Replacement struts

[longhorns794]

Hey everyone, any good suggestions on replacement struts? At 72k miles on my 2020 it is time I am looking for the OEM soft kind of ride so aside from obviously buying OEM does anyone have any experience with KYB? Not interested in bilstein 5100s, I have had those on other vehicles and was not a fan of the stiffness. Will also be checking ball joints and bushings while im in there and replacing any that look work or damaged.

 

[Dice Roll]

Actually bilsteins are what I would suggest after running their shocks on classics and pickups. Kyb is notorious for being too stiff. The set I had confirmed I will not be running them ever again.

 

[DieselMonk]

Bilstein 4600 are made to be stock ride equivalent, not height adjustable.
Bilstein 5100 are stiff, but are height adjustable.
I ran the 4600 in my ex F150 3l diesel because the originals were leaking. The ride with the 4600’s was no different than what it was with the stock shocks.

 

[JasonH]

I have KYB gr2 on the rear. No complaints.

 

[caddelma]

I have KYB gr2 on the rear. No complaints.

These are probably the closest i have found to oem, at least on my fusion. Higher quality over monroe or Gabriel. Normally rockauto has motorcraft for not much more than kyb.

 

[tj8522]

Maybe you can try the Monroe reflex’s, I’ve heard decent review on those and they should be softer than the billsteins

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Normally rockauto has motorcraft for not much more than kyb.

"Can ya smell what da Rock is cookin" ?

but yea, I've bought a lot of parts from da Rock at or below what most other places sell them for..

 

[Left Coast Geek]

Its been quite a few years, but when I didn't know any better, I put KYBs on a car, and was annoyed that they were bouncy in less than a year. on the recommendation of the shop I was bringing taht car too, I gave Boge/Sachs a try, the ProGas series, and those were awesome and lasted a quarter million miles. Now that was back in the early 90s on a late 80s VW Jetta, so none of this is really applicable to the shocks on an Expedition.

My last truck, a 2002 Ford F250 diesel longbed 4x4, I installed Rancho 9000XL, which are adjustable, they worked quite well and smoothed out the ride of that 9000 lb beast, but that was a live axle leaf spring superduty truck. However, I don't see any Rancho products for an Expedition, just the F series and Ranger trucks.

My Expedition has CCDs so I'm afraid I'm stuck with replacing them with more CCDs. I'm not sure how to tell when they are sufficiently worn out to justify the replacement cost.

 

[stilbo]

We’ve installed Bilsteins on Porsches, BMWs and my 2016 F150 but on my last two Expeditions (2015 and 2018) I’ve installed KYB’s on all four corners and love them.
The everyday ride is perfect. Not harsh and not soft.. very well balanced.
The Expeditions are also long range tourers and all day comfort is there.
Best value for the money and quality.
Manufactured in Japan so very high quality.
There are several backroads around here with short but a bit steep inclines that I regularly “catch air” at 45-50 MPH, at least twice a week with no problems after eight years.
I’ve gotten over 60,000 miles on the 2015 KYB’s.
The KYB’s hold up to that kind of abuse easily.
Being airborne and landing squarely with no drama is a blast with nearly three tons of vehicle…..
I do the same with the Bilstein equipped F150 and there’s no difference on impact.
Spend the extra money on Bilsteins if you want but the KYB’s IMO are the best bang for the bucks.
Don’t even go near the Motorcraft struts..
If they regularly fail at under 75,000 miles from the factory, they won’t last longer if bought on Rock Auto or eBay.

 

[tj8522]

We’ve installed Bilsteins on Porsches, BMWs and my 2016 F150 but on my last two Expeditions (2015 and 2018) I’ve installed KYB’s on all four corners and love them.
The everyday ride is perfect. Not harsh and not soft.. very well balanced.
The Expeditions are also long range tourers and all day comfort is there.
Best value for the money and quality.
Manufactured in Japan so very high quality.
There are several backroads around here with short but a bit steep inclines that I regularly “catch air” at 45-50 MPH, at least twice a week with no problems after eight years.
I’ve gotten over 60,000 miles on the 2015 KYB’s.
The KYB’s hold up to that kind of abuse easily.
Being airborne and landing squarely with no drama is a blast with nearly three tons of vehicle…..
I do the same with the Bilstein equipped F150 and there’s no difference on impact.
Spend the extra money on Bilsteins if you want but the KYB’s IMO are the best bang for the bucks.
Don’t even go near the Motorcraft struts..
If they regularly fail at under 75,000 miles from the factory, they won’t last longer if bought on Rock Auto or eBay.

Do the bilsteins ride the same as the KYB?

 

[stilbo]

Can’t tell any difference..

But, while the F150 and Expeditions have similar chassis and suspensions they’re still different vehicles…

Bilsteins are presently manufactured in Ohio, Germany, UK and China so it’s a toss up as to where they come from…

KYB shocks are presently manufactured in Indiana, Mexico, Spain and Czech Republic.
And again, it’s a toss up as to where they come from…

But the last set I installed came in boxes with “Japan” on them.

Pretty much most aftermarket shock/struts are going to be a higher quality than the Ford OEM units…

Suffice to say, the KYB’s work great, feel great and the Expeditions handle like 5700 pound Porsches in curves and twisties.

I’m 70, and 50 years ago I was a certified MOPAR mechanic and moved on into early VW’s and Porsches.. after a speeding ticket in a ‘Cuda with tall highway gears. I’ve installed Bilsteins from the UK more often than anywhere else.

And…
Don’t attempt to replace the shocks only…
Just buy the complete struts, springs and all.

 

[tj8522]

I recently came across an Eibach set for the Expedition; they now make the front and rear shocks alongside springs. These should ride less harshly than Bilstein.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

bilstein makes two different shocks, 4600 and 5100. the 4600 should ride like stock but last longer. the 5100 are more sports oriented and are usually mated with stiffer lifting springs and such.

 

[sully963]

Bilstein 4600 are made to be stock ride equivalent, not height adjustable.
Bilstein 5100 are stiff, but are height adjustable.
I ran the 4600 in my ex F150 3l diesel because the originals were leaking. The ride with the 4600’s was no different than what it was with the stock shocks.

Another vote for Bilstein. I replaced all 4 factory struts with Bilsteins 77,000 miles ago and they still ride like the day I installed them.

 

[jimmyjess]

Anyone has written down part numbers?

 

[Trainmaster]

Just installed KYB's in my 2008. The lower spring perch on the OEM one rotted off and the spring dropped against the front axle. The set I got from RockAuto were made in USA. ($170 each) The ride is nearly identical to the original OEM, probably with some better dampening. Suspension height is exactly stock.

Here in New York, the original shocks were seriously rusted, and replacing parts would not have worked.

You may consider upper control arms while you're in there; don't even think of Moogs. They're garbage.