What shocks to buy

[northern cruiser]

I have a 2001 cruiser that supposedly had new shocks installed on it before I purchased it at 97K(they are Monroe Reflex shocks). However, the vehicle is extremely bouncy and thus I am going to put new shocks on it shortly.

I am a traveling salesman and thus put about 4K miles/month on my cruiser (99% dry pavement use and I do tow a trailer occasionally).

Just wandering what the best ones are for the price (Toyota OEM, KYB, Blistien). I can get the Toyota shocks from CDan but not sure where to get the others at for a good deal.

Thanks for your help !!!!

 

[spressomon]

I have a 2001 cruiser that supposedly had new shocks installed on it before I purchased it at 97K(they are Monroe Reflex shocks). However, the vehicle is extremely bouncy and thus I am going to put new shocks on it shortly.

I am a traveling salesman and thus put about 4K miles/month on my cruiser (99% dry pavement use and I do tow a trailer occasionally).

Just wandering what the best ones are for the price (Toyota OEM, KYB, Blistien). I can get the Toyota shocks from CDan but not sure where to get the others at for a good deal.

Thanks for your help !!!!

No lift = Bilstein's

 

[9toys]

Bilsteins.

 

[cary]

To me, a no brainer, Bilsteins. They will provide better dampening and handling, especially loaded, and most important for you, they will work virtually the same after 100,000 miles as the first 1,000.

 

[dclee]

Another vote for the Billies.

 

[LXPearl]

Bilstein is best. OEM is second.

 

[drsales]

oem works fine if mainly doing in town driving. Plus some cost savings.

 

[cary]

oem works fine if mainly doing in town driving. Plus some cost savings.

OEM Shocks, $25 x 4 = $100
Bilsteins- $60 x 4 = $200

Labor to replace shocks= $200-300

Never having to replace shocks again because Bilsteins last 200,000+ miles, priceless.

 

[Andre]

I am very happy with Rancho 5000's. My truck is an unladen daily driver and has a comfortable ride.

 

[kwikrnu]

Labor to replace shocks= $200-300

You got ripped off on that labor.

 

[NMuzj100]

You got ripped off on that labor.

Have you done a set of the rears ?

 

[cary]

You got ripped off on that labor.

Last I checked it was a 2+ hour job to do the front and rears. Where I live Labor rates are $100-150 per hour, you do the math.

 

[dclee]

Last I checked it was a 2+ hour job to do the front and rears. Where I live Labor rates are $100-150 per hour, you do the math.

He's obviously never done this job before. Plus, judging by where he lives, I doubt labor rates even approach the Bay Area.

 

[ZJ2UZJ100]

$200 for all 4?

I looked around online and found the following quote on shockwarehouse.com.
Are these the right model numbers for MY2000 TLC?


Manufacturer: Bilstein Brand: BST HEAVY DUTY
BE5-2739-H1 Front 1 66.95 each
Free Shipping
Important: (J10 models)

BE5-2740 Rear 1 66.95 each
Free Shipping
Important: (J10 models)

Complete Set Front and Rear
Bilstein BST HEAVY DUTY 267.80 set of 4
Free Shipping

 

[cary]

$200 for all 4?

If you look, I typed $60x4 = $200, a rather embarrassing math error, should have been $240. That was the price a few years ago, so $66 each sounds about right. You might consider ordering from your local Autozone, they will be the same price and no shipping. I am a fan of Shox.com for online orders, I have dealt with them for 15+ years and they have always been good (they used to be called RD Motorsports).

 

[9toys]

If I remember correctly, I got mine from "shocksandsprings" on ebay for $249.00 which included s/h. Prompt delivery, too. After installing them I initially thought I would never do it again. However, I didn't have a ratcheting wrench at the time. I since bought one to facilitate tightening them. Now, with that wrench, I wouldn't hesitate to do them again. The right rear is a bear...and the ratcheting wrench is an absolute must.

 

[NMuzj100]

9toys - What size and type of wrench is best for the job? And where did you get yours?

 

[kwikrnu]

I haven't looked at the rear shocks to see how difficult they are to remove. I usually do my own work on all of my autos unless it is warranty work. I would never pay $200-$300 for a simple shock replacement. I'll post how long it took me to replace them when I save up some money for shocks and decide which ones to get.

My ratchet wrenches came from sears. I have both the regular fixed ratchet style and the swivel. I find that I use the swivel rachet wrenches more.

 

[9toys]

I can't remember if the top nut is 3/4 or 17mm, but I got it at Lowe's. Mine is fixed because that is all they had when I bought mine, but I can see where the swivel would probably work better. However, never having used one, I'm not sure how much torque you can put on it. I'd hate to break it removing the top nut off the old shock. A couple of mine were a bear to get loose.
Just checked the size I used. I used a 7/8 ratchet wrench for the upper nut. It is a little large but works. I suppose it is the metric, whatever that would be...maybe a 19mm.

 

[spressomon]

The rear upper shock mount nuts will cause you to curse...be warned. And if your rig is/was from any rust belt state God help ya . The PS rear upper mount nut is particularly a RPITA because of the exhaust pipe...