so im pretty sure im due for shocks lol i got 135k on the stockers. i got a 03 4.7l 4x4 and for the last couple days ive been looking up shocks and what i have heard monroe and bilstein seem like the better two choices. bilstein only offers like 2 kinds of shocks for my truck. monroe offers like 4 for the front and 5 for the rear and i have no idea what would be the best for my truck. very very little off road use mostly 50/50 city highway so any imput would be appreciated

thanks in advance

 

4x2 or 4x4, what do you use your truck for? You buy shocks depending on how you use your truck. Bilsteins are generally a very good shock, some Monroes are very good, some are so-so. Monroe is owned by Tenneco who also makes Rancho shocks and a variety of other shocks sold by various companies.

 

I put Monroe Reflex on mine back in April (got the rebate check yesterday ). They improved the ride and handling more that I expected. When I pulled the OEMs at 111K, they were worse than I thought. I could expand and compress them by hand.

 

I use the Bilsteins myself. They have a better gas charge and help keep the tires planted to the ground much better than the stock shocks. Firmed up the ride a little too. I am quite satisfied with them.

 

you should be able to expand and compress them by had. when they just drop to the bottom of the shock after you expand them you know there shot.

also i would go with the Bilsteins there deffently a better quality shock. im personally runnin ranchos. but i know a lot of the dodge guys hat them. which is all good in my book. because i like to be able to catch some air and know that **** aint going to brake. lol and i got lot of rough road i travel every single day so i know they will last and do there job. but its all what you looking for. if you wanna save a buck go with monroes. if not go with the bilsteins or with a rancho or skyjacker. there are all sorts of factors to look at.

 

I ran the Rancho RS5000s on my 2nd Gen and have the RS9000s on my 3rd Gen and have no complaints.

Bilsteins are a very good shock, and have a very solid reputation but I won't use them. I had a set on a truck I had in the mid '90s and blew a shock off-road. I made the mistake of telling the dealer I was hog-hunting (didn't think it was a big deal) he called Bilstein about getting a replacement under warranty and they told him (and me when I got on the phone) that they DID NOT warranty their shock for off-road use!

This was a shock marketed as such, and had like 3000 miles on it! Not crazy off-roading either. Pissed me off royally and I personally won't have another set. Pulled the other three off and they went in the dumpster. Got my local Advance to order me a set of Rancho RS5000s and that was that...

 

I personally think Skyjackers ride to rough. The monroe Reflex we put on my sons 2500 are sweet riding, made it a completly differant driving truck..

 

The Skyjackers (if a generic white body with Skyjacker sticker) is a Tenneco shock, same company that owns Monroe. They make a hydrogen shock for them and a nitrogen shock. Nitrogen has a density of .078 lbs/cubic ft. while Hydrogen has a density of .0056 lbs./cubic ft. With Nitrogen being about 14x more dense it should and will be a much stiffer shock, generally used for heavy trucks or primarily off road uses. My guess is he bought the Nitro Skyjackers, had he bought the Hydrogen ones, his ride would have been very similar to the Reflex shocks... Sorry, I was a science major in college, LOL...

 

so im leaning toward the ranchos i just now have to find a good price. i saw they have a set that you can adjust electronically lol now i just have to justify to myself that i need them and they are worth it lol

 

Yeah, they make that system for my RS9000s, I didn't mess with it. My shocks are adjustable from 0-9 for firmness and I stuck the ***** on 6 when I installed them in '05. Ain't touched one since and I wouldn't be surprised if the ***** are stuck where they are at now, LOL...