bouncy ride

[SpifNup]

10k miles on new 22 XLT Crew orig shocks. Just swapped Bilstein B6 4600's for rear factory shocks. Pair approx 160 [sale?] + Tax (free & fast ship) from Shock Surplus.

Night and day, instant improvement in my asphalt driving! As predicted/recommended by several on this site (thanks)!

Tremendous bang for the buck!

Sway highly reduced when cornering.

Comfort level much improved when turning.

Don't think I need Hellwig Sway Bar or RoadActiveSprings.
And I still have same original articulation.

Porpoising, wallowing, rear hopping eliminated. Rear settles quickly after bumps (1-hop, not 2-3 hops). With my unloaded bed & factory rake (no lift).

Left & right head-shaking from uneven bumps/ruts, is now reduced & more controlled.

Factory understeer (correct?) much reduced, IMO.
When I turn the wheel, the Ranger promptly and crisply turns! Delightful!

Seems like less 'dive' on braking, but may be my imagination (nothing done to front setup).

Can't begin to say how much more pleasurable is my Ranger driving now!

Told a sibling, all my life I've carefully avoided bumps and potholes.
First time ever I've actively sought those (within reason) to test out my new setup.

And the new performance is beauteous!

Highly recommended.

I can live with and keep on testing the current rear Bilstein B6 4600's.

Requesting advice or suggestions (please!):

1. Any improvement (or desirable control/steering effect) to swap in better-than-factory endlinks (and/or bushings) on front sway bar? Waste of time? Not off-roading. Don't want to 'de-tune' new setup!

2. Are front leveling struts (say, 2.0-in) avail to 'match' (roughly) the 4600 stock replacements in the rear?

Example: Bilstein B8 5100 set for 2-in lift? Or a Rancho equiv? Or would such be too stiff or somehow incompatible with the new rear 4600's? Would 1.0 or 1.5-in front level setting be 'softer' or more similar to 4600's in rear?

Thanks in advance for any tips!

--SpifNup

Sponsored

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I have the Bilstein 5100s front and rear with the fronts at 1.8".

You can do the fronts and they will also make a noticeable improvement, though not as dramatic as the rear.

I am 100% satisfied with my ride and handling.

 

[Racket]

Hi, I had the same experience with my new 2021 Ford Ranger. I replaced the stock nitrogen gas charged rear shocks with Ironman Foam Cell Pro (Comfort tuned). Wow! No modifications was required.

Do you have a link for their Ranger parts? Their website doesn't list any.

 

[COblue]

Rear Fox 2.0 shocks helped, but far and away the best mod is OME leaf springs with a BDS shackle for a total 2.5" rear lift. Replaced Fox's with BDS shocks that can handle the 2.5" of lift, feels similar to Fox.

Holy cow is it smooth now. First truck I've had, so I didn't realize the harshness was the bump stop smacking the frame. It's a completely different ride ?

 

[Kendi’s Ranger MRST]

Do you have a link for their Ranger parts? Their website doesn't list any.

Contact Ironman.com directly. Explain what you need and I’m sure they can assist. There are three rear shock options . I went for comfort., Since my vehicle is never loaded up with weight. There are two other tuned shock options - depending upon your cargo load arrangements. They were both fitted to my UK Ranger in under 40 minutes. They are large wide body rear shocks and heavy too! But the ride is smooth.

 

[jflogerzi]

honestly your only upgrades would be the 5100s up front and if you can the global multi leafs for the rear.

 

[Racket]

Contact Ironman.com directly. Explain what you need and I’m sure they can assist. There are three rear shock options . I went for comfort., Since my vehicle is never loaded up with weight. There are two other tuned shock options - depending upon your cargo load arrangements. They were both fitted to my UK Ranger in under 40 minutes. They are large wide body rear shocks and heavy too! But the ride is smooth.

Well this opens up a new shock design to research... after some looking around it seems the rear shock design is fairly common because (I presume) of the basic nature of truck suspension in the back. From vendors the part number for the Ranger:

And another manufacturer/provider is Pedders:

I'm unfamiliar with foam cell tech but so far they don't seem to require maintenance like the remote reservoir and are priced lower. The only mention of 'comfort valving' is the Ironman brand and I'll see what they think about mixed use - towing and travel on a daily driver. I've already swapped my rear monosprings for a set of UK multileafs.

 

[Kendi’s Ranger MRST]

There is an excellent in-depth review of the Ironman Foam cell pro shock absorbers on YouTube.

heres the link:-



by Tinkerer’s Adventures.

 

[Kendi’s Ranger MRST]

By All accounts none has been sent back to Ironman USA for a re-build. They are Australian Designed and Torture Tested and are quite a notable brand of shock absorber used in South Africa. It’s a product that s basically “Fit and Forget”. And by the way, they are Huge in diameter and are heavy in weight.

 

[9zero1790]

im not educated on the foam shocks but it sounds promising. If they are using them in africa they are tough. i watch a few folks travels in africa and the roads are basically non existent by usa standards except for big city areas.

 

[jflogerzi]

Interesting for sure. I will stick with Bilstein

Sponsored