What shocks are the best?

[seeforyourself]

Hey guys! So I replaced my shock absorbers about 6 months ago. I bought 4 of the Motorcraft shock absorbers off of partsgeek.

The ASHV1009 Motorcraft and ASHV9 Motorcraft.

I bought them for like $30 each so maybe they were knock offs because:

1. The rears absorbers are SUPER stiff compared to the fronts when first installed.

2. After 5 months of use, the fronts became extremely soft and bouncy (bounces 4 times before settling) and I bottom out like crazy! Also I saw that there's oil at the bottom of the absorber.

Is it possible partsgeek sell counterfeit parts?


___


Also, what are the softest shocks to buy that are the cheapest? I'm looking for a ride that. I don't feel pot holes or any other road imperfections. It's for a 2001 grand marquis GS. I'm tired of driving on the Belt Parkway in NYC and feeling every pothole.

Thanks


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[gadget73]

May be old. The rubber seals could have dried up. I've got Motorcraft shocks on mine from Rockauto, the rears had a tag from 1990 for a dealer to dealer transfer. I know they're ancient, but they are working fine. For the 8 bucks a piece they cost me, they owe me nothing. The fronts are also Motorcraft police shocks, couldn't tell you either number. No issues with those either, and they were not all that expensive.

What is your tire pressure? If its on the high side it will be more obnoxious.

[seeforyourself]

May be old. The rubber seals could have dried up. I've got Motorcraft shocks on mine from Rockauto, the rears had a tag from 1990 for a dealer to dealer transfer. I know they're ancient, but they are working fine. For the 8 bucks a piece they cost me, they owe me nothing. The fronts are also Motorcraft police shocks, couldn't tell you either number. No issues with those either, and they were not all that expensive.

What is your tire pressure? If its on the high side it will be more obnoxious.

They are all 32 PSI. I just don't understand how shocks can go bad after 6 months/ 7,000 miles...


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[sly]

If they were made 20 years ago... the seals may have already been dead and ready to burst at the first pothole.

[gadget73]

I put a KYB on once and as soon as I got it bolted in, oil was running out of it. It was a dud, right out of the box. No idea if it was a newly made defective one, or if it happened to have been in storage a while and that caused the seal to be compromised.

Entirely possible you have the same situation. Without knowing when that part was made, its hard to say how long it may have been sitting around and in what storage conditions. I have to suspect that these places that sell parts for really short money are buying old stock from warehouses and such that just want to get it out of their way. Those two ancient ones I put on have to be an example of that. Nobody in their right mind is going to want to keep shocks on the shelf for 25 years, and even fewer are going to buy them. Except me maybe.

[jaywish]

the basic cheap monroes are pretty soft. Your tire pressure is as low as you can make it already. Maybe with the monroes you can bump up the tire pressure a little. potholes love soft tires.

[His Royal Ghostliness]

Aftermarket-wise KYB gas-adjust do quite alright IIRC. GR2 are a bit on the stiff side for most who want the couch-on-wheels feel. From the parts store I've always had good luck with Gabriel Ultras. The non-economy-grade Gabriels are actually quite decent shocks that don't seem to get much credit - I run LTVs (HD commercial truck line) on the rear of my "small" 4x4 beast and they've been thru hell and back based on the loads they've had to keep under control, going on almost 10 years now I think and they still work good. Ultras are supposedly better than the LTVs.

[sly]

the GR2's are stiffer? That might just sort the bounce in the rear of my 93 then. If the gas-a-justs had a rebound stop for the rear shocks, they would be perfect.

[His Royal Ghostliness]

GR2 is stiffer (heavier valving), at least according to our resident Panther guru and he gots way better feel for these things than I do. You shouldn't need a rebound stop on anything tho, unless you're getting some air time. If you fell the need for rebound stops then you actually need is either stiffer shocks for better dampening within the available travel, or longer shocks for more travel if you like the current valving, or both.

[stinkydogfilms]

Bilstein shocks are expensive but they will outlast the car. Only time Ive felt shocks pushing back in high speed cornering.
You have to be able to dodge bad drivers and get out of harms way.

[His Royal Ghostliness]

Yeah, but which Bilsteins exactly? They may all sorts of shocks, in all sorts of valving. Also do keep in mind if they got the fancy silver coating on the bodies they will rust faster than your typical consumer-grade shock - I actually just painted a pair of 5100s cause they had started to rust at the bottom after a single winter-weather cross-country trip (and lots of sitting afterwards, but it was the liquid deicer that got the ball rolling).

[jaywish]

Hi See,
Just a thought, it might be helpful if you updated your signature with vehicle information.

These might be nice for a soft ride with enough control.
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo....199572&jsn=382

[VicCrownVic]

I know the thread is asking about a whale but since I believe they use the same shocks as a box I'll throw my in.

I put GR2s (KYB 344081) on the front of The Scab shortly after I bought that car last year. Dad said it was pretty funny watching me bounce over every tiny imperfection in the road as he followed me on the 80 mile trip home. They might be a bit stiff for some people but I like those GR2s so much that I just had another set show up at my place yesterday for The Ice Car. It's a good thing The Ice Car is nowhere near as bad as The Scab was because I'm not sure when I'll find time to install them, hopefully before March 32nd.

Along with the GR2s for The Ice Car I also ordered a set of Gabriel Hijackers for the rear. The Scab had Gabriel Hijackers installed by the PO and My Dad had air shocks (don't recall what brand) installed on my '89 MGM before he gave it to me and I had no issues with them. Very useful for hauling a ton-o-crap in my garage... er I mean trunk.

[DerekTheGreat]

...Along with the GR2s for The Ice Car I also ordered a set of Gabriel Hijackers for the rear. The Scab had Gabriel Hijackers installed by the PO and My Dad had air shocks (don't recall what brand) installed on my '89 MGM before he gave it to me and I had no issues with them. Very useful for hauling a ton-o-crap in my garage... er I mean trunk.

LoL, you can see the ice car squatting in your signature from the weight of said garage..

I like a floaty ride, Put Monroe air shocks in the back to replace the factory ones. Couldn't get OEM stuff at the time. Not sure what I'd put up front but so far my front shocks haven't failed.

[sly]

GR2 is stiffer (heavier valving), at least according to our resident Panther guru and he gots way better feel for these things than I do. You shouldn't need a rebound stop on anything tho, unless you're getting some air time. If you fell the need for rebound stops then you actually need is either stiffer shocks for better dampening within the available travel, or longer shocks for more travel if you like the current valving, or both.

My vote is for stiffer shocks. And if the GR2 is stiffer... that would probably work a treat. The truck shocks in the beater have rebound stop valving and those just center from whatever I hit (pothole, speedbump, whatever) which makes the ass settle faster. Kinda why I like it. But the 93 definitely needs a little more damping than it has now with the gas-a-justs.