New shocks transformed my truck

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Interesting, I just got a set of KYB rear shocks for the tracker, and they might need 30-40lbs of force to compress them. That's about the difference between an empty tank and full one in the tracker, which I can notice when driving, but never really looked at the ride height.


yep, and imagine all 4 of them lifting the car. Some softly sprung vehicles will show this if the shock has enough gas charge, especially lighter ones...

 

[19jacobob93]

They went on the Falcon which is neither small or light but they do have very soft springs
At least a few other people have noticed the same thing, doesn't make me sound quite as crazy!

 

[951Indy]

I must be an idiot.

 

[surfstar]

If I remember, I'll try to measure the rear height to the fender on my Vue before/after I change the shocks this weekend. ~125k on OEM stuff, only changing rear shocks for now (hoping front struts are still fine, as they haven't presented any issues). The monotube KYBs I'm putting in are definitely in the heavy-er duty side for this CUV application...

 

[Lakersguy]

I put Bilstein Heavy Duty's on my 07 Mark LT 4x4 at 50k miles and loved the stiffness when needed but the easy riding on the highway. Love them!

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Bilsteins are great but costly. OEM on my car and probably as good as it gets.

But we use Gabriel Ultra now exclusively on our fleet trucks.

Fabulous price, great ride, super guarantee....

The price of Bilstein parts depends on the car. For my mom's 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee I was able to get both front struts for about $220 online versus about $180 for Monroe or Gabriel. Now the rear suspension was a different story, Bilstein would have cost $160 for the pair versus $60 for Gabriel or $90 for Monroe Reflex.

The Bilstein struts were installed at the factory on the Grand Cherokee SRT-8, that is why they can be sold at a lower price. If a car doesn't have optional Bilstein parts from the factory, then Bilstein parts always cost waaaaay more.

 

[surfstar]

Installed the KYB gas-a-just rear shocks today on my Vue. They are spec'd for a 2005 Equinox, but these platforms share the same p/n for many other shocks. Actually they list 2008-2010 Vues, and 2005-2013 'Nox. I wanted a heavier duty monotube design as it only costs ~$35 more for the pair vs Monroe Reflex or GR2s etc. I've always seen mixed reviews with Monroe, so I opted to not try them.

Fit perfectly fine in this application.

After driving 50 miles, and checking, I'd say there is a 1/4-1/2" more gap between the fender and the rear tires. It seems noticeable visually as well. I imagine it will settle out over time.

Ride is nice. Nothing like a night and day difference, but definitely feels smoother and better controlled.

122k on the factory shocks and of course they could be moved easily by hand and would stay put with no rebound. New ones took a good effort to compress. I changed these directly due to having cupped rear tires on my last rotation, that had never been noticed prior.
Despite the nicer ride, I doubt I will tackle the front struts unless I am sure that they have failed. More expense, pain to DIY and required alignment keep me from doing them just because.

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[surfstar]

...and just ordered a full (4) set of Monroe Reflex Monotube for my dad's older Chevy 1500 p/u. Rockauto - after rebate it will be ~$130/4. Gabriel MaxControl were a close second (have an even larger bore) but ~$20 cheaper to go Monroe this time.

More maintenance fun coming up! Hoping this will transform his truck's handling (1995 w/ ~160k and he's been towing a trailer a bit recently)

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
...and just ordered a full (4) set of Monroe Reflex Monotube for my dad's older Chevy 1500 p/u. Rockauto - after rebate it will be ~$130/4. Gabriel MaxControl were a close second (have an even larger bore) but ~$20 cheaper to go Monroe this time.

More maintenance fun coming up! Hoping this will transform his truck's handling (1995 w/ ~160k and he's been towing a trailer a bit recently)


It will be huge.

At that many years and miles those OEM shocks have the resistance of air in a bag!

 

[ledslinger]

I love the ride empty, but it seems to be more impressive with more load. I pulled a boat today that I pulled with the old shocks. Amazing difference, no jacking from the weight of the boat. I wish I'd have put the Bilsteins on sooner. The smoothness empty and the damping loaded is incredible versatility.

 

[ledslinger]

I got KYB Gas A Just for the rear of my Mustang. Wish I could swing for Bilsteins. One is made in Malaysia, one in Japan. Cycling them by hand, they feel different, the Japan one much smoother. May not make a diff with a few miles down the road. Where are yours made?

 

[surfstar]

ledslinger, the KYBs I put on my Vue were made in Japan. I think the new shocks help a good bit when I have a load in the back or towing my small boat last weekend. Don't notice a huge difference in normal driving.

My dad said his Chevy rides a bit tighter so far, but I think he'll notice the difference later this month towing his camper, big time. 3/4 of the shocks were a piece of cake to install. 1 nut took us two hours to destroy when it wouldn't loosen. Easy job turned to a pain.
Next up, Aspec strut/spring install on my brother's '04 TL 6spd, plus front brakes. Ugh - family mechanic is wearing on me lately - too much suspension work!

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: 951Indy
I must be an idiot.


No one said that.

However, I posted a while back when I replaced the stock struts on a couple of cars and was lambasted, saying it was impossible, and that it was all in my head. I replaced the stock struts with KYB-GR2's on my old '97 Legacy with ~175k miles, and noticed the ride height rise noticeably. I also noticed a ride height increase changing out worn struts on my buddy's '04 Maxima. We only had time to do the fronts first, and the front/rear ride height was pronounced, IMO.

I'm glad to read that more people are noticing a change in ride height. It makes sense, IMO. The difference in driving characteristics in my '97 was like night and day. I couldn't believe how much better it handled - it transformed from a jalopy into a well-handling, fun-to-drive car!

 

[hansj3]

I got some no name struts on ebay for my 98 forester, I figured anything was better then what I had, and at 330k I didn't want to sink a ton of cash in it. The struts I got were branded sen sen. They are tauted as kyb cheap. They tightened up the whole car, and I also got About a 3/4 in lift. They made the wheel/ tire in the wheel well look small