What does the AB recommend? I mostly hwy drive with some off roading at the ranch. Truck has 120k miles on the original rancho shocks but I think they're giving out as the ride is starting to get pretty rough. Thanks!

Those factory shocks are usually done after 25k miles. Max. Pretty much trash from the factory.

You'll get votes for Bilstein, Fox, etc.

I used BDS NX2 shock on my SD and had great results. Priced right and great quality.

Replace shocks on those trucks every 30k-40k and you'll enjoy the ride much more.

25k max?

Yep. That's just a rancho sticker that ford slaps on their own house shock. Been that way for a while.

Not saying they are completely broken with no rebound after 25k, but they def are way past their lifetime at 120k. Way wayyyyy past.

Even with moderate use, most high end shocks will be done at 40k. And the "rancho" from the factory isn't a high end shock

Lol... factory shocks done after 25000 miles?


I have a 2011 f150 with 206k miles and still have the original shocks, what are you talking about?

OnlyForNow said:

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Lol... factory shocks done after 25000 miles?


I have a 2011 f150 with 206k miles and still have the original shocks, what are you talking about?

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He doesn't know

That is pretty funny. I sold my 05 F250 with original shocks and 160k and my 16 F250 has original at 115k. Both were/are fine. Even asked my mechanic about them recently and he said they're fine.

So you took them off and tested their compression and rebound?

Bc that's the only way to know.

You can't look at a shock and say it's still highly functioning.

Thats like looking at a rifle and saying yeah that's an accurate gun. Lol

They are way shot bro. Way shot. Enjoy that crappy ride.

any way to tell if you need new ones wtih out taking it apart. If we take it apart might as well change them

Bingo.

Another great method is to change shocks when you change tires.

Most guys will go 40-60k on tires on a SD truck. Unless you're driving all highway, no towing, etc.

Some really bad suggestions here that 100k plus miles shocks are still gtg. No chance in hell.

I mean, I trust my mechanic with my life so.... I'll trust him as it relates to if I need to replace my shocks.

I also am either too stupid or numb to be able to tell a true significant difference in driving my 2011 f150 and my 2023 f150 - as it relates to the "smoothness of the ride".

I am a big Bilstein fan. 4600 or 5100 series are plenty adequate unless you're rock crawling. 4600 for mostly road driving but they are still great offroad, 5100 if you are offroad quite a bit and have added bigger heavier wheels/tires/suspension upgrades that need more buffering.

I just ordered another set of 4600's for my Nissan. The last set are wearing out but still work pretty well after 120,000 miles. I actually prefer the slightly softer 4600's. They are built the same as the 5100's but painted instead of zinc coated and the buffer valve settings are a bit softer.

Test compression? Of course not. Nor am i saying that they're performing at the same level as when I drove off the lot. I can, however, say that they perform at more than an acceptable level based on how the truck rides and drives. 25k is ridiculous and if that was the standard experience for Ford owners over the decades of use of Rancho shocks, we'd know. Can you find examples or have you experienced failures by 25k? I'm sure you can, but that isn't the typical experience. Replacement of an OEM part for the typical user by 25k is a waste of money IMO.

I don't have experience with the F150, but I'm going to guess that the lighter weight of the half ton truck makes shock replacement less critical to ride quality than in the 3/4 ton truck

Again, your mechanic might be the best on earth. But even he can't tell what a shock is/isn't doing by looking at a static state while mounted to the truck. It can be inspected for wear on the shock boot, body, shaft, etc. But performance can't be determined without removal.

I'm on the road this morning, but when I'm home, I'll happily pull up a few links on Ford forums discussion the trash that is the "rancho" shock. It's well known. Ford hides it nicely behind the FX4 package.

Again. It's not even a rancho.

That's a sticker that Ford puts on their in house shock. Monroe maybe? I don't recall at the moment.

They aren't a performance shock. And yes. They are crap. And yes. On an SD truck they are shot pretty darn quickly.

Fwiw, as long as the seals and valves are still intact and functioning adequately, a shock can still be doing its job. It might be degraded in performance over time but 75% of performance is still quite functional compared to a blown shock doing basically nothing at all. It's not optimal, but also not useless.

It depends on if the driver is willing to tolerate the decrease in ride quality and a bit more tire wear.

That's a good point. And likely what most are experiencing

OP - Bilstein is a really good brand, and since you aren't rock climbing and what not, they will last near forever. Can't go wrong with actual Rancho RS5000's either.

Bilstein 5100 is what I went with and I have been happy with them. My OEM needed to be replaced at 60k. Had about 8k miles of towing my camper with OEM.

Another vote for the Bilstein 5100. Put them on my 06 diesel. Was very happy with them. They're also really easy to install if you're mechanically inclined at all

Pretty sure you can replace both front and rear shocks on an F250 with the truck on the ground, no tire removal and pretty basic tools. Plenty of help on YouTube. Def need to be replaced with over 100k miles. They may not be blown out and showing failure, but they are worn out.

JB93 said:

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Pretty sure you can replace both front and rear shocks on an F250 with the truck on the ground, no tire removal and pretty basic tools. Plenty of help on YouTube. Def need to be replaced with over 100k miles. They may not be blown out and showing failure, but they are worn out.

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I'm sure you can do it on the fronts without taking the tire off, but taking the tire off makes it a whole hell of a lot easier IMO.

I just switched our my shocks. I went with the Rancho 9000xl's. I like the fact that they are adjustable. Most of the other shocks being recommended will give you a stiffer ride than the stock Ranchos. I am trying to get something a little softer. The 9000xl's have 9 different settings that can help tune the ride. When loaded, you can crank them up. I have not had them long enough to form an opinion but the adjustability may pay off for me.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1655830-fx4-rancho-shocks-bad-at-25k-miles.html

Not my thread. But there are many many like this.

Awful performance. Totally shot after 25k.

To be fair I feel like mine did well all the way to 110k miles or so. Looking forward to the Bilsteins I just ordered.

Once you pull them off, It would be interesting to see how long it takes them to rebound.

Maybe you have a magic pair.

So, you're telling me that my '98 F150 with 369,000 miles that still rides like new has bad shocks on it?

I guess next you will tell me the brake shoes are also worn out. Never had the drums off and they have not started squealing yet

I don't know what the best mileage to replace shocks is, but whatever it is, halve that for folks that drive around the city of Houston regularly.

Or Detroit. Or if they drive an EV.

I have a 2008 2500HD I put Bilstein 4600s on about 200,000 miles which was 2.5 years go. Noticed a difference right away. I think previous ones were that bad pushing 12 years in addition to the miles.

I'm now have a little over 240,000 miles. I live in Houston and ride around on some of the worst roads.

Took it to my mechanic yesterday as noticed some issues with the front end. He said most of the front end is worn out and needs replacing due to lots of vibration. The bolts holding in the control arm were backing out so obviously not good and lends itself to his analysis.

I trust my mechanic thoroughly.

He said it's probably best to go ahead and replace the shocks so everything is starting from scratch. No telling the state of mine due to the vibration.

His recommendation was to just get Monroe HD shocks. He feels everything else is just paying for a name and marketing. Found them on RockAuto for around $30 each so just going to get those since it's $120 for the set.

I've researched this quite a bit in the last 24 hours for 3/4 ton trucks and everyone seems to prefer the Bilsteins or Rancho.

However, nothing definitive on true testing and build difference. Just a lot of personal opinion and experience post install.

It looks like Monroe owns Rancho so like a lot of things I do wonder if it's nothing more than a different look and marketing. Certainly see a lot more Rancho marketing than Monroe marketing these days.

TikkaShooter said:

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Yep. That's just a rancho sticker that ford slaps on their own house shock. Been that way for a while.

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The OEM shocks that Ford and others use are made by Rancho. The difference is that Rancho makes them to Ford specs. It is not one of their shocks, like the RS5000, that they sell to the general public. All of the truck manufacturers want their new trucks to have a "soft" ride.

Chewy said:

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I have a 2008 2500HD I put Bilstein 4600s on about 200,000 miles which was 2.5 years go. Noticed a difference right away. I think previous ones were that bad pushing 12 years in addition to the miles.

I'm now have a little over 240,000 miles. I live in Houston and ride around on some of the worst roads.

Took it to my mechanic yesterday as noticed some issues with the front end. He said most of the front end is worn out and needs replacing due to lots of vibration. The bolts holding in the control arm were backing out so obviously not good and lends itself to his analysis.

I trust my mechanic thoroughly.

He said it's probably best to go ahead and replace the shocks so everything is starting from scratch. No telling the state of mine due to the vibration.

His recommendation was to just get Monroe HD shocks. He feels everything else is just paying for a name and marketing. Found them on RockAuto for around $30 each so just going to get those since it's $120 for the set.

I've researched this quite a bit in the last 24 hours for 3/4 ton trucks and everyone seems to prefer the Bilsteins or Rancho.

However, nothing definitive on true testing and build difference. Just a lot of personal opinion and experience post install.

It looks like Monroe owns Rancho so like a lot of things I do wonder if it's nothing more than a different look and marketing. Certainly see a lot more Rancho marketing than Monroe marketing these days.

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Good info.

TikkaShooter said:

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https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1655830-fx4-rancho-shocks-bad-at-25k-miles.html

Not my thread. But there are many many like this.

Awful performance. Totally shot after 25k.

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Home boy also has a half ton truck with a full front end replacement, which will wear any shocks out faster because of the additional weight cantilevered out.

Most OEM shocks are basic, but trash at 25k generally means you are doing things the vehicle wasn't really designed for.

You're always correct