[Ian1006]

I am in the market for some new shocks soon and am having a hard time deciding.
Calmini sells there own shocks but hear they are not so great and dont hold up very long. Indy4x also sells there own shocks in kits, but dont know who makes them or if they last...
Would rather not go Monroe cheapies as I have experience in another Passport and it just feels terrible. I dont know about their Sensa-tracs though, anyone using those and like them? I looked and I can also only find Rancho 5000's for the rears and I would rather match all my shocks, do they make them for the fronts? Seem like a decent mid range shock from some reviews.
My last option would be Bilsteins. I would love these from the get go but at 90 a piece its about the equivalent of 4 cheap Monroes...anyone using them and think they are worth the money?
Thanks for the input.

 

[RamAirZ]

I ran Skyjackers on my 97' Rodeo and they worked good, I have Calmini's on my Passport now but don't have a whole lot of miles on them, they work great so far. Pro Comp has some nice ones too. OME shocks are real nice but getting up there in price like the Bilstein's. If price is a concern I wpould look into the Skyjacker's myself

 

[grobrooks]

I run the Monroe Sensa Tracs. I like them but from what I see on the boards they're so-so. Haven't seen that myself but I also came fom OE shocks with 135K on them. I'd buy em again without hesitation. They are without a doubt better than what I had.

 

[Cronk]

I had the Rancho 5000s on my Rodeo and it really stiffened up the ride, making it really rough on bumps. I like the ride better with the generic shocks I replaced them with.

 

[tonnydoodles]

i run pro comps on my trooper, great shocks and very inexpensive too, you can get them at topgunz ebay store, best price around

 

[Ian1006]

I like a stiff ride though (only owned cars before this and typically they were slammed) so that is more appealing to me with the Ranchos.

Ramairz: Did you run the Hydros or the Nitros?

I also see TireRack has Koni Reds, but they are the same price as Bilsteins...

It will probably come down to price, though I wish it didnt, and I need to decide soon since the front passenger side blew and the drivers is either there or almost.

 

[squatch]

I had the Rancho 5000s on my Rodeo and it really stiffened up the ride, making it really rough on bumps. I like the ride better with the generic shocks I replaced them with.

That's because Rancho 5000s have all the damping on compression not on the rebound where it belongs. At least in the ones I've owned. Springs themselves dampen compression.

Blanket statement here. Always go for the gas or nitro shocks. They gas charge them for a reason. It reduces shock fade when they get hot by reducing oil foaming. In my experience hydro only shocks get stiffer in the cold and mushy in heat. all shocks do a little but it's much more noticeable on hydros.

Shock preference. Old Man Emu Nitrocharger. Best bang for the buck. I beat on mine hard and love them.

 

[Rodeo Song]

old man emu.

you get what you pay for.

just don't get them from Indy 4x when they tell you they're in stock yet it comes up they're 3 months back-ordered drop shipped from ARB.................yeah great customer-lying-service thanks Indywet.

 

[geoffinbc]

Yea I got OME. They are great.

Rodeo Song you do know there is a huge ARB warehouse in Washington right? A local shop could have got them in a few hours for you.

 

[Rodeo Song]

ARB can't ship you what they don't have, yet Indy 4X sold me parts that weren't in stock at ARB. 2 months later on a slow boat from Aussie-land, I finally got my shocks.

just crappy communication from all vendors involved, on a $1300 parts order.

 

[grobrooks]

ARB can't ship you what they don't have, yet Indy 4X sold me parts that weren't in stock at ARB. 2 months later on a slow boat from Aussie-land, I finally got my shocks.

just crappy communication from all vendors involved, on a $1300 parts order.

How long ago was this? I'm looking at getting springs in the next month or so.

 

[RamAirZ]

Ramairz: Did you run the Hydros or the Nitros?

I ran the Hydro's

 

[grobrooks]

I like the Hydro myself, wait, are y'all talking about, nevermind......

 

[Ian1006]

I found some Pro-comps on ebay, Nitro version for 150. Not bad, think if they still have them in the next week or so I will go with those. Thanks for all the input guys.

 

[RamAirZ]

Go for it!

 

[Ramblin Fever]

I've tried several brands of the so-called higher quality shocks, hated all of them.

Put on a set of monroe sensa-tracs about a year and a half ago, fantastic ride and control quality, and I run a 10 mile rutted dirt road to and from home.

Won't do expensive shocks again....wasted a lot of money, IMHO.

 

[dman4486]

I run sensa-tracs also.... great ride qualities in an inexpensive package.

 

[ebgbz]

IMO...the decision about shocks should be controlled by use of the truck...off road means one kind and street truck means another.
I have a 2wd '92 amigo and will be putting shocks on it
very soon.
Since "the rat" is for street use, I will be using KYB Gas-a-Just.
...go to their web site...they make choosing easy and their tech line is helpful! Open their online catalog and you can choose.

 

[dman4486]

IMO...the decision about shocks should be controlled by use of the truck...off road means one kind and street truck means another.
I have a 2wd '92 amigo and will be putting shocks on it
very soon.
Since "the rat" is for street use, I will be using KYB Gas-a-Just.
...go to their web site...they make choosing easy and their tech line is helpful! Open their online catalog and you can choose.

Tried them for street and trail... will never go back to them. Piston area is incredibly low for the ones listed for the 1st gen rodeos and makes for very low control. Also, the g-a-j are too short for the long arm trucks (like mine) at full down travel.

 

[Ian1006]

Seems like a lot of people not just on here but other sites are also running the Sensa-tracs. Just put Sensa-tracs on a truck this week and seem like great shocks so far. Its between the Pro-comps off of topgunzcustoms ebay store or Sensa-tracs from Rock Auto, about the same price...
One thing I hate is going over big bumps and bottoming out the front, anyone with experience on these two specific shocks run into this problem?