Shock Absorbers

What do y'all  look for when the time comes? My sled is an 03Dmaxx ExtCab LB 2WD.

I'm rocking Fox Racing shocks with external reservoirs on my tow vehicle. They're great.

But it helps that I work for a Fox retailer.

Barring that, I'd check for Koni before I paid for Bilsteins.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Uh, stay away from Monroe's? just goofin' thanks KT. I'm down with the Koni .....is Rancho a no-no also?

Rancho and Monroe are both Tenneco brands.  

PMRacing said:

Rancho and Monroe are both Tenneco brands.  

And that means ?????

Way back when I had the E150 conversion van(s), I put Gabriel Hijackers on them so I could adjust them for towing.  They weren't tremulously expensive, it was a freaking van so I don't think it's possible to ruin the handling since there isn't any, and they worked pretty well for leveling out the load and making the towing experience more comfortable.

I think your truck uses the same shocks my '04 suburban 2500 does. I've been very happy with my fox remote reservoirs as well, I sprang for the compression adjuster as well. Got mine through Accutune, at least at the time they had a solid price on them.

I really like bilsteins. 
 

I just did a full set of 5100 series around the new F150 and it makes a world of difference. But the oem stuff had 140k miles on it and was shot. 
 

of you are going off road or hail extensivly I would go 6112s up front and 5120s in the rear for about 1300$ all in for the whole setup. 

Thanks y'all.  I can't tell if the torsion's are jacked way up no.1 No.2, in the back are a pair of 10K? helpers that I have absolutely no interest in what so EVER.  I just want to calm this beeatch down .....it hobby horses ALOT. Go....

On Keith's recomendation I put Foxs on my RAM 3500.  I don't work for a Fox retailer so they were stupid expensive but worth every penny.  I saved a little coin by only putting the remote resovoir units on the rear.

In reply to 759NRNG :

Are the big yellow foam bump stops still there on the front? They often fall apart with age, and they are designed to be a normal operating part of the suspension. Stock ride height is somewhere between the bump stops just kissing the control arm and 1/8" clearance between the control arm and the bump stop. If you've got more than that, the bars have been cranked.

Yo ghE30 thanks for the info will go check.

gearheadE30 said:

In reply to 759NRNG :

Are the big yellow foam bump stops still there on the front? They often fall apart with age, and they are designed to be a normal operating part of the suspension. Stock ride height is somewhere between the bump stops just kissing the control arm and 1/8" clearance between the control arm and the bump stop. If you've got more than that, the bars have been cranked.

Do they be kissing the upper or lower CA?

Keith Tanner said:

Barring that, I'd check for Koni before I paid for Bilsteins.

$70 vs $84 at Tire Rack, so not a huge difference.

I had Bilstein 4600s on my previous truck, they worked well.

In reply to 759NRNG :

Lower CA. If it's the same as my burb, there's a big yellow half-cylinder bump stop that contacts the upper surface of the rear leg of the lower A arm. That's the one I'm talking about. The upper arm has a droop stop on it that at least on mine is metal on metal, no rubber buffer. There's no compression stop on my upper arm, and there should be a fairly significant amount of clearance between the upper arm and that droop stop. If I remember, I'll grab some pics after work.

If you go bilstein, pony up for the 5100s. When I manned the commercial desk at O'Reilly I had several fleet accounts that went through the ranchos and regular bilsteins before finding the 5100s and never going back.

In reply to gearheadE30 :

I got nuttin' both sides .....think that might affect my ride ???

In reply to 759NRNG :

you have....nothing? lol yep, just might help a little bit!

Here's mine, it's actually sitting a little lower than I remember setting it for some reason. It's gooey because woolwax.

Droop stop (shock bumper is floating on the shaft so I can see how much travel I've used):

Bump stop:

Another benefit of the reservoir shocks - the suburbans at least are extremely droop limited in the rear. Stock unloaded ride height only has another two inches, tops, of droop travel. The Foxes added something like 3 additional inches of droop travel which made a huge traction and unloaded ride quality difference - might matter to you since you're 2wd, but I'm not sure if the pickups have the same problem.

also, can't turn down an opportunity to post a pic of my truck lol.

The yellow Bstop is resting on top of the lwr CA.....correct? This is sitting level in the driveway?

In reply to 759NRNG :

Yep, that is correct, resting on the top of the lower control arm. It's pretty close to level in the driveway, unloaded with a full tank of gas. 

Will be making repairs in the next two weeks stay tuned...... thanks for y'alls input.....

Better than that headed to the Doctor on Tuesday of next week....wanted to twist my own, but sometimes those that can should.....late 

The transformation is AMAZING!!!!!....this beast now rides almost as well as the CTS-V......shocks are KYB and it wasn't cheap......$$$$ well spent.