The best Shocks for smooth driving

[CyBeRcR0W]

Ok guys, my wife and i are having a baby shes due in a few months, so im interested in making my 98 (V8) explorer XLT 2wd 4 door ride as smooth as possible, so I'm thinking in replacing my shocks, i think i have stock shocks and have never been replaced, the ride seems kinda stiff and since the roads where i live are a bit uneven and have a lot of potholes, you can feel the road a lot(in a bad way). My car has about 125k miles, when I'm on the freeway it rides OK but when I'm on the city it kinda sucks. I already read a lot of post of similar things but im kind of confused, some recommend Monroe Reflex, other Sensa-Trac, Rancho 5000, Bilstein...etc. i just want the smoothest you can go in un-even pavement and lots of potholes. Lets just say that part's cost is not a problem, so anything goes.

Also, is there a Shock and Spring combination that's better that you can recommend, or anything additional i can get.

Thank you in advanced.

 

[IZwack]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2118354

But if cost isnt an issue, you could always find a way to fit some Fox 2.5 non-coil overs for $1.6k for a set (4). That'll soak up some continuous bumps really good
http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Fox-2.5-Non-Coilover-p-641.html

 

[lee2489]

i have 125k as well and last summer replaced my stock shocks with monroe reflex for about 200 for all four. it was like night and day. handling and the ride.

 

[Andiamo]

I'm in the same boat. I need some new shocks bad. In my town, we have dumb and dumber filling pot holes and cracks. Now, they are more like speed bumps. Traveling down the road at about 50mph really sucks as I'm bouncing over these things. If feels like the trucks is skipping over them. I have a set of Monroe Reflex shocks on my 2001 4 door Ex with about 67,000 on the shocks themselves and 137,000 on the truck. I would expect them to last a little longer, but I don't know why they are so stiff. Is it the stiff torsion bars and leaf springs or is it my shocks. Tell me what I need to do, because the drive to work is killing my back (literally). Anyone have any suggestions. Should I try some Rancho adjustable shocks?

 

[burtonbrd138]

the torsion bars do play a role. YOu can crank them down a little to soften it but you will also lower the front height in doing this. Shocks are the main thing that you will notice in ride quality and comfort

 

[TB]

I recently replaced the stock shocks on my 01 XLS with the Bilstein HD's. I think the ride is firm and confident, yet seems to take the paved road obstacles quite well.

The major difference I noticed was in turns with choppy pavement. The truck doesn't want to sway all the way over and "skid-jump" through the turn. I got them from a vendor here, shockwarehouse I believe. Something like a little over 300$ shipped using their discount code.

 

[gijoecam]

the torsion bars do play a role. YOu can crank them down a little to soften it but you will also lower the front height in doing this. Shocks are the main thing that you will notice in ride quality and comfort

Uuuh, no. Cranking the torsion bars up or down doesn't soften the ride any. Changing the preload doesn't change the spring rate, and it's the spring rate that determines how compliant the suspension will be.

Shocks only damp the motion of the vehicle. If the original poster still has the original shocks on the vehicle, they're shot and have been for a number of years. The OEM shocks are only good for around 30,000 miles. After that, even if they're not leaking or squeaking, they've lost a significant amount of their ability to damp the motion of the vehicle and should be replaced.

-Joe

 

[CyBeRcR0W]

Yes Joe in fact i have the original stock shocks, so which ones do you recommend Monroe Reflex or Sensa-Track?

 

[96eb96]

Yes Joe in fact i have the original stock shocks, so which ones do you recommend Monroe Reflex or Sensa-Track?

I got sensatracs and I'm happy with them. The sears guy talked me out of reflex, said they are too stiff. I could have exchanged them for free but I really liked the sensatracs. They are both good on road choices for the explorer.

 

[CyBeRcR0W]

thanx

 

[htrdlncn]

My own feeling is youll never get your Explorer to ride "smooth"
on a rough road with potholes as you mentioned.
its a truck with a relatively stiff suspension.
new shocks no matter how soft will actually stiffen
up the ride from your worn out ones.
You would be better off buying a newer Explorer with the IRS suspension which ride more "carlike"
Thats just my .02 centavos..

Ok guys, my wife and i are having a baby shes due in a few months, so im interested in making my 98 (V8) explorer XLT 2wd 4 door ride as smooth as possible, , the ride seems kinda stiff and since the roads where i live are a bit uneven and have a lot of potholes, you can feel the road a lot(in a bad way). :

 

[CyBeRcR0W]

My own feeling is youll never get your Explorer to ride "smooth"
on a rough road with potholes as you mentioned.
its a truck with a relatively stiff suspension.
new shocks no matter how soft will actually stiffen
up the ride from your worn out ones.
You would be better off buying a newer Explorer with the IRS suspension which ride more "carlike"
Thats just my .02 centavos..

Thanx for your comments guys, so what year did the IRS suspension came out on the explorer?

 

[htrdlncn]

gen3 2002+ i think

 

[CyBeRcR0W]

ok ill try sensa-track ill let you know about my results

 

[gijoecam]

I got sensatracs and I'm happy with them. The sears guy talked me out of reflex, said they are too stiff. I could have exchanged them for free but I really liked the sensatracs. They are both good on road choices for the explorer.

I've tried both, as well as Rancho RSX's. I'm not a fan of any of them. Neither the Monroes nor the Ranchos lasted more than 20,000 miles. When they were new, and compared to the old, worn-out shocks, they seemed great! But after 10,000 miles, both Monroe sets were marginal at best, and the RSX's managed around 30k before they were shot. (There's a particular stretch of freeway on my commute where worn shocks let my Ex 'hobby-horse' down the road). Gotta love Michigan roads!

The next set is going to be either Edelbrocks or KYB's, and not the entry level units of either one. As with all things automotive, you get what you pay for, I guess...

-Joe

 

[Cobraguy]

The next set is going to be either Edelbrocks or KYB's, and not the entry level units of either one. As with all things automotive, you get what you pay for, I guess...

-Joe

Neither one of those are going to give you a soft ride.

I have the Sensa-Tracs on my 99 and love them. They will provide you with a very nice ride...yet controlled. And Joe, if they wore out in 10K, you should have taken them back for a full replacement. These things will last a long, long time under normal street use. However, they are NOT designed for off road use at all. Go with Reflex or another brand for that.

 

[gijoecam]

Neither one of those are going to give you a soft ride.

I have the Sensa-Tracs on my 99 and love them. They will provide you with a very nice ride...yet controlled. And Joe, if they wore out in 10K, you should have taken them back for a full replacement. These things will last a long, long time under normal street use. However, they are NOT designed for off road use at all. Go with Reflex or another brand for that.

I'm not concerned with a soft ride, I want a controlled ride. If I wanted a soft ride, I'd go buy a Crown Vic.

And I have taken both of them back... After the first set of SensaTracs, I threw the warranty replacements on the shelf and tried the RSX's. After two sets of those, I went back to the SensaTracs. They're shot (again) with 25k on them. I can count on one hand the number of times my Explorer has been 'off road' (and one of the three times was a seasonal road, so that one technically doesn't count...). Our roads in southeast MI are some of the worst (and oldest) in the country. It's bad, trust me. I'm surprised I'm only on my third set of ball joints in 165,000 miles.

-Joe

 

[Cobraguy]

I know Joe...but the OP wanted a soft ride...hence my suggestion. When it comes to control, the Gabrials on my 95 may be better than the Sensa-Tracs. But overall, I prefer the Monroe's for my use.

I've been to your neck of the woods...I don't know how any car lasts more than a few years. You say you can count on one hand your number of trips off road. I think it's actually more likely you go "off road" everytime you leave the driveway...

 

[uefear]

Something I still don't understand. If I lifted my sport 2.5 inches (TT, AAL, Shackles) then do I need longer shocks or do the shocks that are listed for fitting my 2002 Ex Sport Stock still work?

 

[gijoecam]

I've been to your neck of the woods...I don't know how any car lasts more than a few years. You say you can count on one hand your number of trips off road. I think it's actually more likely you go "off road" everytime you leave the driveway...

Agreed!! Sometimes I think that the roads are only a 'road' in the sense that they were once made of man-made materials... One of these days, I plan to mount my video camera to the dashboard of my car and drive down where I get gas all the time... It's 1/4 mile from a major freeway, but it may as well be a tank testing ground!!

Something I still don't understand. If I lifted my sport 2.5 inches (TT, AAL, Shackles) then do I need longer shocks or do the shocks that are listed for fitting my 2002 Ex Sport Stock still work?

You haven't changed the suspension geometry significantly on the rear, and not at all in the front. Unless you change the suspension geometry, the stock length shocks work just fine.