reflex shocks installed

[robert broere]

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i can't believe how much better the trac drives.install was really easy .took about 2 hours.when i took the passenger side front off.the top bolt snapped .so i guess it was time for new ones. can't wait to take her for a longer ride.

 

[EddieS'04]

It is amazing. Makes a whole different driving experiance. The stock shocks a junk from the start. I put rancho rsx on mine at 1500miles. They are the same as the monroe reflex. I dont understand how some have stuck it out with the stockers.

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

Ahhhhh, another convert. If you are not going to do a lift, I highly recommend doing the front sway bar end links too; they run about $30 from AutoZone.

 

[George T]

Rodger (&Georgia)



What exactly do the front sway bar end links do?



GeorgeT

 

[FlipTrac_511]

Sweet. Yeah, I have these on my 04 since ~45K miles ago. They've been very good!

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

The end links are what connects the sway bar to the lower control arm. The OEM end links are about as bad as the OEM shocks, and made with plastic sleeves with rubber bushins. Whereas the end links that I replaced them with have steel sleeves for the bolt to run through and use upgraded bushings. Mine were bent when I replaced them. I highly recommend upgrading the front (AutoZone) and rear (Ford) end links on '01 and '02 ST's.

 

[robert broere]

o k sounds like the next project.front and rear end links and rear swaybar.

 

[JerryW Gilliland]

So....are the Reflex shocks the best for my 02 or is the Rancho brand better.

I'd like to replace them Tuesday when I'm off. I still have the stockers on there and the ride could be better. I'm the original owner with 35K on the clock.

I live in a small town, but we have an Auto Zone and a great tire and alignment shop.

 

[Tom Schindler]

The Reflex and some Rancho line are the same.



Depending on what you want, get the shock.



The moral of the story is is, no matter what shock you install, the ride improvement will be tremendous.





Tom

 

[robert broere]

it's like driving a new car.i can't believe just changing shocks would make that much of a diff.

 

[Tom Schindler]

There are still people here that thinks it will not make much of a difference.





Tom

 

[robert broere]

they are friggin crazy then.iv'e changed shocks on a couple other autos.and it was never this much of a diff.my grand cherokee had 100'000 miles on her before i changed the shocks.the trac feels like it lost 500 pounds.it is so much smoother i can't believe it.no more noises when i drive over a bump.and i almost was going to wait .thank god i did'nt.for something that is a easy to do as change shocks .you are high on the rock if you don't do this.if you think you can't. come over to my house and i will help.thats how much i think this mod needs to be done. o k the soap box is being put away for the rest of the day.

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

Jerry, The main difference between the Reflex & RSX shocks is that the RSX use poly bushings & a boot. The Reflex has a little softer ride.

 

[JerryW Gilliland]

Thanks, Rodger.

I'm having it done tomorrow.

I don't have any problem with the ride as it is, but if it makes any difference at all, why not?

I'll have them check the sway bar end links while their under there.

Jerry

 

[Bill Ellis]

Hey Just Some Guy, you will be amazed at the difference. It's not a small change; it's like night and day. I changed mine on my '04 at 2,500 miles. A pro mechanic cycled my almost new OEM shock and thought it was a worn out one from some unknown vehicle. Only then did I tell him it was a brand new shock from a brand new truck. He was amazed that Ford would put such a lousy piece of crap on any of their vehicles.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Caymen said:

There are still people here that thinks it will not make much of a difference.

Yep, it's unfortunate.



Unfortunately many people make their mind up about a subject based on pure intuition and an uninformed sense of how things should be. For them, 99 out of 100 people can tell them that new shocks make a world of difference, but they will dismiss it when they hear it.



Fundamentally I find this an inability in people to step outside of their current mental model of how things work and should work. They can't see past the opinions that they have formed and they aren't even sure how they have formed. Ultimately it shelters them from new ideas, new experiences.



It's very hard for most people to get past what they have perceived and what they think they know to be true.



In philosophy there is the "Allegory of the Cave", and it describes a dynamic that is still pretty true for most people still today.



TJR

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Bill E said:

He was amazed that Ford would put such a lousy piece of crap on any of their vehicles.

Just as amazing are the Ford apologists here that will claim that Ford did so to give the ST a car-like ride. If the car is "Mr. Toads Wild Ride", then I would tend to agree.



TJR

 

[Bill Ellis]

Imagine, putting weak shocks on a truck suspension to give it a "car-like" ride. What I noticed was that the Rancho RSX's gave my ST a ride similar to the Japanese cars; somewhat stiff, but very much in control. I was under the impression that those cars do have "car-like" rides.

 

[Tom Schindler]

He was amazed that Ford would put such a lousy piece of crap on any of their vehicles.

Lets look at something here. The stock shocks are not bad. They ride really nice on an Explorer. They are just too weak for the Sport Trac that weighs about 1,000 pounds more.



If you were to pull the OE stock Trac shocks and install them into a 1996 to 2001 Explorer, it would be a really nice cheap shock replacment.



They were designed to ride like a car, on an Explorer. Not on the Sport Trac.





Tom

 

[Jose Santana]

When should we change Reflex's I had mine for about 70k.... Should i be thinking new shocks yet?

Joseymack