Shock recommendation for 2001 Dak 4x4 3.9

From : hang fire

Q: the ol dak is overdue for new shocks. i run standard size real a/t tires not those tractionless goodyear rt/s crap make mostly short trips and the occasional long highway run to happier hunting grounds where i engage in short but serious offroading. i only tow and haul occasionally and nothing huge or very heavy. the local dealer recommended monroe reflex. in reading up on these i see some positives and a few bad experiences. they seem to be made for good highway handling on suvs and im afraid they may not be valved well for off-road use. i am also concerned about the rear axle bouncing around off-road with no load if it is made for an suv weight of rear-end. any thoughts or recommendations i can install my own if necessary. im not on a tight budget. hf .

Replies:

From : maccheeta

i installed rancho shocks on my 95 v6 4x4 dakota. i put the rs9000 adjustable in the rear two years ago to help handle a 1200lb pastime camper. i also installed the hellwig anti-sway bar and air bags. ive been very happy w/ the adjustable shock. i use 1 or 2 w/o the camper 5 w/ the camper. with the camper i also crank up the torsion bar 1 1/2 turns and put 80 lbs of air in the bags. the shocks are great but the 5000s up front that have been on for about 4 years did rust. and i have painted them to slow the rust down. the factory shock went at 30001 miles - just out of warranty. the ranchos are still stong now at 100000. the system performed well on a 10000 mile cross country trip. i also run standard size a/t tires. im looking forward to replacing the michelen w bf goodrich to get better clearance for the airbags because after installing eveything i could see that my rear axle is off center by almost 1/2. hang fire wrote the ol dak is overdue for new shocks. i run standard size real a/t tires not those tractionless goodyear rt/s crap make mostly short trips and the occasional long highway run to happier hunting grounds where i engage in short but serious offroading. i only tow and haul occasionally and nothing huge or very heavy. the local dealer recommended monroe reflex. in reading up on these i see some positives and a few bad experiences. they seem to be made for good highway handling on suvs and im afraid they may not be valved well for off-road use. i am also concerned about the rear axle bouncing around off-road with no load if it is made for an suv weight of rear-end. any thoughts or recommendations i can install my own if necessary. im not on a tight budget. hf .

From : dick puter413atyahoo com

reflex shocks work great now after a few ks and lots of off road use. great performance for $100 for all four. 97 5.2 4x4 my wrangler friends say great suspension i have never been in a better riding off road vehicle then dakota. i have owned & ridden in many others. the ol dak is overdue for new shocks. i run standard size real a/t tires not those tractionless goodyear rt/s crap make mostly short trips and the occasional long highway run to happier hunting grounds where i engage in short but serious offroading. i only tow and haul occasionally and nothing huge or very heavy. the local dealer recommended monroe reflex. in reading up on these i see some positives and a few bad experiences. they seem to be made for good highway handling on suvs and im afraid they may not be valved well for off-road use. i am also concerned about the rear axle bouncing around off-road with no load if it is made for an suv weight of rear-end. any thoughts or recommendations i can install my own if necessary. im not on a tight budget. hf --- outgoing mail is certified virus free. checked by avg anti-virus system http//www.grisoft.com. version 6.0.680 / virus database 442 - release date 5/9/2004 .

From : stephen harding

hang fire wrote the ol dak is overdue for new shocks. i run standard size real a/t tires not those tractionless goodyear rt/s crap make mostly short trips and the occasional long highway run to happier hunting grounds where i engage in short but serious offroading. i only tow and haul occasionally and nothing huge or very heavy. the local dealer recommended monroe reflex. in reading up on these i see some positives and a few bad experiences. they seem to be made for good highway handling on suvs and im afraid they may not be valved well for off-road use. i am also concerned about the rear axle bouncing around off-road with no load if it is made for an suv weight of rear-end. any thoughts or recommendations i can install my own if necessary. im not on a tight budget. just put the monroe sensatraks on my 1500. *much* better than the oems. i also drive mostly on road but with frequent light duty off-road work. if you are more serious off-roader i think these shocks would probably be too light duty. but the road handling is quite nice. smh .