Visual evidence of how bad FX shocks suck

[seanellaz]

These are off my 2020 FX2 extended cab with only 17,000 miles. Truck only sees summer time duty. Half those miles have been pulling a 1,000 pound pop up camper. Replaced them with Bilstein 4600 series. After seeing what crap the rears are, I now want to do the fronts…

You could hear fluid in the driver side also

I want to upgrade

These are off my 2020 FX2 extended cab with only 17,000 miles. Truck only sees summer time duty. Half those miles have been pulling a 1,000 pound pop up camper. Replaced them with Bilstein 4600 series. After seeing what crap the rears are, I now want to do the fronts…

You could hear fluid in the driver side also

I want to upgrade my shocks all around. I got the BDS 3" lift / level and left the stock shocks up front. On bumpy roads (6"-9" rocks), the truck rocks side to side violently. It is horrid. I was thinking external reservoir but they all seem to say tear it down and rebuild every 10K miles, REALLY? I will go to a longer shock / coilover replacement so I can get more travel up front. So, Who makes the beefiest shock for this truck?

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[fusseli]

I want to upgrade

I want to upgrade my shocks all around. I got the BDS 3" lift / level and left the stock shocks up front. On bumpy roads (6"-9" rocks), the truck rocks side to side violently. It is horrid. I was thinking external reservoir but they all seem to say tear it down and rebuild every 10K miles, REALLY? I will go to a longer shock / coilover replacement so I can get more travel up front. So, Who makes the beefiest shock for this truck?

I bet it does. Do you understand how suspension works? A 3” spacer totally neuters your stock travel. You get what you pay for.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

Ford really missed the boat on the FX suspension. Totally botched it. I have really happy with the Bilsteins but if I were to do it again I think I would go straight to the fox 2.0s in the front and rear.

I put the Fox 2.0 kit on as soon as it came out! From what members say, the Bilsteins are even better, but I have been happy with the ride ever since I put the Foxes on.

 

[jflogerzi]

I put the Fox 2.0 kit on as soon as it came out! From what members say, the Bilsteins are even better, but I have been happy with the ride ever since I put the Foxes on.

Bilsteins are a bit stiff imo. Great with a load or when towing but empty on rough roads you do feel a lot. Also another good options are the eibach fronts and rears might be a happy medium

 

[scarchild35]

These are off my 2020 FX2 extended cab with only 17,000 miles. Truck only sees summer time duty. Half those miles have been pulling a 1,000 pound pop up camper. Replaced them with Bilstein 4600 series. After seeing what crap the rears are, I now want to do the fronts…

You could hear fluid in the driver side also

I have a 2022 super cab FX2. I'm really interested in this. So you only changed out the rears? And it was a massive improvement? I was wondering about upgrading at least my rear shocks and I'm getting excited about this post because you have an FX2 and I'm usually seeing posts about FX4s so I wasn't sure about this kind of thing.
Would you mind telling me how much you paid for those and where you got them? I understand that changing rear shocks isn't a huge ordeal though I'd still pay my local mechanic to do it for me.
Any advice/answers is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance!

 

[Bob902]

I have a 2022 super cab FX2. I'm really interested in this. So you only changed out the rears? And it was a massive improvement? I was wondering about upgrading at least my rear shocks and I'm getting excited about this post because you have an FX2 and I'm usually seeing posts about FX4s so I wasn't sure about this kind of thing.
Would you mind telling me how much you paid for those and where you got them? I understand that changing rear shocks isn't a huge ordeal though I'd still pay my local mechanic to do it for me.
Any advice/answers is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance!

The Bilstein 4600 are around $90 each. They are really easy to change out. You can do it in your driveway with the truck on the ground in about 20 minutes.

 

[Langwilliams]

The Bilstein 4600 are around $90 each. They are really easy to change out. You can do it in your driveway with the truck on the ground in about 20 minutes.

I did mine in the driveway. I have had surgeries on both shoulders an I couldn't push the Eibach shocks up to get the lower bolt in. I ended up using a small floor jack to do the job.

I don't know how they rate in firmness....I hear fox is the softest but I don't know about the other two.

 

[Bob902]

I did mine in the driveway. I have had surgeries on both shoulders an I couldn't push the Eibach shocks up to get the lower bolt in. I ended up using a small floor jack to do the job.

I don't know how they rate in firmness....I hear fox is the softest but I don't know about the other two.

Work smarter not harder!! I have Fox on the rear and didn't have any issues with getting them on. They are definitely softer but they don't rebound like fx4 shocks.

 

[jflogerzi]

I have a 2022 super cab FX2. I'm really interested in this. So you only changed out the rears? And it was a massive improvement? I was wondering about upgrading at least my rear shocks and I'm getting excited about this post because you have an FX2 and I'm usually seeing posts about FX4s so I wasn't sure about this kind of thing.
Would you mind telling me how much you paid for those and where you got them? I understand that changing rear shocks isn't a huge ordeal though I'd still pay my local mechanic to do it for me.
Any advice/answers is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance!

FX2 or FX4 in the rear is 100% the same. Look at stage3 motorsports have all your options. Changing the rears to make a noticeable difference. I would recommend the eibach rears and then add the fronts when you can.

 

[scarchild35]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I didn't realize how inexpensive the aftermarket rear shocks are. I appreciate the input about the installation too but I've sworn off wrenching on cars after I sold my 2000 Ranger, right before I got my 2022. I did all the wrenching on that except for when I needed a new clutch and of course the windshields, of which I think I went through five during my ownership (holy shit, that's a lot). But anyway, my local mechanic is trustworthy and I'm confident he would do a good job for not a lot of dough. When I first got my truck I looked at the Fox 2.0 package and that seemed pretty dang expensive, to me at least.
As an aside, some of you have mentioned tunes, too, and I'm apprehensive of doing that and if I DID I would do the Ford Performance tune. Regarding any tune, what are your thoughts about how much of a difference they make and are you guys worried about the longevity of your engine doing a tune? I'm totally stock as of now and no I don't even have a damper, lol, but I want to get into it little by little.
Again, I really appreciate the help. This group is awesome.
Thank you all, I absolutely LOVE my truck!
And here's a pic:

 

[RANGER_MARC]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I didn't realize how inexpensive the aftermarket rear shocks are. I appreciate the input about the installation too but I've sworn off wrenching on cars after I sold my 2000 Ranger, right before I got my 2022. I did all the wrenching on that except for when I needed a new clutch and of course the windshields, of which I think I went through five during my ownership (holy shit, that's a lot). But anyway, my local mechanic is trustworthy and I'm confident he would do a good job for not a lot of dough. When I first got my truck I looked at the Fox 2.0 package and that seemed pretty dang expensive, to me at least.
As an aside, some of you have mentioned tunes, too, and I'm apprehensive of doing that and if I DID I would do the Ford Performance tune. Regarding any tune, what are your thoughts about how much of a difference they make and are you guys worried about the longevity of your engine doing a tune? I'm totally stock as of now and no I don't even have a damper, lol, but I want to get into it little by little.
Again, I really appreciate the help. This group is awesome.
Thank you all, I absolutely LOVE my truck!
And here's a pic:

Hey, Chris, I did both the Ford/Fox Leveling Kit and the Ford Tune and am very happy with both. I went with the Ford tune because I figured that they would not push the power into dangerous areas, so it is a nice improvement in power and shifting, and I am not worried about long-term impacts. Anyway, I do not tow or haul really heavy loads or otherwise stress the engine, though I do like to punch the turbo with the truck in Sport on the hilly roads near my house. There are lots of differing opinions on the forum about what is the best tune, and those guys know more than I do about engines, but I would do the Ford Performance one again on future vehicles, for what it is worth.

 

[jflogerzi]

Honestly skip the FPT and just drive in sport or tow haul mode first. Remember FPT locks you in at 91 or higher only and its questionable if the tune is safe for towing on a regular basis

 

[scarchild35]

Hey, Chris, I did both the Ford/Fox Leveling Kit and the Ford Tune and am very happy with both. I went with the Ford tune because I figured that they would not push the power into dangerous areas, so it is a nice improvement in power and shifting, and I am not worried about long-term impacts. Anyway, I do not tow or haul really heavy loads or otherwise stress the engine, though I do like to punch the turbo with the truck in Sport on the hilly roads near my house. There are lots of differing opinions on the forum about what is the best tune, and those guys know more than I do about engines, but I would do the Ford Performance one again on future vehicles, for what it is worth.

Thanks RANGER_MARC
I'm kind of the same, I guess. I'm sure there are other nice tunes out there but I figure the Ford tune is probably the conservative choice for me. I'm fairly knowledgeable about old school gasoline carburated engines and very knowledgeable about 2 stroke engines from back in my motorcycle days but these new turbo engines are out of my league. I do understand the concept pretty well. I'd just hate to do something that shortens the life of my engine, especially considering that I'm very happy with it as it is. BUT we have basically the same engine as the Ecoboost Mustang right? I know there are some differences but it's interesting that the Ford tune gets you about the same numbers as a stock Ecoboost. I hear people saying Ford detuned our engines OR tuned them with a lower torque curve because it's a truck. So I'm really curious about the difference between stock/tuned. Is it really noticeable? And you're really not worried about longevity? I have a powertrain "Forever Warranty" from my dealer. This Warranty comes standard on all vehicles this dealer sells...it's not a dry rape upcharge they try to sell you in the finance office. I'd hate to do anything to screw that up. Shout out to Dave Sinclair Ford. They got me my truck just how I wanted it and gave me a rebate too so I feel like I got a good deal.
Anyway, I really appreciate the help and the answers, thank you very much.
BUT, should I really go for the tune, haha? I just "found" some extra dough if you know what I mean. And I'm thinking of getting Eibachs on the rear too. Sorry to hijack the suspension thread but I'm really in need of good advice.
Thanks again
Chris

 

[scarchild35]

Honestly skip the FPT and just drive in sport or tow haul mode first. Remember FPT locks you in at 91 or higher only and its questionable if the tune is safe for towing on a regular basis

Thank you jflogerzi.
I appreciate the advice. Yes, sport mode is awesome and I've messed around with tow mode too and can appreciate what that mode does as well. I'm ok with being locked into premium fuel, it's all I've ever put in my vehicles. I put premium in my lawnmower even. Call me crazy but it's just what I do. I don't tow anything, I didn't get the tow package. I need a truck because sometimes I have to deliver bulky items to the job site and I'm also a musician (starving artist variety) so I need to haul large cases and what not but it's never anything too heavy. Or the occasional load of mulch for the wife or an appliance here and there...we've always had a truck for when we need it, and this is an awesome one for sure. I'm just curious about what I might be missing, that's all. If you don't think the tune makes much of a difference, that's cool. I'm kind of trying to see what everyone's opinion is and I appreciate all of them.
I don't want to jeopardize the longevity of my engine so if enough people encourage me not to get a tune I probably won't get one. I'm super happy with the stock performance. Just wondering how much more you get out of the tune.
And in honor of the original thread before I derailed it into this tuning nonsense, I'm going to order some Eibachs for the rear. Of that, you guys DO have me convinced I need to upgrade the suspension a little bit.
Thanks again,
C

 

[scarchild35]

FX2 or FX4 in the rear is 100% the same. Look at stage3 motorsports have all your options. Changing the rears to make a noticeable difference. I would recommend the eibach rears and then add the fronts when you can.

Thanks for the advice. You guys have me convinced. Guess I'll have to spend a little more money, lol.

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