Options for loaded struts 2015 Ford Expedition

[oilboy123]

My daughter has an Expedition 2 wheel drive that needs front struts. The shop they use does only loaded struts. I am trying to find something better than what is available on Rock Auto.
RA only shows less than top tier ones, KYB maybe being the best? Are there any other options?

Thanks

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Kyb is a good brand. Monroe aren't worth your time.

 

[Lubener]

My daughter has an Expedition 2 wheel drive that needs front struts. The shop they use does only loaded struts. I am trying to find something better than what is available on Rock Auto.
RA only shows less than top tier ones, KYB maybe being the best? Are there any other options?

Thanks

Go to your dealer and buy OEM units. If your springs aren't badly rusted or weak, I would just get struts and reuse the original springs.

 

[Cujet]

Ford uses some excellent shocks. I'd not stray too far from the OEM units.

 

[D60]

I really don't want to derail, but any shop that refuses to compress springs screams hack. Are they near any BITOGers who could help? Any true shop has a real spring compressor.

Anyway, KYB is "ok." They're still riding on a reputation of ~15-20 years ago. But I'd take them over Monroe.

I hope they find something. Let us know what you choose. I also hope they find a better shop in the future.....

 

[Trav]

Look at the Bilstein B8 5100 Monotube and use the old springs if they are not showing any sign of rust or sagging, use OE mounts.

 

[barkingspider]

If it’s stock ride height, i would go w Bilstien 4600, perfect for a large suv. If lifted, then go w what Trav said

 

[meep]

my opinion, having had both - bilstein 4600 is better than 5100 for a non-lifted vehicle that needs to both handle and have some luxury compliance. A 5100 in a non-lifted vehicle are weird. They say they work, and they do, but they lack rebound damping and will start floating high or porpoising over rough stuff when they age, and the bottom travel has some sort of groove or something where the shock tightens and feels like youre on a bump stop as you feel the change. This would be ok on a 2” lift but not stock.

Rear shocks on a ford truck platform are reasonably easy to do as long as you can squeeze them into place (2” performance shocks have a lot of pressure!). Fronts require much more effort. In my limited experience, the front shocks on my 18F150 were far more durable and lasting than the rears, which did nothing by 18k miles (was towing a travel trailer a lot back then).

 

[oilboy123]

So nobody knows if there are any other loaded struts.......? I have some quality struts I'm going to replace on my truck while using the stock springs. I'm going to do a curb height check before to make sure the springs are in the ball park, and not sagging.

Yes it is cheesy they won't install struts unless loaded. When I put a serpentine belt on the Expedition I told my daughter the waterpump needed replacement. It had a fair amount of play on it and I believe was an original pump. The shop said they did not know why they were replacing it. They said it seemed OK. My daughter's boyfriend said it seemed OK as well.

When I saw the loose pump I could get it to show play. But I brought a bolt to put on the pump to show the play better. Looked bad to me With well over 100,000 miles it was not a bad idea to replace just on age/miles. So I was not happy with the shop second guessing me on that.

My daughters boyfriend thinks they are a legit shop because they can pull the truck cab off a frame of a Super Duty with a lift............ OK
They like the shop anyway.

 

[D60]

5100s are great in my stock '11 F350 4x4 CCLB. But in a stock half ton....I dunno.

If they like the shop so much, get them to pin them down on warranty. Put in whatever the shop recos if they'll stand behind it. Of course most likely even if the shop warranties the parts they likely won't comp labor.

A shop that lazy will probably use Monroe, MasterPro or Duralast -- whoever can bring it that day.

 

[Trav]

my opinion, having had both - bilstein 4600 is better than 5100 for a non-lifted vehicle that needs to both handle and have some luxury compliance. A 5100 in a non-lifted vehicle are weird. They say they work, and they do, but they lack rebound damping and will start floating high or porpoising over rough stuff when they age, and the bottom travel has some sort of groove or something where the shock tightens and feels like youre on a bump stop as you feel the change. This would be ok on a 2” lift but not stock.

Rear shocks on a ford truck platform are reasonably easy to do as long as you can squeeze them into place (2” performance shocks have a lot of pressure!). Fronts require much more effort. In my limited experience, the front shocks on my 18F150 were far more durable and lasting than the rears, which did nothing by 18k miles (was towing a travel trailer a lot back then).

The B6 4600 is AFAIK also a Monotube the main difference between them is the 5100 has an adjustable spring base that can be used to level the truck out. The B4 is a twin tube and will have a different ride characteristics from the Monotube. Both the 4600 and the 5100 with work well in this vehicle with no real noticeable difference in ride.

 

[meep]

The B6 4600 is AFAIK also a Monotube the main difference between them is the 5100 has an adjustable spring base that can be used to level the truck out. The B4 is a twin tube and will have a different ride characteristics from the Monotube. Both the 4600 and the 5100 with work well in this vehicle with no real noticeable difference in ride.

All true.

I wrote bilstein a decade+ ago when comparing shocks and actually and eventually received a technical response, which says a lot. They gave me the compression and rebound damping rates specifically for then vehicle I was looking at buying them for. Despite general agreement across the internet that they were the same shock, they definitely were not when the numbers came in. They were similar in compression, but the 5100 had less rebound by a good margin, perhaps about 1/3 less than the 4600.

As my 5100s wore down, rebound became absent, so it would “pop up” in the air over every bump and then settle downward. On messy terrain, it gave the sensation of floating up or pogo-ing.

The second thing I found when playing with a set by hand, is that as you compress a 5100 by hand, it hits a transition about 2” off the bottom that then makes it far harder to compress. It’s like theres a longitudinal notch or bypass for the top 2/3 of the shock that is absent for the bottom 1/3. It probably functions as a hydraulic bump stop, but in a non-lifted application it hits too soon and makes it feel like you’re bottoming out. Add that to the pogo effect and it’s a poor rough road experience at stock ride height.

 

[bdcardinal]

Go to your dealer and buy OEM units. If your springs aren't badly rusted or weak, I would just get struts and reuse the original springs.

Ford doesn't have loaded struts for this application, they have been discontinuing a lot of them due to lack of sales.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

The best quick struts on Rock Auto seem to be the KYB Gas-A-Just Truck Plus for the front (the one in the purple section) and regular KYB quick struts for the rear. If you're willing to not use quick struts and actually do the springs, they have OEM Motorcraft struts as well as Bilstein and KYB Gas-A-Just. Pair them with OEM mounts.

Wow what kind of actual shop only does quick struts?
Yeah, quick struts are awesome because you don't need to mess with those scary springs, but an actual shop that does this stuff professionally should have a compressor and be willing to do them

Eventually they will encounter a car that they don't make quick struts for, then what happens?

 

[D60]

The best quick struts on Rock Auto seem to be the KYB Gas-A-Just Truck Plus for the front (the one in the purple section) and regular KYB quick struts for the rear. If you're willing to not use quick struts and actually do the springs, they have OEM Motorcraft struts as well as Bilstein and KYB Gas-A-Just. Pair them with OEM mounts.

Wow what kind of actual shop only does quick struts?
Yeah, quick struts are awesome because you don't need to mess with those scary springs, but an actual shop that does this stuff professionally should have a compressor and be willing to do them

Eventually they will encounter a car that they don't make quick struts for, then what happens?

Allegedly the shop does cab-off truck work, but refuses to use a Branick or StrutTamer. Obviously they're making a choice, but it seems like an odd one.

I would be thrilled if I ever had a customer beg me for quality struts with springs swapped. Then I don't have to worry about my reputation and failed parts.

For non-steering and/or "coilover" applications, I don't always worry about mounts. There's no bearing to fail and things don't rust here. That said, it's best to have them on hand once you're in that deep.

 

[ElectroMechanoMan]

So nobody knows if there are any other loaded struts.......? I have some quality struts I'm going to replace on my truck while using the stock springs. I'm going to do a curb height check before to make sure the springs are in the ball park, and not sagging.

Yes it is cheesy they won't install struts unless loaded. When I put a serpentine belt on the Expedition I told my daughter the waterpump needed replacement. It had a fair amount of play on it and I believe was an original pump. The shop said they did not know why they were replacing it. They said it seemed OK. My daughter's boyfriend said it seemed OK as well.

When I saw the loose pump I could get it to show play. But I brought a bolt to put on the pump to show the play better. Looked bad to me With well over 100,000 miles it was not a bad idea to replace just on age/miles. So I was not happy with the shop second guessing me on that.

My daughters boyfriend thinks they are a legit shop because they can pull the truck cab off a frame of a Super Duty with a lift............ OK
They like the shop anyway.

Removing bodies from any truck is pretty common these days. My son can remove a cab from a pickup in 1-2 hours. He says it’s not a bad job after you’ve done a few. It’s the easiest way to do engine work.

 

[crashz]

Its been a bit, but I used the loaded KYBs on my CRV with lousy results. The ride was awful, as if the springs weren't compressing at all. In fact the ride height was significantly higher.

 

[oilboy123]

I put some KYB struts/Moog springs on my 2005 Escape front end. I have not had a chance to drive it yet.

I was thinking the best loaded available at RA for the Expedition were the KYB Strut-plus, or KYB Truck-plus. But it would be nice to have a choice of loaded struts from Bilstein. For a 2015 Expedition you can get the Bilstein 5100 strus, not the 4600s.