Had a qeustion about shocks. I have an 04 1500 it dosnt ride bad but i was
wandering if upgrading the shocks would would allow it to ride and handle even better
than it does now.

 

A good aftermarket shock should give you a better ride and a little better handling. Shock are really just a big piston with internal valving used to take the bounce out of a suspension. I would say a shock like rancho or edelbrock would be worth the money and set you on your way to a quality ride.

 

Yes that is the route ill probably take i figured a good after market shock
could only help. thanks for the info.

 

gabriel shocks arent bad either



moving this to 3rd gen. section, thats where this belongs

 

I'm ready for a change (a little tired of the back end having a mind of it's own over bumps). I haven't done it yet, but most of what I've seen on here likes Bilstien's about the best. Next seem to be the Rancho 9000's if you want adjustability and can afford them. Do a search on "shocks" and limit it to this forum and you'll get a bunch of info.

Good luck.

 

I agree about the back end having a mind of its own. There is an intersection that I go through every day and it feels like the back end is on a pogo stick, drives me crazy. One of these days I will get some new shocks, but until then I'm stuck with stock.

 

I put some Rancho 5000 series shocks on mine. They are Ranchos cheapest shock but what an improvment over the stock shock!

I had less than 1000 miles on the truck when I changed them out and once you have the stock shock in your hands you'll see why they suck! I'm pretty sure my 8 yr old daughter could push and pull them through the full travel with no problem at all much less a 5500lb truck pushing and pulling on them.

Well worth the investment!

 

Ride and handling are often mutually exclusive, depending on how each is defined. Better handling often entails stiffer ride, that translates to poorer ride for many--especially sedan owners. As for the Ram rear having a mind of its own, this is partly (only partly) a function of the live-rear axle and leaf spring arrangement, a carry over from buggies from at least the 19th century! Certainly, good shocks can help lessen this problem, but never really eliminate it.

I've swapped independent rears (typically early Jags) into cars with live-rears to deal with this very issue, when nothing else would suffice.

All said, I've had good experiences with Bilstein shocks on many vehicles, but bear in mind I'm a sports car person and am not used to the typical "sedan" ride. In fact, I abhor it.

All the best.