I recommend either the Monroe SensaTrac or the Tokico TrekMaster shocks for a comfortable ride.

 

[Adam Smith]

All I can say about the EE swaybar is that it made such a difference that I would not recommend anyone drive the vehicle without one. It saved my life when I had to swerve on the freeway to miss a refrigerator box, last second, at speed. I'm sure I would have rolled with the stock bar.

I am looking into Monroe Reflex or Rancho RSX's. As of now, Rancho's are harder to find and much more expensive. Too bad, they look better.