Need Help Deciding Which Shock Absorbers to Choose.

[Addicted]

Hello, I own a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer 6 cyl AWD which is essentially a xerox copy of the Ford Explorer.

I'm replacing much of our front end suspension as the parts have worn out. Will be swapping out both upper and lower control arms with ball joints, outer tie rods and sway bar (stabilizer) links and sway bar polyurethane bushings. All Moog parts.

I have about 169,000 miles on the car.

I thought it would be a good idea to have these original shocks replaced while I'm in there. I don't haul any trailer or carry heavy loads except for the wife and kids.

I have original tires and the ride is stock height. I would like to have a smooth ride when driving over road bumps, pot holes and parking lot entries without being abruptly hit in our seats.

I'm looking at both the KYB Excell-G and Bilstein 4600 shocks. Seems like both are considered a direct OE replacement with the Bilsteins offering the monotube design. Without cost being a deciding factor, which of the two would be most preferred and offer a smoother ride?

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[Mr. Alligator]

I would be astonished (“shocked”) if you could tell the difference between either high quality shock absorber.

Good luck with this project.

 

[Fredness]

I've been running the Bilsteins for over 5 years, they JUST started to get "loose" after a year of running on an poorly maintained clay road and some HEAVY offroad action.

 

[C420sailor]

Both will serve you well. Mine is a daily driver, no wheeling, and I regularly get 100k out of the cheapo Monroes

 

[Pete Deering]

Hello, I own a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer 6 cyl AWD which is essentially a xerox copy of the Ford Explorer.

I'm replacing much of our front end suspension as the parts have worn out. Will be swapping out both upper and lower control arms with ball joints, outer tie rods and sway bar (stabilizer) links and sway bar polyurethane bushings. All Moog parts.

I have about 169,000 miles on the car.

I thought it would be a good idea to have these original shocks replaced while I'm in there. I don't haul any trailer or carry heavy loads except for the wife and kids.

I have original tires and the ride is stock height. I would like to have a smooth ride when driving over road bumps, pot holes and parking lot entries without being abruptly hit in our seats.

I'm looking at both the KYB Excell-G and Bilstein 4600 shocks. Seems like both are considered a direct OE replacement with the Bilsteins offering the monotube design. Without cost being a deciding factor, which of the two would be most preferred and offer a smoother ride?

Thank you in advance for any help.

I installed the AutoZone Monroe shocks. Nice ride. I used a Bilstein for the 5th shock. Lifetime warranty. You can't beat it. Autozone does not sell Monroe in my area anymore, is what they told me.

 

[Kidd7]

I have the KYB's on my daughter's v6 Ex and Bilstein on the front of my wife's v8 Ex (FoMo air shocks on the back).
I found the KYBs (pretty sure they are monotube) to be stiff on an Ex. I'm leaning toward Bilstein in the future. Both of these Ex's have served as daily drivers over typical city streets. Typical being North Carolina which has much less car eating pot holes than Ohio did.

 

[Addicted]

Thanks to all for the feedback on the shocks. There doesn't seem to be a favored one here between the two the two brands.

Looking more like a coin flip for me. Although with both the Excel-G and 4600 being considered an OE replacement, the monotube design on the 4600 sounds like a real winner (if this feature is considered to be an improvement over the twin-tube design found on the Excel-G).


Just not sure if the monotube feature would create more of a dampening ride than the Excel-G thus resulting in a harder or harsher ride?


Or maybe I'm just overthinking all this and either one would serve me well. You would think there's a reason behind the much higher priced Bilstein's.

 

[Kidd7]

I ran KYB monotubes on my MN12 Cougar, I really liked them, nice and firm, cornered well, etc. But that's a completely different animal than an Ex. Also, I think the KYBs wore out pretty quickly, couple of years, I really think they should have lasted longer.

Here's conversation about mono vs. twin tube: Would i be better off with a mono tube shock?

 

[Mr. Alligator]

Thanks to all for the feedback on the shocks. There doesn't seem to be a favored one here between the two the two brands.

Looking more like a coin flip for me. Although with both the Excel-G and 4600 being considered an OE replacement, the monotube design on the 4600 sounds like a real winner (if this feature is considered to be an improvement over the twin-tube design found on the Excel-G).


Just not sure if the monotube feature would create more of a dampening ride than the Excel-G thus resulting in a harder or harsher ride?


Or maybe I'm just overthinking all this and either one would serve me well. You would think there's a reason behind the much higher priced Bilstein's.

Correct. Overthinking. Good luck.

 

[J_C]

Thanks to all for the feedback on the shocks. There doesn't seem to be a favored one here between the two the two brands.

Looking more like a coin flip for me. Although with both the Excel-G and 4600 being considered an OE replacement, the monotube design on the 4600 sounds like a real winner (if this feature is considered to be an improvement over the twin-tube design found on the Excel-G).


Just not sure if the monotube feature would create more of a dampening ride than the Excel-G thus resulting in a harder or harsher ride?


Or maybe I'm just overthinking all this and either one would serve me well. You would think there's a reason behind the much higher priced Bilstein's.

First, the Excel-G are standard twin-tube, not monotubes, KYB's street (non-heavy-duty) monotubes are the Gas-A-Just.

The Excel-G are very similar to stock but if you want stock you could just buy the Motorcraft IF still available.

Monotubes are stiffer, offer more dampening, a more controlled ride where you do feel the road imperfections more, for better or worse.

I have no evidence to support this but I suspect that the Bilsteins will maintain the same ride characteristics longer, but with them being monotubes that will be a firmer ride, longer.

Given what you have described as your target, I'd get the Excel-G. At the same time, there are lots of hills and curves where I live and I hate the handling of a 2nd gen explorer, so I was glad to have more dampening with the KYB gas-a-just on my front wheels, even if it meant I feel road imperfections more. Frankly I just can't justify paying bilstein prices for shocks at the age of my '98, because it will succumb to rust soon enough and retire in a junkyard, so no sense in buying premium parts for it. YMMV.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

have gas adjust on this one. honestly cant tell much a difference between shocks once theyre good monotobes, with the exception of worn out ones. onyl difference ive ever felt were kya monomax vs a monroe cheap.

 

[LuckyRabbit]

Old man emu?

1999 FORD EXPLORER Old Man Emu N17 Old Man Emu Nitrocharger Shocks and Struts | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Old Man Emu Nitrocharger Shocks and Struts with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Shocks and Struts at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Old man emu?

1999 FORD EXPLORER Old Man Emu N17 Old Man Emu Nitrocharger Shocks and Struts | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Old Man Emu Nitrocharger Shocks and Struts with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Shocks and Struts at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

good choice, very solid, but arent they usually for lifted apps?

edit: nvm thought you were OP

 

[LuckyRabbit]

good choice, very solid, but arent they usually for lifted apps?

edit: nvm thought you were OP

Not OP


On the site it says 0” lift is a option

 

[J_C]

^ Why though? What makes them optimal for the described:

original tires and the ride is stock height. I would like to have a smooth ride when driving over road bumps, pot holes and parking lot entries without being abruptly hit in our seats.

 

[LuckyRabbit]

^ Why though? What makes them optimal for the described:

Just good reviews and most everything from ARB has been good IMO

 

[ConnieD]

I like KYB Gas-A-Justs on my 99 Explorer Sport 2-door.

I am not doing anything rough, only my half mile or so up a mountain ridge to an from my property and nothing special. Otherwise, it is wintertime around a small town.

I like the ride.

I chose Moog control arms and ball joints. I have Beck-Arnley sway bar links instead of the Moog that looked lightly built to me.

The upper control arms can be Moog CK replaceable ball joints or Moog RK non replaceable ball joints, your choice.

It will be good to hear your results about your choice for your shocks.

Moog CK or RK

Ford Explorer 4wd 1999 | Moog-Suspension-Parts.com

Moog Suspension Parts for Ford Explorer 4WD 1999 Models.

www.moog-suspension-parts.com

 

[Fredness]

Moog Balljoints, Moog bushings, Moog swaybay bushings.

Looking at changing the rear leafs due to a LOT of sag (all the way around). I could NOT install the same size tires on my last go around - we actually had to drop 1/2" in height to keep it from rubbing.
Going to do 2" Lift "Expedition pack" (10 leaf, military wrap) due to the the EXTREME mud/clay issues.

So now I'm searching for +2" shocks - asked Bilstein for input.
I am NOT using adapters or extensions.

 

[ConnieD]

Hello, I own a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer 6 cyl AWD which is essentially a xerox copy of the Ford Explorer.

I'm replacing much of our front end suspension as the parts have worn out. Will be swapping out both upper and lower control arms with ball joints, outer tie rods and sway bar (stabilizer) links and sway bar polyurethane bushings. All Moog parts.

I have about 169,000 miles on the car.

I thought it would be a good idea to have these original shocks replaced while I'm in there. I don't haul any trailer or carry heavy loads except for the wife and kids.

I have original tires and the ride is stock height. I would like to have a smooth ride when driving over road bumps, pot holes and parking lot entries without being abruptly hit in our seats.

I'm looking at both the KYB Excell-G and Bilstein 4600 shocks. Seems like both are considered a direct OE replacement with the Bilsteins offering the monotube design. Without cost being a deciding factor, which of the two would be most preferred and offer a smoother ride?

Thank you in advance for any help.

I agree about the choice of shocks.

I recommend Moog CK upper control arms, not RK Moog upper control arms. The Moog CK upper control arms allow a replaceable upper ball joint. The RK Moog upper control arms does not. This is my experience.

I have not replaced lower control arms: I suggest you read the Moog specifications detail or ask tech support to be certain the ball joint for the lower control arms is replaceable.

Since you are going thru the undercar, you might look at replacement of the body mounts. If deteriorated, the ride will not be what you like.

 

[J_C]

So now I'm searching for +2" shocks - asked Bilstein for input.
I am NOT using adapters or extensions.

If you lookup the part # for stock height from a brand, you may be able to find 'sites that list other models with their dimensions and mounts, for example here's KYB or for other brands on same site, look under the top category "Everything About Shocks"->"Shock Measurements By Brand"

KYB Measurements - ShockWarehouse

Need to find a KYB shock by size? Below you will find our comprehensive list of all KYB Shocks with extended and compressed lengths and mounting points. Have a special project, need special lengths you can find them all here, if you need more help to do not hesitate to call us at 800-245-7469...

www.shockwarehouse.com