I got Mopar ones, they were new in 1999 lol they will be replaced here shortly, probably with sensa-trac, cause thats what napa carries

KYB is a good shock, well made, an upgrade from OEM in all the vehicles I've used them on. I've used them on other trucks but not the Ram (Mopar in there now). KYB is a Japanese company, and their factory is there.

Shocks are pretty vehicle-specific so they may or may not work best versus another premium shock but I'd expect them to be at least decent.

Don't get the kyb's unless you don't do much towing or driving down rough roads. I put 4 kyb gr2s on my truck less than a year ago and they are pretty much gone. Great for a street truck though made it handle like a champ.

I just replaced all four shocks last night and I wanted to share the whole experience since I know this is a sticky and even when I read it I felt there were unasked / unanswered questions.

First off though, this is all on my gifted 1998 Ram 1500 Club Cab Sport, 360, 4x4. (Mouthful) The truck has near 230K miles and the truck 'thumped' going over bumps and had some nasty bump-caused rattles that were so annoying that people walking on sidewalks would turn and look as I drove by to see what the commotion was.

Trying to find a balance between cost and quality, I bought a set of shocks from Rockauto.com and I got Monroe Sensa-Trac front and rear. Shipping was fast and I saved near $60 total over local store bought shocks of the same make and model.

BTW, the shocks come with straps keeping the shocks 'loaded' so don't cut the straps until after they are installed. It's much easier than fighting to compress them while you are getting them into position.

Also, I did all of this work with the truck on the ground. I did not jack it up. Granted, it's a 4x4 so I had extra ground clearance.

This whole process took me roughly (1) hour. My tools are organized and easy to get to so I didn't spend or waste time searching to tools.

I'll start with a few steps I had to take, and while these may or may not be mandatory, they helped me so I suggest considering them to make your job easier when you, (New Readers), tackle this job.

-Remove the duct that connects the air filter box to the fender.
-Using a 9/16" wrench or deep wall socket, remove the master cylinder nuts and get the master up a tad and a little out of the way. Don't kink the lines...you won't need much clearance.
-Remove the spare tire from under the rear of the truck.

Starting up front, I used a 13/16" long handled ratchet/extension/socket to remove the lower shock bolt at the front axle cradle. It has a trap lever nut on one side so it can't keep spinning. Pull the bolt out, and set the trap lever nut aside. You'll reuse these if they're in good shape.

Next, there are (3) nuts holding the shock tower to the frame. Use a Metric 15 wrench or deep wall socket and remove these three nuts to free the tower with the shock still in it. The passenger side tower comes out fairly easy by getting around the A/C line, and the driver's side will wiggle out from under the loosened master cylinder.

Once you have the shock / tower out of the truck, use a Metric 9 socket to hold the star tip of the shaft still while you use a Metric 18 wrench to remove the bushing retainer nut. It may be frozen so don't hesitate to use heat or penetrant to make this job easier.

You won't have to save any of the hardware or bushings since the new shocks come with new bushings, cup washers, and Nyloc nuts. All you're saving is the tower and you likely won't hurt it.

Once the tower is free set it aside. Grab the new front shock, and line it up by dropping it down in, and using a wood, rubber, or brass mallet, to tap it in to place in the cup on the axle. You may need to use a punch or a screw driver to get the holes lined up at the bottom. Once lined up slide the bolt through and get the trap lever nut started on the bolt. Remember, the bolt is a 13/16". Don't torque it yet.

Next, place a cup washer and bushing on the shaft from above, and slide the tower over the shaft. Next, pushing it down over the three studs on the frame, start and tighten the three nuts down, and make sure the shaft and bushing are centered in the tower opening at the top. You can torque them on this step.

Slide the second bushing and cup washer onto the shaft, and follow it with the Nyloc nut but don't torque it yet...just get it started. Crawl back under and torque the bottom bolt. Then, back up top, using a 3/8" wrench, hold the shaft still while you use a 3/4" wrench to turn the Nyloc nut until the bushing won't rotate between your two fingers.

Finally, use a pair of snips and cut the strap loop at the bottom and at the top and pull the strap out and discard by fishing it out through the openings in the coil spring.

That is the same process for both front shocks. Reinstall the master and nuts to hold it in place and reinstall the air duct.

The back is a little easier, with the spare tire removed, and there are no bushings or washers to deal with and the only tools you'll need are 13/16" wrenches, extensions, and sockets.

The upper bolts have the trap lever nuts so they won't spin and spin, and the lower bolts have a standard nut so you'll have to work both. I removed the bottom first, top second, and then pulled the shock down. Installation of the new shock is easy. Line up the top, slide the bolt through, and start the trap lever nut but don't torque it yet.

The lower bolt will require you to cut the strap. Put upward pressure on the shock though to slow it's extension so you can line it up with the lower holes and time it right so you stab the bolt through as it extends far enough to line up with the holes. It's not horribly hard to hold and slow it so don't panic if it gets too far to fast...you can compress it by hand to line it up.

Once the lower bolt is in and the nut is started, you can feel free to torque both upper and lower.

Before you reinstall the spare tire, inspect it for dry rot or cracks and check the tire pressure. Also, while under the back of the truck, it's a good idea to inspect the rear end for leaking, make sure the rear end vent tube cap is still free and clean, look over and inspect the any cables and hoses for binds or ruptures. Just preventative stuff.

Finally, put the spare back under the truck, toss out the old shocks and straps, put up your tools, and start cleaning up. I was FILTHY and sweaty when I finished and the Wife wouldn't get near me until I showered. LOL.

Closing notes. WELL worth the effort. My 230K mile shocks were still Chrysler stamped factory originals. They were certainly dead and starting to rust away. The road feel is much smoother, no more 'thumping' over bumps and no more rattling when driving up every crack in the road. Man oh man it feels and drives so much better.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me, I'll walk you through whatever issues you have.

Just replaced all the 12 year old shocks I had with Monroe Sensa-Tracs.
The ride is incredibly less bouncy and handles much better.
Got them from rockauto for pretty cheap (can't remember the price) used the discount code and there's also a $20 rebate that I'll see 2-3 months from now, lol.

i put Monroe gas magnum shock in my ram charger. picked up a couple of inches of lift over the dead factory shocks. mud flaps no longer hit curbs when i back into a parking spot. also rides a bit better.

What's the next step up from the Sensa-Trac? The fronts started thumping again about two weeks after I did the change. The rears are still fine...I just think some of the rough roads in my area may have killed the new shocks already. Just too many bumps and pot holes for a street shock.

Whatever the next step up is may be what I go with. I still don't think I need an adjustable or heavy duty off road shock...just something a bit more durable that the budget street friendly Sensa-Trac.

My 12 year old non-working shocks didn't thump... You must've not torqued the shock bolts correctly when you replaced them. The next step up from Monroe would probably be the heavy duty shocks (not load adjusting) however, they're yellow shocks. Or any shocks from Rancho, SkyJacker, Bilstein, etc. will give you good lasting quality over Monroe.

Might wanna pick up some of these for the rear anyways:

These didn't thump either for near two weeks. The old ones thumped and rattled. They were vintage 1998 shocks.

Not only did I torque them correctly when I installed them, but I double checked all the mounting hardware this weekend. The thumping was bothering me and I suspected shocks, so first thing I did before deciding to replace them was to check to make sure nothing was obviously wrong.

The mounting hardware, top and bottom, on both front shocks, is still torqued correctly.

I wasn't expecting a failure this fast, and I'd return them, except if I go to the trouble of removing them and replacing them with a warranty replacement of the same shock, I suspect I'll be doing it again way to fast. I'll eat the cost and feel better knowing a pair of heavier duty shocks replaced the these.

BTW, before someone suggests other suspension for the thumping, it's all been checked. A shop did an alignment and checked all the steering and suspension. Following that, another shop did an inspection, and again, checked all the steering and suspension. I have also checked, and found nothing loose. Besides, for two weeks following the change in shocks, I had a smooth and quiet ride. Not any more...I get a dull thud / thump when rolling over bumps.

I've got Edelbrock on the front and (I believe) Monroe on the rear.

The Edelbrocks are about 11 years old, look brand new and still work. My brother put them on when he owned the truck and I haven't found a reason to swap them out.