Shocks for 99 F150 XLT SC SB

I have had excellent results with Bilsteins. Used to use Monroe or Gabriel, but will stick with Bilsteins from now on. As for the shocks lasting 87k, I wouldn't be surprised if they were gone at 30k. OEM's just don't last and with the stiff springs, it is very difficult to tell they are bad without removing them.

My truck is a 99 F150 4x4 Supercab with the offroad package. I've got almost

Cheers, Lawrence

Change them. They will feel like a new vehicle. You just don't notice them going bad because it is gradual. As to a solid ride, yes it will still feel solid. Maybe a little more bounce than when new, especially with a load. Also maybe a bit more vibration if you hit something like a pot hole. I remember I replaced the rear shocks on my first pickup, thinking I would try air shocks. When I took of the OE, I could literally slide them in and out with no resistance. Shocks have gotten better since then, especially gas shocks, but I always change them out at 30k miles and always feel a big differences in the ride and how the truck corners.

So you didn't put air shocks on? What is the deal with gas shocks? I've been considering putting either air shocks or air levellers on. Had any experience with these?

Stephen N.

Thanks for the info. I'll put that on my list of truck stuff to do next month.

Cheers, Lawrence

The deal is thus, as the hydraulic oil in a shock is forced through the valveing that provides the dampening, it wants to foam, if it foams, the shock is just a useless piece hardware along for the ride. By pressurizing with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, we eliminate the foaming. The fine balance is in the amount of pressure, the more pressure the stiffer the ride, but the more stress it can handle, think baja racing.

shock mounts on 90 percent of vehicles are not designed to handle loads.

A shocks' main job is not to give a good ride, its main job is to keep the tire in contact with the road surface. A spring is just like a tuning fork, once "struck" it wants to keep oscillating, the shock absorber's job is to control the oscillations. In days of old they were called suspension dampers which is really an more apt description.

Whitelightning

That was a lot of years ago on my 78. I wouldn't do air shocks again. If I needed more height due to weight, I would use air bags. The shocks of yesteryear were oil charged. If you over worked them, the would foam inside and become almost useless. Gas charged shocks of today seem to do a better job and last longer than the old. I have noticed that when I change OE shocks at 30k now, that even though to me they are worn, they are better than the old type shocks at the same mileage. I may even go a little longer than 30k from now on, but the aftermarket shocks are so much better than OE, I may not.

If you see oil leaking down them they are shot. Otherwise, if you like the way it rides and such, why change them? I have changed shocks a couple of times and found that they were much stiffer than the originals and the ride suffered. If it ain't broke why fix it.

Do you think the softer ride might just possibly have been because the valving in the shocks were worn out Nah that couldn't happen.

Whitelightning

I'm most concerned about how the shocks perform on gravel forestry roads. I noticed that the truck was doing a lot more floating on washboard gravel stretches last time I was out on backroads. The shocks are supposed to be damping oscillations of the springs and keeping the tires on the ground and I had the feeling they weren't doing their job.

Stephen N.