Twin Tube Shocks vs Monotube Shocks

[qdeezie]

I am looking to purchase a set of shocks to put on my truck. I am leaning heavily towards KYB GR-2 shocks, but have always been curious about monotube shocks.

The truck I'm looking to install them on is a 1990 F150 2WD.

It's used mostly for city and highway driving, so I don't want to feel every crease and bump on the highway. I want a comfortable ride and and good handling. There's none of the heavy duty off-road stuff going on.

Usually, the only "extreme" thing I do with my truck is tow a vehicle on a tow dolly or trailer about twice a year. Honestly, my truck rides comfortable now, but the shocks that are on it are the factory shocks and I am replacing them only because of the age of these parts.

Has anyone ever upgraded to Monotube shocks when they previously had stock twin tube shocks? Is it worth the extra $ to upgrade?

Any insight on monotubes would be beneficial.

 

[Boomer]

I've used Bilsteins on trucks. They will FIRM up the ride and they can go over rough terrain/roads and keep their ability to damp out spring motion as they don't overheat as fast. The nice thing to me is that they lasted forever, and can be mounted upside down if you want to reduce unsprung weight.

If you are fundamentally a hiway cruiser and like a comfy ride, they are probably overkill. I'd find a top drawer brand regular shock and use it.

 

[Brian Barnhart]

Monotube shocks have the potential to offer more damping for a given size, fade less under extremely harsh conditions (due to better cooling), weigh less, be smaller in size, and (potentially) cost less to manufacture. A twin tube shock can offer the same performance with a sacrifice in some of those areas and be more rugged at the same time.

For years most of the focus and development efforts have been directed toward on monotubes (because of the advantages). Unfortunately though "monotube" does describe a fundamental construction characteristic of the shock, "monotube" has really become more of a marketing term and does not necessarily indicate superior design or performance.

For most passenger car and light truck applications, a good twin tube (if available) is probably a better choice. But with all the emphasis on monotubes for so long, good twin tubes may be a thing of the past.

 

[SteveSRT8]

In our Silverados we routinely change the shocks out. If you have the factory upgraded ones you may want to check them carefully. Some are Bilsteins.

I like KYB. I've only had them on the rear but they are very firm and well controlled. Seemed like a good value as well.

My personal fav is Edelbrock, but they are very expensive.