Tried the Monroe Reflex Shocks

flatlander · April 9, 2006

After reading the forums I decided to change shock absorbers on the 06 pickup to see if it would lessen the harse ride of the 4x4 regular cab. Guess I was expecting a greater improvement in the ride as I still find the thing jars me every time I run over a chuckhole. The Reflex shocks did help some, especially on a washboard, gravel road, but it must be the stiffness of the torsion bars causing the harseness as the difference in stock versus the Reflex shock absorbers didn't seem to make that much difference.

lrymal · April 9, 2006

Just being curious, what is your background on previous vehicles? Also, is your tire inflation at recommend specs?

ken1mod · April 9, 2006

That is a good point, most people have their tires over inflated. The pressure on the side of the tire is for full load. Lower than full load means lower pressure is correct. If you have larger tires than standard, you can correctly run lower pressures than indicated on door sticker.

We, pick-up pilots, rarely have anything in the bed. The sticker pressure assumes full vehicle load. We can normally run 5 or more pounds lower pressure in the rears than sticker when unloaded. While I do not live for a smooth ride, I don't like my teeth rattled out either. It beats up the truck too.

ken

rjirvine · April 10, 2006

Tire brand is very important to the ride too. After I put my Reflex shocks on my 2000 Ext cab, it felt "right".

lrymal · April 10, 2006

Tire brand is very important to the ride too. After I put my Reflex shocks on my 2000 Ext cab, it felt "right".

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One reason why I asked him what previous vehicles he had is that perhaps he had never had a 4-WD truck before, or perhaps this is his first pickup, maybe having only cars before. My '05 Z71 CrewCab rides very smooth...for a truck.

flatlander · April 11, 2006

No, I have had about 15 pickups during my life and drive a lot on dirt & gravel country roads, off-road too, in fields, pastures, rough ground. Still have two 4x4's and am comparing to my old 82 F150 which just floats on the same roads. My wife's Camry rides nicer yet but it is a car so one would expect it to. I have 30psi in the 17 inch tires (P-rated OEM tires) and right now have 4 wheel rims and a 5hp Briggs engine with a water pump in the back so it isn't a lot of weight, suppose the spray in bedliner adds some weight too. Think the extended cab models distribute the weight better than my regular cab but yet it is the front suspension that seems to be giving me the harsh ride. See that the next generation GM pickup will have coil over shocks and am wondering if part of that is softer ride, the same reason that Dodge switched to coil over shocks for 2006.