Shock recommendation

[Tempest]

99 Ford Ranger 4.0 2WD Currently has the OEM shocks, and all stock. Mostly road/highway, but may be seeing some gravel/dirt roads as well.

Looking for a smooth ride, but a little stiffer than stock which has always been soft. The truck likes to lean a little so any help there would be good.

I've heard good things about Bilstein, KYB Gr-2, and Rancho's but looking for first had opinions. The KYB's are about half the price, so they are tempting, but I'm worried about the quality.

Thanks.

 

[Greaser]

I have the KYB mono-max shocks installed in the front of my Jeep Cherokee and like them.I installed the Monroe Max-Air shocks/Airlift compressor out back and find this set-up suits my needs perfect.

 

[01rangerxl]

I do not think that Rancho makes a shock that fits your truck, so that eliminates them.

I personally would go with the Bilsteins. You really can't go wrong with them.

Shocks will not fix the leaning though. Almost all Rangers tend to do that.

 

[porcupine73]

I've heard good things about Bilstein. Running KYB GR-2's on Subaru Outback right now, very pleased. Got them from vendor jdmwerks on eBay. A little stiffer than stock but handles better. Would have run Bilstein but they don't make many struts for Subaru's.

 

[Brogy]

KYBS are on my sisters car and my old car, they were very smooth riding, the cars didnt dive when breaking, and held the road perfectly.

 

[ediamiam]

I have KYBs on my Nissan Frontier which firmed up the ride noticeably. Also added a rear sway bar from wwws.suspensionconnection.com which helped a lot on cornering, swaying. Big improvement under windy conditions.

 

[Donald]

Call the Shock Shack and see what they can do. I just got some Gabriels for my Suburban from them, but they have all the major manufacturers.

 

[NYEngineer]

I like Edelbrock IAS on my Yukon.

 

[Volvohead]

I've had most over the years.

Today, Bilsteins would be my first choice if you can afford them and they are available for your vehicle. KYBs will ride almost as well as Bilsteins in most apps, but just not as long.

Konis are also top-notch, but are generally more high performance orientated and are priced accordingly. Not sure if they're a good match for a light truck.

KYBs are the value pick if on a tight budget.

I am not a big fan of the "G" and "M" brands, but I'm sure they have their boosters.

 

[lobo11]

I have the KYB monomax shocks on my Dakota, and I really like them, firmed up stock ride and decreased the roll and nosing during braking some. Great shock for the price in my opinion. I would go with the monomax, not the GR-2s, they are more stock than upgrade for a truck at least--my opinion only.

 

[porcupine73]

That's true. I forget KYB has other model shocks/struts too. The only ones for my make were GR-2 or for some years AGX.

 

[JHZR2]

bilstein... sometimes you can get their so-called touring model, which is a bit softer.

We have had good luck with KYB gas-a-just models in our japanese cars.

JMH

 

[harry j]

KYB GR2 shocks, less than $50 at Summit Racing.

 

[mjfx]

I think Bilsteins would be overkill for this app.

 

[G-MAN]

I've got KYB gas-a-just (the high pressure monotube shocks) on the rear of my Olds van and the GR2s on the front. This was the setup recommended by KYB. Ride and handling are much better than it ever was with the stock shocks.

 

[another Todd]

Bilsteins are great shocks for sure, I have them on my motorhome but like said before---may be overkill. I am very happy with the "Reflex" shocks I put on several of my vehicles including my silverado. I forget if the are Monroe or Gabriel, but they have been great.

 

[Tempest]

I just thought that I would update and say that I went with the KYB GR-2's on all 4 corners and am very happy with the results. Firmed up the ride a little, but is still not harsh. And the truck seems to handle very much better as well. I highly recommend them for a good "on road" shock.

Fairly cheap, too. All 4 for $114 shipped to my door.