Best shocks for stock 4 door?

[01EB5.0]

I drive mostly on road and just want to get a good shock for the best ride. Please let me know what you have!

 

[93explobeach]

I would suggest you to check out the Ranchos shock.. they were pretty good ! for stock as you mention I don't have any lift but Rs5000 shocks did it all.. nice smooth and very feeling with the road.. only thing i didnt get is steering stablizer.. which im planning to do.. if you have steering stablizer and all good shocks of rs 5000 or rs9000 whicever,, remember rs9000 shocks are more $$$ so I got mine for 64.00 each of rachos rs5000

hope this info help..

JOhn

 

[AgExplorer]

I highly recommend the Monroe Reflex shocks. Firm, but not harsh, ride. Body sway is nonexistant when going into and out of driveways. You can probably get them for less than $40 each at a local parts store.

 

[Ray Lobato]

Old Man Emu Nitro Chargers. Even better than Edelbrocks.
Oh, by the way, I do have a set of new Edelbrocks sitting in my garage doing nothing. Interested?

 

[ExploderOne]

Ray-

Do you still have the Edelbrocks sitting in your garage? If so, would they fit the `96 4dr? How much would you want for them? :smoke:

 

[ExploderOne]

Ray-

I haven't heard from you yet. Do you still have your Edlebrock IAS's?

 

[Ray Lobato]

Hi Nate,
Sorry, but some one beat you to it. I sold them pretty much right after I mentioned it on the board. You might want to ask Juan Felsman. I know he was selling his cause he just got his ride lifted. Yes they will fit all 95+ models.

 

[ExploderOne]

Thanks anyway!!!!

 

[Rhett]

What are "Old Man Emu Nitro Charger" shocks? I have never heard of such a thing.

Better than Edelbrock IAS?

 

[russelb]

Monroe Reflex

In March I bought my Explorer and it maneuvered at highway speeds like a tug boat. I expected this from the review articles I read about Explorers. I consulted with my brother who was a mechanic and who is now asst. mgr. of a auto shop. He recommended the Monroe Reflex. Within weeks of buying my Explorer I put them on and have not regretted it at all. They are GREAT shocks. They give a firm ride on the highway, but soften up on big bumps. Body roll during lane changes and braking are almost non-existent.

 

[flyguy]

I love my edelbrocks! And they are red and black...look real manly. Put hair on your chest... its proven.

nick

 

[Ray Lobato]

Rhett,
Nitro Charger shocks are made by Old Man Emu (a subsidary of ARB) and have just recently come on the market for our Explorers. They are indended for 95+ models who want to do the "Torsion Bar Twist", to be used with the OME 2" lifted springs, because they will give you an extra 2" of play, same as the Edelbrocks.

Here is the report I did on the shocks. The last paragraph is about the springs.

Project "Off the Beaten Path" 97 Explorer

The other day our illustrious Editor and Chef, Rick Horwitz asked if I would be willing to do a product review on the new "Nitro Charged" shocks made by Old Man EMU, for the late model Explorer. I wished he had asked me that 2 weeks earlier, before I laid down the cash for the new Edlebrocks that I just put on, but hey, this might be just what he needed. I already have new Edlebrocks on, so why not do a comparison of these new OME's against the King of the shocks, Edlebrocks. These shocks are made in Australia and they haven't come to the American market yet, so we here at Off the Beaten Trail are breaking the news first.
First off the OME's are built heavier. The shafts are 18mm thick, as opposed to the Edlebrocks, which are 12.7mm thick. Also the OME's shocks are 1/2" longer. The front OME shocks are positioned different than the Edlebrocks. On the Edlebrocks the shaft is on the bottom connected to the A-arm. On the OME's, the shaft is connected to the upper shock mount. Both use grade 8 bolts. OME's are 1.5" and Edlebrock's are 1" in length. The mounting rod on the OME's is solid metal, machined. The Edlebrocks look like it is heavy tubing with the ends pinched together and the holes drilled for the bolts to mount. I had to put the mounting rods together and insert them in the shock, then put a snap ring on to hold the whole thing together on the OME's. All very nicely done. I did use a little silicone lube to make it easier to push the mounting rods into the shock. The front shocks were a little hard to mount, because the 1.5" bolt that goes closest to the CV boot was a pain to get into the hole. It was easier to put the Edlebrocks in because the bolts on them were 1" and the mounting rod is not as thick. The rear shocks would have been easier if I had two 13mm box wrenches instead of one and a socket. I couldn't use the socket on the top of the upper mounting bracket, and it was pretty hard using it on the bottom side of the upper mounting bracket, because of the width of the shock, it wouldn't allow for the socket to go on straight on the bolt.
Now that they are on, it was time to take a spin and see how they ride. My initial impression is that they are very stable and smooth. To me they felt even smoother than the Edlebrocks, and I really like the Edlebrocks. Being a technician by trade, I figured that just saying "It felt like this shock was better than that shock" was not good enough, so I needed to find some way to gauge the difference between the two shocks. Well, after some thought I came up with a method of comparison to substantiate my opinion. I would use a Discman (more susceptible to bumps than the truck's CD player), taped to the console and my favorite CD (The Dixie Chicks) to use as a gauge. Any time the truck hits a bump that would jolt the CD player to skip, I would consider that a point. The shock with the most points looses.
The coarse would be up and over Highway 152, which gives me plenty of curves, bumps and highway speeds, then I would take it to Hollister Hills, to see how they handle off road. Before I changed the shocks I took the trip with my Discman playing as I went over the 152 and down 101, back to 152 then home. I got the CD player to skip 5 times with the Edlebrocks. After putting the Nitro Chargers in I went over the same course. The CD player also skipped 5 times in the same place that the Edlebrocks did. Well what does this tell me? The OME shocks are as good as the Edlebrocks as far as the test is concerned, but in my opinion the OME's just hedged the Edlebrocks out. I thought that the OME's had less side roll then the Edlebrocks and didn't have that little springy bounce that the Edlebrocks have at high speeds (80+mph).
So in conclusion the Old Man Emu "Nitro Charged" shocks are a heavy-duty constructed shock.
They are as good if not slightly better than the Edlebrock shocks.

When I put the springs on I did that exact same course, but what I found out was going over the same bumps, the CD player didn't skip once. I also went over a wash board road and didn't have to slow down. The spring/shock combination worked superbly. Hope this helps

 

[01EB5.0]

i am going to get shocks in the next few weeks and am just kicking this back up for more comments or thoughts. Also if anyone has lifted their truck and wants to sell me shocks let me know. I am looking for an aftermarket shock...not oem. thanks

 

[bluesman]

Hey Guys,

I'm going to give this a bump and see if anyone has any advice for me. I'm running a pure stock '96 4door, v8, 2WD all street.

The Monroe Reflex sounds good unless someone knows of something similar/newer.

 

[SteveG3]

I work at a large independent repair shop and if your Explorer came into the shop for shocks I would have KYB Monomax installed in the front and KYB Gas-A-Just in the rear. I've tried just about everything out there and nothing holds up like a monotube shock. The Monomax give a great controlled ride for the front but are too stiff for a (relatively) light vehicle like an Explorer. Unless it's constantly loaded or towing a trailer with plenty of tongue weight. We've found that the Gas-A-Just are too solft for the front but work perfect in the rear.

 

[SteveG3]

BTW: Not to be a jerk and put down anyone's opinion or experiences, but just about anything made by Monroe and Gabriel, including Rancho, Reflex, etc is crap. Like I said, we've tried just about everything and none of those held up at all.

I've never tried OME shocks, but we've found a damn good combination with the KYB's and I promise you won't be disappointed.

 

[Anime]

For monotube designs, Bilstein makes some of the best. I'd probably be using the KYB's or Tokicos if I didn't have the Bilsteins, though.