Leaving quad shock setup vs. removing

zachwabbit
Posts: 767
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2015 9:48 pm
Bronco Info: '93 F150 XLT, '89 2wd B2(Smurfette)
Location: Jamul, CA

Leaving quad shock setup vs. removing

Post by zachwabbit »

So according to 4WP, my shocks are blown, the rears feel fine to me so debating whether to replace them or not, but I'm going to replace the front in the near future with a leveling coil in place of the saggy stock coil. I've been looking at Jeff's Bronco Graveyard shocks, and Pro Comp ES3000 and ES9000, mostly because of price. So when I do replace the fronts, what are the benefits/drawbacks to leaving the quad shock setup and replacing all four fronts vs replacing only two shocks up front and removing the other two to have one per wheel? My Bronco is mainly a weekend driver and trail rig on 31s right now, may go to 33's. Thanks in advance.
Potato.
dtbback
Posts: 1677
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 8:45 am
Bronco Info: 1996 EB 351W!! First Bronco!! Plan: Prerunner/ Trail Rig/ SHTF All around Rig

Re: Leaving quad shock setup vs. removing

Post by dtbback »

Quad shock set up means that they will split the energy applied to the sgocks and take longer to heat up. If you can afford it. Now would be a great time for bilsteins. If not I've seen affordable quad shock set ups on Ebay.
User avatar
Wrightracing.net
Posts: 2199
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:58 pm
Bronco Info: 1972 Bronco with an 86 chassis, full cage and Long travel coil-over suspension.
Location: San Diego
Contact:

Post by Wrightracing.net »

I had ProComp on my F350 right after I lifted it and the did ok for about a year. I then put Bilstein shocks and it was a big difference in the feel and control of the truck. Now I have 70k miles on them and they are still doing a great job
zachwabbit
Posts: 767
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2015 9:48 pm
Bronco Info: '93 F150 XLT, '89 2wd B2(Smurfette)
Location: Jamul, CA

Re:

Post by zachwabbit »

Wrightracing.net wrote:I had ProComp on my F350 right after I lifted it and the did ok for about a year. I then put Bilstein shocks and it was a big difference in the feel and control of the truck. Now I have 70k miles on them and they are still doing a great job
What series Pro Comp's? And did they blow out prematurely? Why'd you replace them? Bilsteins are better quality, you get what you pay for, at least nearly everyone that runs them says so, only complaints I hear are about the harsher ride and the cost. However paying for 6 5100s or even 6 HDs right now isn't exactly feasible. Figured I'd run something cheap in the meantime as it'll be awhile till I can afford the other mods to fully take advantage of the proper Bilsteins
Potato.
User avatar
Wrightracing.net
Posts: 2199
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:58 pm
Bronco Info: 1972 Bronco with an 86 chassis, full cage and Long travel coil-over suspension.
Location: San Diego
Contact:

Post by Wrightracing.net »

I had the es3000, I think. They came with the lift kit. Yes, hey were harsh and felt like they got worse after running chase for the Baja 1000. I went to the Bilstein 5100 and at that time they had them on sale for $49.95 each. So I went to dual shocks in front. I just looked general prices, and it is only $30 more per shock. I understand the cost issue. I would just get some KYB or Monroe in that case.
zachwabbit
Posts: 767
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2015 9:48 pm
Bronco Info: '93 F150 XLT, '89 2wd B2(Smurfette)
Location: Jamul, CA

Re: Leaving quad shock setup vs. removing

Post by zachwabbit »

Yeah I'm leaning towards the ES3000s because I've heard hydraulics are better for low speed trail rigs than gas-charged shocks. I've got old Monroes on it right now, the rears are stiff (which is why I think they're not blown yet, only the front bounces around) but I don't mind too much, my girlfriend just doesn't like it compared to how her '07 Tahoe rides, but the Bronc will never be that smooth lol
Potato.
User avatar
Wrightracing.net
Posts: 2199
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:58 pm
Bronco Info: 1972 Bronco with an 86 chassis, full cage and Long travel coil-over suspension.
Location: San Diego
Contact:

Leaving quad shock setup vs. removing

Post by Wrightracing.net »

I have run Rancho, KYB and Bilstiens shocks on my Bronco. In the end I kept the Bilstiens. On the Bronco, I had the 10" stroke 2.0 rebuild able race shocks. They were valve for the front of a Ford Ranger as a single shock. On the Bronco I ran them as a dual shock. They were great shocks. I was able to get about 14" of travel but it was strapped at 13 in the end. The dual shocks were a single in the stock location and the second in a forward angled forward custom mount from AutoFab. This was a great setup for 20 years with 35" tires.

Now the Bronco is getting Fox 2.5"x16" Coilovers and a second dampening 2.5"x16" shock per side and the beams are going +3" per side. Shooting for 20" of travel, but will probably strap it at 18 or 19.

Image

Image
User avatar
Mesozoic
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 9:18 pm
Bronco Info: '79 Bronco: 408C-ZF5-NP205 SEFI-EDIS8; 4" lift, Dana 44/Ford 9" w/4.10s, locked
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Leaving quad shock setup vs. removing

Post by Mesozoic »

You can simply call Bilstein and they'll set you up with the correct 5100 part for your application based on lift and travel requirements. Much better than the Procomp stuff, for sure. I also had the Procomp ES3000 kit and the ride became very harsh after a few years.
'79 Bronco: SEFI-EDIS8 8.5:1 400M-C6-NP205-Ford9-Dana44-4.11s locked, 35s, lifted 4"
Post Reply