Advice Needed: Upgrading Stock Suspension (2006 XLT)

[Parhelion]

My 2006 XLT is approaching 200k, and I want to make it ride as comfortable as possible. It does tow small trailers once a year between IL and FL, but it is primarily a grocery runner. I have no idea what type of suspension I have. I do not think it is air ride, because I've seen enough air ride Lincolns and F-350's to know what the bags look like.

If money is not an object (and I do not want to replace it the vehicle, you jokers), what's the best option for the best, most comfortable ride?

EDIT: Also, are there upgrades to the OEM cloth seats? Would that make any difference?

Thanks,

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Bilsteins seem to be favored around here, at least for shocks & springs, but I have no experience with them **YET**.....but will soon, as my '011 is about ready for a complete front end rebuild.....

There are also Rancho's and Detroit axle too, but again I have not used either, so unfortunately I can't offer any 1st hand experience wit them...

However, I can tell you that my son made the mistake of having Monroe shocks & struts installed on his 17 Acadia, and regretted it about 2 weeks later.... after about 6 months of slack control, harsh rides and bouncy bumpity bumps, he had swapped them out for some factory parts and never looked back...

Please post back if/when you find something that works for you

 

[whtbronco]

You either have air springs or steel coil springs from the factory. Being an XLT it's likely coil springs. If you had air springs you'd also hear a compressor running for 2-5 minutes at every single start, that drove me nuts and was one factor i my choice to remove the air suspension.

My vote for suspension replacement is Rancho QuickLift Struts. They are Rancho 9000's and thus easily adjusted to 9 settings. This is what I replaced my air suspension with. They provide a very minimal lift. Can be adjusted from a super soft and squishy ride(1-2) to rock hard(9). I run mine at 6 up front and 4 in the rear, less weight out back. This provides the best compromise in my opinion between a firm ride that I prefer and good handling. When I tow a trailer, usually 5-6k pounds, I crank them all to 9 it helps provide much better control. I have put Rancho 9000's on each of my trucks for a couple decades now and always been pleased with the ride and handling. Bilstein is another popular option.

For seats The Seat Shop is fantastic. Good quality, easy to install and Made in the USA covers and replacement foam. They only make seat covers in vinyl or leather and vinyl though.

OEM SUV & Truck Seat Covers

Browse our wide range of OEM seat covers at The Seat Shop. From SUV seat covers to truck seat covers, we have the perfect options to suit your needs.

www.theseatshop.com

 

[sully963]

Bilsteins 100%

 

[Parhelion]

Thanks for the replies! I am getting into contact with a couple of shops to see if they are available to help me do this. I checked out the Seat Shop and the confirmed the cloth material is discontinued, so I'd have to go with Leather or Vinyl. Gotta' run that by my wife, but the prices were better than I expected. I also found a shop that will do the seats within 15 minutes of my house using their installer locator. So that was very helpful.

I ilke the idea of the Ranchos, but it sounds like i need to do some more homework between those and Bilstein products.

I'm really grateful for your inputs.

MW

 

[whtbronco]

Cloth vs leather and Bilstein vs Rancho adjustable. Both are very much a personal opinion/decision.

I have always preferred cloth seats, but with my age and failing body leather makes it easier to get in and out. I also hate to say that I never had cloth last 20yrs, but my 2004 Expedition has 310k miles and the factory seat covers still look pretty good with no leather tears or holes. Also consider watching the videos on YouTube from TheSeatShop. The Expedition seats are quite easy to recover. At least you'll know what needs to be done even if you decide to have someone handle it for you.

After having adjustable shocks/struts I would never go back to non-adjustable. Kinda like having a non-adjustable seat. That said I also don't mind climbing under to quickly rotate the knob on the struts either when needed.

I also agree with BigOleFordFan on staying away from Monroe. Which is odd to me since Monroe now owns Rancho. Anyway, the Monroe brand used to be good, my last 3 experiences with them have not been good.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

I also agree with BigOleFordFan on staying away from Monroe. Which is odd to me since Monroe now owns Rancho. Anyway, the Monroe brand used to be good, my last 3 experiences with them have not been good.

I did not know that Monroe owns Rancho....thx for that info....

I remember a few months after my dad bought a new '75 Torino 4 Door to haul me & my 3 (big) sisters around, he went to the local Monroe shop to have the factory rear shocks replaced with Monroe Air shocks, so when he was about to have all of us in the car together, all he had to do was stop by a gas station & pump them up so we could all ride around without ruining the rear tires... they were "da bomb" back then....sad how that apparently is no longer the case

 

[Parhelion]

So I've got a local shop that can do this work before Thanksgiving, has done some work for me before (bushings), I mostly trust them, but they will only install Monroes. I'm in communication with Bryan at BSG (YouTube: FordTechMakuloko) whom I usually have work on the Expy and he can do the Ranchos, but hasn't confirmed his availability before turkey day.

Are the Ranchos really worth waiting for? Keep in mind, I'm on original coils and struts at 200k. I feel like installing *anything* will be an immediate improvement.

Thoughts?

UPDATE: BSG got back to me. I've found the Rancho parts and will have them all by end of this week. Just working on scheduling the install. I'm looking forward to it. Will update here once they are installed and alignment is done. Will also update after we get back from the family Thanksgiving road trip.

 

[JayB66]

I'm also looking at upgrades to my '09 XLT. I haven't a clue what's installed currently.

 

[Parhelion]

I meant to post an update but for some reason it didn't actually post. So I ended up having to source the QuickLifts from all over the country through O'Reilly, but they got them for me before Thanksgiving. My wife, who is very sensitive to bumps on the road, loved them immediately. I had the tech install them with their lowest setting, "3", and it made the trip down to TN so much smoother. I must say, I also installed a Thule hitch-based storage unit, adding significant weight to the rear, and making the truck ride even smoother. So I am glad I listened to advice and went with the Ranchos.

I'm now driving it around 3 months later, and the struts and coils have had time to "settle". Railroad tracks and potholes no longer cause my wife and I to wince before we go over them. Thanks again to everyone on this thread for your replies.

MW