Shock absorbers other than Bilstein/Fox/King

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csuder99

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Seems almost every shock absorber thread is about the brands mentioned above. I'm interested in feedback regarding shocks from KYB, Tenneco (Monroe/Rancho) or Sachs/ZF.
The truck is a 2013 2500 (leafs in the rear) and I do live on a dirt road that gets washboard in spots. Ideally the shocks keep the rear axle in check without rattling my fillings loose.
Any feedback appreciated.
 

crazy jerry

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the lesser known brands you mentioned might have a premium line of decent qaulity shocks from a respectable country but their bottom barrell stuff is likely just garbage from china. something worth researching anyways
 

RandomRam

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Tenneco makes shocks for several brands to their specs. Some are well known for good quality, like Old Man Emu, others not so much. I’ve had some Monroe’s that were complete garbage, only good thing was the lifetime warranty. I don’t know what they make for our trucks that’s any good.

Have you considered Bilstein 4600 shocks? They are for stock suspensions and make a huge difference. I run them in my old Chevy and am very happy with them. I drive that thing all over the national forest and it rides good.

What are you running for tire pressures? If your running 70lbs empty on washboarded roads it’s going to beat the snot out of you.
 

chri5k

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I tried Monroe Magnums. Were OK for about 10K miles and then they were worse than stock in terms of controlling the rear end while towing. Have a set from one of the brands in the title and they are still going strong after 40K miles and they were not 4x more expensive than the Monroe's.
 

pwjouster

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Seems almost every shock absorber thread is about the brands mentioned above. I'm interested in feedback regarding shocks from KYB, Tenneco (Monroe/Rancho) or Sachs/ZF.
The truck is a 2013 2500 (leafs in the rear) and I do live on a dirt road that gets washboard in spots. Ideally the shocks keep the rear axle in check without rattling my fillings loose.
Any feedback appreciated.


this is a conundrum.... you come here asking us for help, in which we all do.

but here in lies your issue, as we all look for exactly what your looking for. Keeping our fillings in.

BAR NONE Fox and King will give you what you want, at every price range level..

sorry, but it seems strange to ask for input on parts that obviously are not widely used by us.

You have a Ram so get Ram proven parts, from people who know your truck
 

SouthTexan

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The main thing with shocks is getting one that is valved correctly for your suspension and how you use your truck to better help you control the vehicle. Another aspect is how long can they handle going down this dirt road before the fluid gets too hot and the shock starts to fade. Smaller shocks meant for street use may only last for about a few miles worth of off road/dirt road bumps before they start to fade and need to be cooled down again to work effectively. The last aspect is how long can the parts and fluid in the shock take this abuse before going bad or failing. 25k? 50k?

It may be hard to find this info on shocks that people hardly use and it is even harder find someone that uses them in the same kind of driving application you do.

Although I will say that if it is a smoother ride that you are after, then changing out your suspension coils/leafs for ones that aren't as stiff and/or lowering your tire PSI will have more of an effect than shocks would. The main job of a shock is to limit vehicle movement keeping the suspension/steering in check under bumpy/swaying conditions and they can only travel as much as the suspension coils/leafs will allow. Of coarse this would also mean changing out your shocks to match the rest of the suspension.
 
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SeppW

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The shocks you cite are okay for hardball and v-e-r-y mild off road. They can't take any thrashing if your gonna do that kind of driving. You'll get better performance with Kings all around and they 're rebuildable and configurable. Substantial investment, but it's likely the last shock you'll buy. I have run Ranchos back in 80's on a Dodge Ramcharger and they sucked. I have run Monroe's on a passenger car because I wasn't going to shell out $200-300 apiece for OE shocks and they didn't last long before they had to be replaced. Never ran a Monroe on a truck. KYB, Koni, and the ilk seem to be for the ricers, flat track, etc, IMO. Bilstein has some higer end shocks for off road, but I have no experience with them.
 

Halligan

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Check out the Thuren Overland shock. Might be exactly what your looking for. Not too pricey but better than stock.
 

ripping r

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Check out the Thuren Overland shock. Might be exactly what your looking for. Not too pricey but better than stock.
I have these on the front. for the price you cant go wrong.
 

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