A big thank you -- and a little about my shocks

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James Hatch

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First, a big thank you to David Vinson, who's project here on this site I used as a reference!



I have a 2002 ST, and it is new to me, as of August of last year. I finally got around to swapping out my shocks, and come to find out they were the originals still on the truck. So at 157,000 miles..

I am glad to say that they have been retired, and replaced by Monroe Sensa-Tracs.



It took 2.5 hours, and my girlfriend's dad snapped the thread off the old front shock.



The nuts were rusted on real good, but after a lot of elbow grease, they came undone. And went back on easier.



Took it for a ride, and the difference was immense. Very happy with my investment.
 
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Great to hear. Had my Sensa-Tracs installed since 4/09 and they are comfy as ever. Some feel they are too soft, but they are perfect for my driving style and roads.



Limited Lifetime Warranty. Make a copy of your receipt since many fade away.
 
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I have my copies sitting on the desk now, and I'll scan them up and save them in my dropbox.



Also, here's the pictures of the old shocks I took out.. Notice that on the second from the left (vertical picture) at the bottom, that one is shorter. That would be the piece that got snapped off. :banghead: Thought we were going to have a tough time, since that was the first one we took off, but it went relatively easy, until we got to the bottom bolts on the rear shocks. Tough there, but it helps if you get mad and try, the strength just comes outta nowhere!



I think it was really time for those 12 year old shocks to go, and man am I glad I did it today, going on a road trip next week, so I am anxious to see how she rides. :driving:



sws, thanks for the tips, and glad to hear that yours ride smooth as well.



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Those look like 12 year old, 157K OEM shocks, surprised they didn't leak. Enjoy your "smooth" road trip. :supercool:
 
SWS, thanks.



All I can say is the front ones were harder to compress than the rear ones. (OEM ones, that is) But that was not the case on the new ones. I thought I was strong, until I tried to compress that. :bwahaha:
 
I have a dumb question will the upper bolts come out of the bushings for the rear shocks or are they not removable from the shock. Oh an there is another 12 yrs on they, just a little rust lol:bwahaha:
 
Spray some wd 40 on the threads once a year to slow the rust process down or buy an electronic rust preventer.Beach patrol vehicles in Australia are getting salty sea water on them so they developed www.counteractrust.com electronics. :cry:
 
They appear pressed in (notice the heads are round without recess for driver or wrench). They probably could be removed, if one were determined.
 
Gavin said:
Those shocks were crap the day Ford put them on at the factory! I can't imagine how worthless they must have been for you.
Click to expand...

When I had my old '05 I put Sensa Tracs on at 12,000 miles. The thing was flat out unsafe with the OE shocks.
 
I replaced mine a few months ago and found these great. What a huge difference and improvement in ride! WOW. Highly recommend anyone using the OEM shocks to invest in these and discover a whole new ride for your Trac. That and new wider tires were amazing improvements.
 
I replaced the factory shocks at about 30K miles and the front shocks wouldn't even rebound after I compressed them easily by hand! I have Monroe/Napa Reflex since. I now have 115,000 miles thinking about a change. Sensatracks?
 
I replaced the factory shocks at about 30K miles and the front shocks wouldn't even rebound after I compressed them easily by hand! I have Monroe/Napa Reflex since. I now have 115,000 miles thinking about a change. Sensatracks?
 
Rancho RS9000XL. Set to 6 in front and 3 in rear. I have 265/65-17 Revos on 17x8" rims (3.5" backspace) and EE anti-sway bar. Ride is firm, but not stiff, and responsive.
 
Thanks Yardsale. I use to have Revo's I now have Nokians on the factory wheel, I believe 265/75 - 16. Revo's were better handling but wore out completely around 35,000 miles and they got real noisy. I have the EE sway bar too, I need a quick release link for the off road though.

 
I included the tire and rim information because they affect ride quality and handling (primarily due to the lower profile) as do the shocks. Should have noted the rims are steel and the wheels are much heavier than the OEM setup.
 

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