That just made my christmas list. hahaha and it's realtree

 

I finally got the Sensa-Tracs installed last weekend and wanted to say thanks for the recommendation to those who helped (above).

I did the ball joints, tie-rod ends, Pitman and idler arms, and control arm bushings too, which took a lot longer than I expected due to the nuts and bolts being fossilized into place.

I ended up having to cut the shock piston rods off where they go through the top of the control arms with a Sawzall. The old shocks had a Chrysler logo on them, so I am guessing they were the original ones, at 190K miles

The Sensa-Tracs give a very nice ride and are not too soft/mushy. I would have rather erred on the side of too soft since I am just using the truck to drive around town but was still wondering about that since people mentioned they are softer. (I have a track car with Penske coil-overs and when I absolutely have to drive it on the street even the streetable settings are only marginal - still a risk of losing fillings and have to slalom around any pavement imperfections and I didn't want to go that route with the truck.)

These are actually respectably firm but not harsh. Since mine is a V6 truck, having less weight up front may contribute to that feeling. V8 trucks may end up feeling a bit softer?

All-in-all, I like them a lot. Thanks again for the recommendation!

 

I like my KYB's for the 2wd

 

Whatever's cheapest. Its not like you're racing on them. Just go with whatever is on sale. (Except Monroe, those POS leak and fail all over the place.)

 

Haha mine are still original at 251k. I'd take your stock shocks over mine. So are the bilsteins good shocks? I do some towing and usually put my 4wheeler in the bed whenever I don't have my trailer.

 

Sensa-Tracs are Monroe's.


Notanexit- I feel the Bilsteins are the best shock for the money when it comes to our generation of pickups, and they will last longer than pretty much any other shock out their for our trucks.

 

I used to race on bilsteins, but I wouldn't say they are the "best". Everyone has a different experience with shock absorbers based on their driving style. Unless you are using a rebuildable shock, they're all going to be the same. Just get whatever is cheapest.

 

I am not talking about racing on bilsteins, I am talking about driving everyday with bilsteins. And there is a huge difference between Bilsteins and Gabriels, Monroes, and other on sale shock absorbers at the parts stores. KYB is right up there with Bilstein, and so are the Edelbrock IAS performers, but the Eddies cost quite a bit more. I realize they aren't the "best" shock out there, but for a daily driver, on our generation dodge, you get more value with Bilsteins then you would any other shock based on their price, durability, and performance.

Now you get into long travel setups like you are used to, throw all this out the window. Not that bilstein doesn't make a very competitive off road shock.

 

I am talking about daily driver shock absorbers.. They're all the same. They all use a single tube, single valve oil design for the most part. They all cost about the same, what you're really paying for is a name and a color. Hell, Gabriel makes about half the shocks out there. Other companies just rebrand them.

 

Yes, they are based on the same single tube/ single valve oil concept, however I can assure you a little more R&D goes into Bilstein, Eddie, KYB, and Koni, even for our daily drivers. I have tried gabriel ultras, monroe gasmatics as well as sensatracs, and none of them come close to the Bilsteins. Your not just paying for a name. There is a reason the Chevy z71 and Ford Lightning came with Bilsteins from the factory.

With all that said, the Monroe and Gabriel rear load leveler shocks are well worth the money if you are in the towing business.