Shocks for an explorer

[ford46guy]

You can find a million opinions on this, any since opinions stink they are all like, well, you know..
But I'll take some now.

I got a new poly front and rear sway bar kit for my explorer, and it is very worth it. Lots of roll is gone.

Now I want to upgrade shocks. Currently have sensatracs, they are 10 years old with about 30K on them, I can feel they are getting old.

For the rear I'm getting the Monroe load leveler/ helper, to fix a small lean issue. It is basically a ST shock with a weak spring.

For the Front I'm thinking either monomax or rancho 5000. Monomax has really excellent reviews, but with Rancho I would get a few bucks back for Shocktober (not much, after my advance discounts the load levelers will be 60 bucks). I worry rancho is an off road shock and will be very stiff.

 

[DemoFly]

Bilsteins.

 

[ford46guy]

Would love that, but they would cost more than the truck is worth, even though its in pretty decent shape

 

[DemoFly]

$140?

 

[tenderloin]

On my work 05-08 Explorers, several over 200,00 miles I have had excellent results with Gabriel Ultra'S. Firm, stable ride but not harsh...and they have lasted. I have heard their new MaxControl shock has slightly better ride without being soft or bouncy

 

[FlyNavyP3]

+1 for the MonoMax I have them on my 1976 K10 and love them, I have the Gas A Just on my 4Runner and I also really like them too. 4Runner now has about 50k on the Gas A Just, all are still bone dry and function flawlessly.

 

[KingCake]

Originally Posted By: FlyNavyP3
+1 for the MonoMax I have them on my 1976 K10 and love them, I have the Gas A Just on my 4Runner and I also really like them too. 4Runner now has about 50k on the Gas A Just, all are still bone dry and function flawlessly.


This. I would def go monotube KYB for best performance/price. Probably gas a just. Monomax might be overkill for that size truck. I put gas a justs on a Tacoma 4wd and it rides great.

 

[CKN]

As stiff as Monomax are if that's what your thinking about go for it.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Bilstein HD is the best. $319 for the set on shox.com

Nothing wrong with KYB MonoMax, either. Gabriel Max Control, Monroe Reflex, Rancho, or KYB's Gas-a-just. Tokico Trekmaster should serve you well, too.

But my suggestion would be Gabriel Max Control or Monroe Reflex. Gabriel is also doing a rebate promo for September-October.

Gabriel makes a load assist spring equivalent to Monroe's version that you want for the rear.

 

[ejes]

Gabriel Max Control monotube to stay in your price range and get the best bang for your buck with the rebate right now.

 

[ford46guy]

Thanks all for the Advice.



Here are the issues:
1) I want the coilovers in the back to fix about 3/4-1" sag (3/4" is actually passable per the manual, but it is a bit more). So there is Monroe and Gabriel. I don't think any ordinary shock will fix that, and I don't want to mess with new leafs. I never saw more satisfaction about a product in product reviews and forums (Monroe Coilover). I actually have one in front of me now, the spring can be compressed a good bit by hand. The Gabriel one has much lower carrying capacity, sometimes I use the SUV to haul things. But I will look into it again. Anyone have experience with one vs the other?

2) I recently changed torsion bars in the front because one broke. I moved to an A bar from the B (A is supposed to be stiffer, but being a used bar it is maybe the same or even a bit softer than a B). I notice a bit more brake dive, but it may have been there before. There are three levels of bars currently available, the remaining bar is very soft and used on the lighter rangers. The ST shocks didn't have a lot of brake dive when new, but I didn't really check until now.

3) I want to minimize roll, which is not fun on these trucks, even if I get more truck like ride, and I made progress with the new sway bushings. The coilovers in the rear should help, after all they keep the truck level with 1200 lbs!

So for the front I'm looking at Bilstien(which seems less expensive than what I saw in the past), Gabriel Mono, and MonoMax. Have to make a decision between those.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: DemoFly
Bilsteins.


On my '95 Explorer, the Bilsteins were way too harsh. I hated them. I took them off after only 10,000 miles.

I've currently got Bilsteins on the V70 and they're perfect, but on that Explorer?

Ugh...

 

[ford46guy]

Yes, a shop owner here actually has a 96 explorer, and he said he gave his Bilstiens to a customer, it rode like there were washboards on the tires. The customer used it for offroad. They are really an offroad shock for the Explorer.

That is why I hesitated, also the cost. He suggested Monomax at the expense of some harshness(but much less than Bilstien) for minimum sway or possibly Gas-A-Just. Again his opinion and what he puts on customers cars.

Also front Reflex is kinda discontinued for these Explorers, there may be some new old stock around. Rockauto has one. These shocks fit Explorers to 01, Sport tracs to 05 and Rangers up to 2011, so it isn't like a rare application.

I have Gas-A-Just on the MGM, they give a very nice ride but it is sprung very differently from the explorer. It is a bit hard with big potholes though.

 

[MNgopher]

Had a set of the Reflex shocks on my old '97 Explorer and liked them, but as stated, they appear to have been discontinued (the fronts had been discontinued before I sold mine).

I'd also recommend just biting the bullet and replacing the leafs to get rid of the sag. My '97 was starting to suffer from that (as well as the lean). The coilover just seems like a bandaid, and I don't like the idea of using what isn't really supposed to be a load bearing feature to do so... My 2 cents anyways...

 

[slacktide_bitog]

If Reflex shocks for your Explorer have been discontinued, get them from Rock Auto while you still can

 

[artificialist]

Does Sachs make shocks for your truck? For some cars and trucks they make an upgrade shock absorber that is more expensive than Monroe but less expensive than Bilstein.

 

[Excel]

+1 for the KYB MonoMax

 

[SteveSRT8]

If Gabriel makes an Ultra shock for your model I would Highly recommend them. They work great here, from a 9000+ pound work van all the way to my daughter's Mazda/Ranger. Nice ride, good warranty, and really good prices.

I have broken 2 KYB's and got denied warranty both times. No more here...

 

[ford46guy]

I agree about changing the leafs, I may swap sides, but being a 96 things like that are getting hard to justify, even though the interior looks new! 95-96 V6 Explorers are probably some of the longest lasting and most reliable, but that is another debate. After that I would only consider V8s. The 5 spd 97+ is a 4 spd but has double wear on the clutches to make 5 speeds. The 97+ V6 SOHC has a timing chain problem - not if but when.



Do you realize EVERY explorer Limited came with air helper springs which are also an aftermarket alternative ( and which are definitely weight bearing, some cars have bags on 4 corners like the conti), and the mounting hardware is identical. For daily driving those springs will cause no harm. Shocks actually create very high sudden forces when they damp. They operate on an acceleration principle and acceleration is directly proportional to force by a factor of mass.

 

[ejes]

I suggested the Gabriel Max Controls earlier in the thread and thought I would quantify that a little more. They are considered a poor man's Bilstein by some. I just put some on my '04 Ram because the original Mopar's were causing a lot of body roll and the rear tire's were breaking loose a lot on turns. When I got the Mopar's off, they were definitely shot at 78k and 12 years. I had recently put some Gabriel Ultras on my daughter's 07 Rav4 and was impressed by them for the price, so I took another chance on Gabriel. I had been considering the Bilsteins because I wanted a monotube, but saw folks basically loved them for off-road, but those that didn't do much OR felt they were too harsh. I don't off-road but I do drive a lot of dirt roads with rocks and wash-boards. So far I'm very pleased with them. They are great for the dirt roads and rocks and ruts, but pretty compliant on the highway. A little stiff at times, like at railroad crossings, but they've already smoothed out in that area quite a bit. They have definitely cleaned up the roll and slippage I was experiencing. I just thought I'd add a little more info on them over my original post in case this sounds like the kind of driving and results you might be looking for.