Is there a "rule of thumb" as to when to replace shocks? I can't remember that we have ever done so on any car but what about the PW Excel? We have 25K miles on our O4 and were wondering if we should replace the shocks prior to going to the Moab rally. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks in advance
You have an interesting situation. Typically, shocks will last well beyond 25 thousand miles. Yet, yours are 4 years old.
I've always been shown that if you stand on a bumper and jump up and down until you get the vehicle jouncing and then you jump off the bumper, the vehicle ought to stop jouncing almost immediately. There ought not to be a full jounce after you jump off. Maybe and half jounce and a quater jounce at most.
What most of the folks on the Class C forum seem to think is that their Fords' handling, even when new, benefits a lot from new shocks. You might want to visit there, and search for terms like 'shocks' or 'Ford handling'. The OEM Ford shocks are pretty poor, apparently. Bilsteins are the highest rated by most, with the Monroes following.
Jim, "Why did kamikazi pilots wear helments?"
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison ('Loafer's Glory'); '07 Forester 2.5 ( the 'HANDBSKT'); '95 Toyota SR5 V-6 4x4 pickup, ARB locker, Bilsteins, Warn hubs & M8000, etc;
'94 968, M030 swaybars ('DOPPLER')
I replaced the factory shocks on my 2002 RT Chev 190P this spring (6 years on the factory shocks)(along with 4 new Toyo Open Country H/T tires) even though they hade only about 25K miles. The factory shocks were not leaking and the bounce test didn't indicate any need to replace the shocks but I did anyway in hopes that it would improve the ride and handling, which wasn't all that bad with the factory shocks.
It was well worth it. The ride and handling improved as much or more than I had hoped. How much was due to the shocks and how much due to the tires I can't tell, but I'm glad I made the change.
I got the mono-tube shocks from Les Schwab and they have a lifetime warranty, parts and labor, so I will never have to worry about them again. Also, if you can wait for them to go on sale it makes it all the easier to make the switch.
I would agree that that most OEM shocks do not have a life after twenty tousand miles. The weight of the vehicles and the heating up that they receive from the damping of the weight reduce thier effectivness.
Bilstien is the logical choice for a more firm ride. Anyone with sway problems as well, might want to look into the IPD sway bar and Bilstien shock package. These were designed for emergency ambulances to improve the ride and handling. Slightly pricey, but the sawy bars are about 1 1/2" in diameter for a Ford E-350 van.
I have them on a E-350 van and the difference in the mountains is night and day from stock.
How often you should replace shocks depends on how picky you are with the performance and safety of your rig on the road, and how tolerant you are of poor performance.
I drove my 07 Lexor about 7 months before the OE shocks went bad (extra bouncing). Went with Monroe Reflex, mainly because they were readily available for the 07 Express 3500.
There was a HUGE improvement in handling.
My rig weighs about 8100 lbs with just the driver, about 9000 lbs with 4 people and loaded for camping and travel.
Point is these rigs weigh much more than cars and fresh shocks are important, especially at highway speeds. I don't believe the "push down or jump on the bumper test" is valid on 8000 - 9000 lb vans.
Don't wait for your shocks to leak, most shocks lose their performance well before they start leaking.
Fresh shocks are a cheap way to improve handling and safety. In fact, fresh shocks once a year is a great idea, considering the stability they add at highway speeds. These rigs are more comfortable to drive with fresh shocks.
Within every disadvantage is the seed of an equal or greater advantage.
I am advised that Bilstein does not make shocks for the Dodge 3500 van chassis; this is the chassis of our 2001 Pleasure Way. We have 24,000 miles and it handles horribly. In any wind it becomes quite difficult to control. We are scheduled to the alignment shop, hoping that they will make adjustments and/or parts replacement so as to help us control the beast on the highway. This is our first class B. We have taken many trips to Florida with 2500 Suburban and 32 ft. Avion and 27 ft. Arctic Fox. We are not accustomed to difficult handling.
Your comments will be apreciated.
Alhoos, I'm really sorry to hear about your problems. BTDT with a '99/'00 Dodge RT 190. Got the greasy T-shirt and flatter wallet to show for it. I finally gave up, and sold it on.
First, try 80 psi rear and 60-65 front, if you're not.
I have since developed a strong suspicion that part (only part, I'm sure) of the problem was the Michelin LTX tires... they have a known soft sidewall that doesn't get along with some tall vans. Even if you're not on Michelins, I'd have a good and honest tire man evaluate your tires for sidewall stiffness. Maybe as a last resort, try Michelin XPS Ribs or some other really stiff tire as a maybe-cure.
As far as the Bilsteins not being made for that Dodge, it's sure news to me. I put then on mine myself, in '03. They made a huge difference in ride (55K on OEMs), but didn't help the horrible handling, linear instability, and sensitivity to wind & trucks very much... but nothing did, really. They probably helped the most of several pricey items I tried. Yes, you should try them. The RT and PW shouldn't be any different shock-wise. Call Eshocks... eshocks.com.
Check your front sway bar mounts. The rubber in one of my frame mounts was rotted from a power steering drip. Be sure they check the front wheel bearings; mine had a tad of excess play.
You may have trouble finding one that fits around the RV equipment under there, but I suggest a rear sway bar as a next step. I would have tried that next, but sold it before I got around to finding one.
Someone here may have info on the Dodge Technical Service Buttetin that was issued for these vans. I don't know if it's still being done; I had precious little support from my Dodge dealer when I was trying to fix mine, but the TSB exists, so Dodge is / was aware of the problem.
I sincerely wish you'd posted here, or read the FAQ's, before buying. There's a percentage of the Dodges from '98 to '0? that no one seems to be able to get to drive right. And if anybody tries to post that they have some magic bullet cure, have very, very serious doubts.
Jim, "The villagers are coming with torches and pitchforks. Please hide me."
(on edit.... You will likely need to know your front axle weight rating when ordering Bilsteins... it's on the Dodge door post sticker, probably 4200 lbs., if I remember right.)
* This post was
edited 07/11/08 04:08pm by Handbasket *
Offline
