Stock Shock Life Span

[F1nalized]

I have try toi search this but no luck as of yet.

What is the life span of the stock shocks (blue ones) before they need a rebuild? I have been told to keep a look out for when they start to leak and when they do it is time to rebuild. However, I am the second owner of the truck so I can't trust that the previous owner actually did it at some point. I ask this because on certain bumps highway driving the truck wants to wiggle badly to where I have to slow down to keep it under control. Now I don't know if this is because the suspenion is that soft or the shock are at the end of life. I have 88k on the truck and no mods to it (I know, its a sin).

 

[thatJeepguy]

Theres literally 500 threads on this :

ok mall / street rats.....what millage are you without doing the shock rebuild?

will hit 50k miles this winter. my truck is a street rat, been off road 2 or 3x with nothing too extreme. No leaks in my shocks and the ride is still great. Do I just keep with the factory build until I notice a change in ride or visual shock leakage?

www.fordraptorforum.com

 

[Sig Fanboy]

I’m assuming Gen 2. Based on time I’ve been on this forum I suspect most will blame rear leaf springs. And I suppose Deavers or Icons will help somewhat. I think a lot of it is unrealistic expectations about what a Raptor is. Pretty much every truck I’ve ever had modified or not, has on occasion had some unsettling reaction over bridge expansion joints or other irregularities on the Hiway. I currently have two Raptors, a Gen 3 with less than 3K miles, all paved road, it rides great, as it should, it’s brand new.
I have a Gen 2 I bought with 29K miles. I thought the ride was floaty and boat like at first, I put Eibach leveling springs which were somewhat harsh but handled much nicer on curvy B roads. I now have Fox Factory Race Series, are they a 5K+ improvement , I doubt it, but they certainly look cool with an ADD bumper. Is it now a super truck that goes over every Hiway irregularity without reaction, no. I have a 2017 Super Duty with 275K miles, so I drive it a lot, and tow equipment. It has some beefy leaf springs. Does it react badly sometimes over bridge expansion joints or irregular bumps, yes. Do I know if your shocks need rebuilt, no. If you plan on towing anything or hauling anything, you will want better leaf springs that’s for sure.
If you can find a competent, trustworthy source, that’s a big if, it couldn’t cost that much to rebuild the shocks.

 

[F1nalized]

Thanks for the info.

I'll add one additional piece that I forgot to add. The front tires do have high and low spots but the dealer did say they balanced them when I asked to do that when I had it aligned. I don't know if I can fully trust that or the front shocks are on the way out the door.

 

[Nex]

Shocks need to be rebuilt every 40-50k miles.

What are your tire pressures set at? Should be around 34f and 32r

 

[0341Marine]

My 2018 had 54000 miles on it and I just replaced the shocks with new ones. I immediately noticed an improvement in ride quality. The funny thing is that I didn't think there was anything wrong with what I assume were the original shocks (I'm second owner of the truck). Do yourself a favor and buy the shocks yourself through Rock Auto and either do them yourself or find a mechanic you trust to do them. The dealership will charge you a significant premium for the parts and labor. I think all told I paid $1700 for the parts and another $400 for the labor.

 

[F1nalized]

Shocks need to be rebuilt every 40-50k miles.

What are your tire pressures set at? Should be around 34f and 32r

They are. Not new to maintance to my vehicles. If I had the tools to do all the work

My 2018 had 54000 miles on it and I just replaced the shocks with new ones. I immediately noticed an improvement in ride quality. The funny thing is that I didn't think there was anything wrong with what I assume were the original shocks (I'm second owner of the truck). Do yourself a favor and buy the shocks yourself through Rock Auto and either do them yourself or find a mechanic you trust to do them. The dealership will charge you a significant premium for the parts and labor. I think all told I paid $1700 for the parts and another $400 for the labor.

Doing shocks is easy work. Its that alignment after you got to do.

 

[Nex]

Start with shocks. Either new from Rock Auto or a rebuilt set. @Jhollowell is rebuilding blue tops.

Factory rear leaf springs are junk. Deavers or Icons. Then some type of trac bar setup. I have SVC, @smurfslayer has the KHC torque arm. These really keep the rear end in place over the freeway joints.

 

[hingedthinker]

Start with shocks. Either new from Rock Auto or a rebuilt set. @Jhollowell is rebuilding blue tops.

Factory rear leaf springs are junk. Deavers or Icons. Then some type of trac bar setup. I have SVC, @smurfslayer has the KHC torque arm. These really keep the rear end in place over the freeway joints.

Nex, what do you think of this kit for 2018 gen deaux? https://offroadalliance.com/products/geiser-deal-progressive-springs-deaver-leafs-and-bump-pads/

 

[Nex]

Nex, what do you think of this kit for 2018 gen deaux? https://offroadalliance.com/products/geiser-deal-progressive-springs-deaver-leafs-and-bump-pads/

Geiser and Devers are good. I personally like either Fox or King for bump stops. But that depends on overall use. This looks like a great starting point.