So my 95k '04 Dakota Quad, no movement in suspension at all when I heave on the front bumper (doesn't seem right), rear has maybe a little too much bounce. Look like original shocks on there so I figure I need new ones.

Highway ride seems ok, but I need something to control rear end drift/skating on dirt washboard roads - it can get pretty bad.

Got lazy and called Les Scwab, they actually have KYBs but insisted I should get Mtn Ryder XT shocks, that the KYB monomax or RMX monotube would be "too much shock" for "such a light vehicle".

Assuming this advice is right I'm thinking of getting KYB GasAjust or Monroe Reflex and installing myself.

Thoughts?

 

I feel your pain. I am in the same boat myself. I have Monroe Reflex on my truck, it's a 2 wheel drive, I never tow anything and never go off road. The Reflex is a great shock, but my shocks are showing signs of wear now. They have nearly 80,000 miles on them and are almost 4 years old, having been subjected to long commutes and heavy traffic on roads that are not exactly the best in the world. My truck's ride quality has gone down a very noticeable amount here in the last few weeks. I can feel every bump in the road and the back end is pretty jittery now on bumps and un-smooth road surfaces.

My Reflex shocks have a lifetime warranty, both for wear and manufacturer defects. I bought them at Napa and still have the receipt. The good news is Napa will warranty them and I can get a set of new shocks for free. The bad news is Monroe no longer makes the Reflex for a 2 wheel drive Dakota. If Napa warranties them for me, they will give me a set of Sensa-Trac's. No thanks. I would appreciate the free shocks but I had Sensa Trac's before that were real mushy and worn out at 30,000 miles. I hated those Sensa-Tracs. Other people have posted that they like the Sensa-Trac a lot but I think they are really better suited for a car, not a pickup truck.

I have been shopping around and reading all the reviews I can find online. Everybody loves Bilstein. A lot of people love KYB's and Rancho's. Those are not in my budget. I have been considering Gabriel, they sell those at Autozone. I have two choices there: The top of the line Ultra for about $160.00 a set of four or I can get the middle quality Pro Guard for $100.00 for a set of four. In both cases I have a coupon I printed from the Pep Boys web site for $20.00 off a $100.00 purchase, and Autozone does accept competitors' coupons so I could spend $120.00 or $80.00, depending on which shock I buy. I can even get another $20.00 off the Ultra's, Gabriel has a $20.00 mail in rebate until Oct. 31, which would make the final price about $100.00. The rebate does not apply to Pro Guards though.

So I could spend a good chunk of change but still be getting a good price on Gabriels. I have also been looking at the Monroe Gas-Matic LT shocks today on the Advance web site. I could use one of their online discount codes and get a set of 4 Gas-Matics for about $60.00. There are a lot of good reviews on the Advance site and also on a few other sites, people seem to really like the Gas-Matics and say they have a good ride quality. All of them can't be lying.

I don't know which way to go on this either. I read every single shock thread I could find here and still don't know which would be best. Does anyone here have any experience with the Gabriels or the Gas-Matics?

Jimmy

 

Well I decided..I am going with the Monroe Gas-Matic LT shocks from Advance. There are just too many good reviews out there online from other Dakota owners and owners of similar sized trucks. I can get the whole set for $60.00 after using one of the Advance online discount codes, buying online and picking them up at the local Advance store. Their discount codes have saved me a lot of money over the last few years. I will know soon enough if they are junk or don't work out and I can get a refund or store credit.

I know there are much "better" and more expensive shocks out there but I can not see spending $150.00 or more for shocks when so many people say these Gas-Matics have worked out just fine on their trucks. They are said to be better than OE ride quality, and OE was fine for me until my OE shocks bit the dust, so it may make good sense to try the less expensive shocks first. I don't go off road, don't tow anything and I drive sensibly. I just need a nice smooth normal quality ride. Monroe has been around a very long time and I don't see how they would risk their good name by putting out a bad product. Monroe shocks are made here at home in the USA too, which is very important to me.

I will try to post up a review after I run these Gas-Matics for a while.

Jimmy

 

www.shockwarehouse - Monroe Reflex (4) $134 with "SHOCKtober" rebate - free shipping

I had the KYB GasAdjust on my old '87 Toy van and they sold me completely the wrong shock for the front, real, real bouncy. So I don't have a good feel for the KYBs - I don't know what they're like if you have the correct shock.

 

Well here is my update if anyone is interested. Last night I picked up my new Monroe Gas-Matic LT shocks, these are the yellow ones at Advance. I put them on earlier today, it was super easy to do. At first I was worried I had made a mistake because the Gas-Matics are smaller in diameter than the Reflex shocks I had. As it turns out I had nothing to worry about. I went on a test drive on some real bumpy roads around here and my truck handled the bumps 1000 times better than it did on my worn-but-not-yet-worn-out Reflex shocks. The ride quality is firm and stiff, and I hardly even felt any of the bumps and rough road surfaces. The ride is nice and firm on smooth roads too, which is exactly what I wanted. It no longer feels like the bed is hopping when I go over bumps either.

To sum it all up, the Monroe Gas-Matics are an excellent quality shock for everyday normal street use. I have no idea how they would do in towing, heavy hauling or off-road. I don't plan on doing any of that. My truck now rides better than new. I am very glad I tried these Gas-Matics first, and hopefully they will last a very long time. I saved $40.00 on them too. I had to do two separate transactions and use a discount code for $20.00 off of a $50.00 purchase on each transaction. The regular price for each shock was $24.95. Each pair of shocks came to $49.96. I added a $1.50 roll of duct tape to each transaction to get the price over $50.00 so I could get the discounts. It's not like I won't use the duct tape sooner or later. And the icing on the cake is there is a rebate from Monroe now, when you buy 4 new shocks, you get a rebate for the price of one. If they send me a rebate for the regular price of one shock, that means I got 4 new great quality shocks for $35.00. That is one sweet deal. Plus these Gas-Matics are made here in the USA at the Monroe factory in Arkansas. That is real important to me. I try my best to buy American whenever I can.

Jimmy

 

Well here is one last edit on this shock thread..I put maybe 40 miles on those Gas Matic shocks and hated them. At first I thought the firm ride quality was good but they turned out to be too firm. Harsh is a better description. They rode like a brick. I knew I was not going to like them or keep them, so I did even more research on Monroe shocks.

To make a long story a little longer, way back in 2006 at about 60,000 miles I replaced my factory shocks with a set of Monroe Sensa Trac shocks. I like a nice firm yet responsive "new truck" ride quality and the Sensa Tracs were OK until I put 30,000 miles on them and then they got way too soft. They were real mushy and I did not like the ride quality at all. I bought a set of Monroe Reflex shocks at Napa and they really rode great, I liked those a lot. In the last month or so I noticed my truck's ride quality had gotten pretty bad. It was real bumpy and kind of "floaty". The Reflex shocks had about 60,000 miles and I wanted another set. Monroe no longer makes the Reflex shock for my 2 wheel drive Dakota. I looked around, no one has them. I even called Monroe and asked if they had any New Old Stock Reflex for my truck, they said no, the Reflex had been replaced with the upgraded Sensa Trac. The Sensa Trac for my Dakota was redesigned in 2011. They now have a bigger piston rod and a larger shock body that holds more oil and I guess it has a bigger gas charge in it too. The new Sensa Trac is much better than the old design.

Monroe shocks have a lifetime warranty, and it also covers wear and tear, not just factory defects or physically broken shocks. So I called my local Napa and talked to a woman there who I believe is the manager. She may even be the store owner. She was great and did a warranty exchange on the Reflex shocks for a brand new set of Sensa Tracs. So I picked them up yesterday after work and I installed them on my truck today after work. There is a night and day difference in ride quality between the Gas Matics and the new Sensa Tracs. The Sensa Trac is firm and smooth on flat smooth roads and it is also firm on bumpy and rough road surfaces too. The shock senses changes in the road and adjusts to the way you drive. They give a nice firm new truck ride but they also toughen up when needed. The Reflex shock worked the same way.

The new Sensa Track is also a lot heavier than the Gas Matic. It is clearly the better choice. I am very glad Napa did the warranty exchange and I am glad that Monroe has a no-hassle lifetime warranty and they stand behind their products. It is not every day someone just hands you $200.00 worth of new parts for free. I appreciate that a lot.

Tonight I stopped by Advance and got a refund on the Gas Matics. They were great too, there was no problem or questions asked about the refund. I believe I am done messing around with shocks now. If anyone needs a good shock for normal street use, maybe check out the new Sensa Tracs. The ride quality and handling are great, they have a lifetime warranty and right now there is a rebate for the price of one shock when you buy a set of four. Add that to one of the Advance discount codes and that is a great price on new shocks.

Jimmy

 

Jimmy,

thanks for the detailed review of just about all the Monroe shocks! It makes sense that the Sensatrak and Reflex would ride nicer than the less expensive ones.

I was planning on getting the Reflex but after reading your post I'm wondering whether I should get the Sensatrak, haven't checked if they're available for the 4WD.

I want a nice ride on the highway but also the best response to washboard on dirt roads, as mentioned earlier I currently get alot of wheel hop in the rear end on the severe washboard. You have had them both which would you pick?

Al

 

Yes they make a Sensa Trac for a 4WD Dakota. Part #37220 for the front and #37140 for the rear, $44.00 each on the Advance web site. I have no idea how they would do off-road though. I have never taken my truck off road, it is only a 2WD so I don't know much about it. I am sorry to say I have not driven my truck on many dirt roads either. Sensa Trac is a good shock though, I like the way they ride a lot better than the yellow Monroe shocks, that is for sure. They also sell the Rancho shocks at Advance, those might be better for off-road. They look to be a lot more heavy duty. Rancho is a Monroe shock too, so it qualifies for the rebate.

The Reflex is a great shock. If they still made it for my truck I would have tried to get a warranty exchange for another set of Reflex shocks. Those were the best ones of the Monroe shocks I have used. I think Monroe still makes the Reflex for a 4WD Dakota. According to the Advance web site they still carry the Reflex shock for a 4WD Dakota, $53.00 each. I belive it is still listed on the Monroe web site too. If you have an Advance or another parts store locally that has them in stock, Reflex is absolutely the one I would recommend. I know there are some guys here on DF that have Reflex on 4WD Dakota's and they do a good job.

If you buy from Advance you can go on www.retailmenot.com and search for Advance Auto Parts and it wil give you the most current list of online discount codes to save some cash plus you still get the rebate too. It's a good deal.

Jimmy