Decisions decisions.....

[Five]

Help me decide which shocks to put on my 95 Sport and you could be the winner of a brand new..... well, nothing really, I just need some input.

Bilstein, Tokico, Rancho, Edelbrock, Koni, yadda yadda ad infinitum....
Which ones work? which ones are lousy?

Truck/car/thing is street driven, sometimes in snow rarely off the paven trail, lots of freeway miles. Need comfort without harshness and cood compliance on small bumpies.
I might go with a slight looks only lift sometime down the road, so it would be nice to not have to re-buy shocks when I do that and go through this a second time next year.
If it can't be done, it can't be done.

Thanks in advance

K

 

[Seth]

I have Rancho RS5000's on my explorer and I love them. And I am pretty sure they are long enough if you get a mild lift. Another brand you might want to look into is old man emu. They make a rear leaf spring pack for the explorer and they sell some shocks that are supposed to compliment the springs. From what I hear they are pretty good. I would go with either Rancho or old man emu.

 

[BlueDogBandit]

The right choice!

This seems to be one of the biggest topics on the page. I have Explored this one myself. I talked to Shane at Bilstein, and he said that they have a great offroad shock for the explorer. I explained to him that this is a daily driver, and I want handeling on the road as well. He said that in three weeks they are coming out with a on/off road shock that will run for $69. I have the part numbers already for the shocks, but they vary with the different ride heigths. Every four wheel drive shop I've talked to sware by the bilstein brand. I considered everything....Rancho, Monroe, Edlebrock. Rancho and Monroe are made by the same company, and are good shocks...but no body seems really happy. Edlebrocks are awsome....for about three months. If you want to wait...I'll be one of the first to run the new bilsteins. Can't wait myself!

 

[olivesman]

hey man- from personal experience. go w/ a brand that makes lifts. not just performance shocks like borla but ones that are designed for off-road vehicles. rancho has pretty much mastered shocks. if you want an on/off road ride then i'd go w/ the rs9000's. they're adjustable for tough or smooth. sky jacker softride hydros are also really good. as for getting ones you can use w/ a lift, that is hard. you can get long enough ones but you won't get a good ride for now b/c they'll be fully compressed and you might break the cylinders. and if you try and compromise then you won't get near enough articulation. trust me, i had a full size bronco 6" of lift and 35's and the shocks i had were extra long and those weren't even enough for me to fully tuck my rear tires. -russel rtp4l2000@aol.com

 

[Thomash]

BlueDogBandit, What is the part number for the Bilsteins that will accommodate the 1.5" torsion-bar twist + add-a-leaf lift?

 

[leebo]

Seeing that I just put on the new shocks today I can't speak too much for them. I just put on a pair or RS5000's not more than 5 hours ago. It took me under 2 hours on my back with a wrench and a few other tools. Very simple install. So far I am very impressed with the ride though. The biggest thing I've noticed is the lack of body roll. I doubt that the stock shocks would work with that much of a lift though. Maybe get some larger ones right off the back????

 

[Mat R]

RS9000s and Edelbrocks are all good, but can get expensive. I'm going with Bilstein because it is a very solid shock, that all the prerunners use, and it won't be to expensive if I run duals all around. Besides everyone and there brother has something good to say about bilstein.

Mat

 

[BlueDogBandit]

Call Shane

The number for Bilstein is(800)537-1085. Tell him the mods you've done, and they can set you up. My truck is older than yours and I have a little more lift, so I don't know if the part numbers would be the same. He had all the info, and is in the process of buying an Explorer to build up for himself...so he was real interested in helping me out. In fact, we sat on the phone and chatted after figuring out my shock application for atleast fifteen minutes. Super nice guy, his name is Shane in the tech department. Tell him that you heard about the new shocks from the website. Maybe we can get a better deal that $69. Hope this helps. There is nothing wrong with Rancho's, but from my experience...if all the 4x4 shops are saying one brand name...even if they don't carry them...go with it. I have some buddies that race offroad vehicles...they say that Bilstein is the best. With this new shock they are coming out with....I'm going to find out....oh yea...their shocks are warranteed for life.

 

[Five]

Here's the deal

I went for the Tokicos after speaking with someone at John Baker Enterprises. i tappears that they are a little less stiff then the Billies, and so my freeway drive every day will be much nicer. I guess I was a little afraid of teh Buckboard effect. As far as my experiences have been with shocks and racecars, the shocks control the springs, not the other way around

For tires I FINALLY found a place that would install something OTHER than the size NOBODY freaking has, and went with a Goodyear ATS. Kind of neat looking, and terribly expensive. 130 EACH seems a bit steep for tires, but what the hell, its just money. THat is why I have a job. I get paid every Friday

Thanks for the tips, if these Tokicos don't work out I will get the Bilsteins and let y'all know

K

 

[BlueDogBandit]

Why I'm waiting

Well, the stiffness of an offroad shock is why I mentioned that I was waiting another three weeks for bilstein's new shock to come out. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Ray Lobato]

Why not go for the Edelbrocks? they are very good on the Highway.

 

[BlueDogBandit]

But will they last?

Edlebrocks are suppose to be awsome....but the word is they become the worst shock ever in about 3-6 months depending on your driving conditions. So, if you have the money to replace them that often....go for it. Bilstein is my product, and if I have problems...they will replace for free. Can't beat that.

 

[Goober]

All I know is the shock that were supplied with the Superlift kit (4") aren't very good as far as body roll go. They do alright as far as vertical bounce, but go around a corner at speed and the nose dips hard.