Monroe complete struts vs. Bilstiens with old springs

[shawnfyi]

First time poster, long time troller.

I have a 03 Expedition with 123K miles. Ride has been noticeably rougher lately. It has the stock shocks all the way around, so I am due for new one. My question is this, has anyone out here used the Monroe complete shock / spring bushing mounts kits? I believe its Monroe part # 171369. If so what do you think? I can find zero reviews on them anywhere. I was thinking of these or the Bilstiens. The rig is primarily a kid / grocery hauler and I occasionally get to pull the boat around.

Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[tallsville]

also check out http://www.kyb.com/.

 

[Stoned06]

I just replaced the shocks on my '06 with Bilsteins and love them. However, they weren't the easiest things to replace. The worst part is getting the entire strut removed as you have to remove tie rod ends and control arms, so you have to do this either way. Another bad part was the top nut on the shock shaft. That thing was rusted severely, and the threads were basically un-threadable and I had to cut them off. On your '03, I can imagine how bad they are.
If all of the other components of the strut are still good, I would replace just the shocks. If they are pretty rusted, you might consider complete replacement.