I drove a friends xlt yesterday and man, what a difference! His truck just seemed so much tighter all around than mine. just sitting inside his truck everything seemed different. Anyway, you being the shock guru, I want to get that smooth tight ride from my truck and wanted to know what aftermarket shocks you would recommend if any. I know everyone raves about the Bilsteins but you seem to think they are not the best. I have a two wheel drive 4.6 and will be adding 2" blocks soon, so not sure if that makes a difference with the rear shock.
His truck is also a two wheel drive with 18" rims 320/55/18 tires, level kit and 2" rear blocks. He has the 5.4 though and I'm sure that has alot to do with it.

thanks for any help
Scott

 

i might not chris but...

rear sway bar should be a nice addition

 

i might not chris but... Er did you mean your not Chris's butt?
Just yankin yah asinatra



Scott 7065, I am not sure what you are looking for? What tires/rims do you have on your truck? Is your truck 4x4?
Are you looking for a tighter ride? Better handling? Smoother ride?

The most change in ride/handling characteristics on the road is accomplished with tires. Same truck, same everything, but different brand/style tires change everything in ride/handling/ road manners.

Bad shocks suck.
New factory shocks work pretty good if you are a 'boulevard' driver. Many of the trucks sold are boulevard drivers. Mine is.

Since I don't know your goals, I will offer some things.

I'm not against the Bilsteins, they are just not what everyone wants. They will stiffen your ride, a good thing on a 4x4. They are not going to give you a smoother ride on normal pavement. Not their strong point.
If you go off-road, or heavy load the truck, the Bilsteins would be nice. Too pricey, but most people here seem to think that's a plus...

Your truck weighs about 400-600 lbs more than my Reg cab, so any stiffer shock will be 'less stiffer' on your truck than mine.

My truck is the lightest of the breed, so I get by well with the factory shocks. At about 20k (lifespan of factory shocks) I will probably go with a premium but not off-road type shock. Any of the better brands make about the same shock. Right now there seems to be a limited supply, but by summer several (Monroe and Edelbrock) have suggested more part numbers will be out.

I want good cornering, and good ride, on terrible roads. You probably want something entirely different.

Shocks are a combination with tires. An aggressive tire, and you want a firmer shock. A street tread, and you want a milder shock.

Have a game plan. If you are going to off road, run aggressive tires, then you want the Bilsteins.
Chris

 

Chris, I have to disagree on the Bilstein ride on smooth highway. If anything, they have made my ride smoother on good road. Are they stiffer, definitely. This does give me better and flatter cornering than the OE shocks. As for bad roads, I havent really been on any since I got the Bilsteins, but after I put them on my 01 that I had before, I noticed improvement on both regular highway and rough dirt backroads.

 

I said they would ride better on a 4x4. I notice you have a FX4...
I also suspect you have aggressive, not street, tires, and bigger rims?
Chris

You get a smoother ride on small bumps? that is not what the other owners have said... How many miles on your truck when you changed the Shocks? How heavy loaded is your truck?
All factors of shock results.
What works best on a 4x4 used hard really doesn't apply to a 2 by used on smooth/rough streets.

 

Stock wheels for summer, LT275/65R18 Goodyears. For winter I run LT265/70R17 BFG. Normally I run unloaded. Shocks were changed at 30k, where I usually change them.

 

Hi kingfish51


"Stock wheels for summer LT 275/65R18 Goodyears. For winter I run LT265/70R17 BFG. Normally I run unloaded. Shocks were changed at 30k, where I usually change them."

I see you use big, LT tires. Bilsteins would be great for your truck.
I would use the Bilsteins on your truck in a heartbeat.


Also, at 30k, your factory shocks would be between 65 and 30 percent of factory spec. Just going back to stock would have felt much better.
The Bilsteins must make it feel like a new truck.



With factory shocks on a two wheel, I like to change them at 20, on a 4x4 with heavy tires I usually swap shocks away from stock at 10k. Of course with the nice ride these trucks have, there isn't so much incentive to swap them that early.

Aftermarket premium shocks, , are much better than stock. Just wish some of these vendors would get of their dead a@@ and make more choices. Those of us with non-aggressive tread, and light trucks just want quicker valving, and better pressurization, not an aggressive ride.
Chris

 

Ok, I have a two wheel drive w/ 20" rims and 285/55/20 BF G AT's
Now I noticed this even with the smaller stock tires, hitting even the smallest imperfections in the road feels like I'm driving into a 12" pothole. The whole darn truck shutters. It's quite annoying. It's not as bad with the new setup but it's still there. I don't go offroad but there is a lot of road construction going on here in Jax so the roads are a bit rough in places. I guess I'm looking for a smoother ride than what I have now. If you have a chance to get in an xlt and take it for a ride you will see what I mean about the different ride quality. So, most of my driving is highway or around town. I definately want to get rid of these stock shocks but want an improvement for the money. I don't mind spending a little extra.

 

Seems odd. Do you have a lift in it? or leveling?

Are your tires inflated to correct amounts?

By that, I mean what the other guys running that size tire are running, not the recommended.

Does it bounce more on the front than the back? Feel like experimenting, dropping the air five or ten pounds, just for test purposes.


I was thinking tires are too heavy, but you said it's the same with the stock ones.
I have driven the STX (I own it), the XLT and a couple of Lariats.
My STX is the roughest, but that was because it's a short Reg cab.
And by roughest, I mean you can drive all day on bad roads with eggs in the rubber tray, and never spill one out.
A bad road here is one that is more than 50% pothole patches. A good road has about one pothole or patch every 100 feet.


Really sounds like you are a candidate for the Bilstiens.


I was in Jacksonville a little while back (Hanna Park is great) and I never noticed bad roads. I thought they were decent, that's in a little 4x4 Tracker and a big motorhome. Of course it is a pretty big place. We traveled around a lot, kinda looking at houses. After two weeks my arthritis kicked up. Lovely city, too damp for me.

 

Thanks for your time and advise.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Hanna Park, I ride my mountain bike out there often. I wish I knew you were coming as I could have given you a list of some nice restauraunts and such.
I think I will take your advice and check my tire pressure and look into the Bilstiens

Scott