Hey guys, I have a question. I have an 06 Ranger 4WD that I just did upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends, and shocks all the way around on. When I first bought the truck, I cranked the torsion bars to level it. I never had any issues with the ride ever (close to 100K since cranking), and everything was stock including the shocks. Well today I installed some cheapie Monroe shocks, and the truck is pretty bad going over bumps. It bounces pretty bad front to back when I hit a bump, it looks like it has a ricer bounce. Im just wondering if I need to go to a stiffer shock. Even the worn out OEM shocks didn't ride like this. I didn't change anything with the torsion bars but it rides pretty bad now. The rear end travels up and down like stock, but I can barely get the front end to bounce when I push down on the front bumper which is normal considering that the bars are cranked. Im just wondering if the shocks are TOO soft, and this is causing the truck to buck over bumps....

 

It may be the shocks are too short and are reaching the maximum extension when going over bumps. This is a problem that you encounter if the torsion bars are cranked too much.

 

Shock absorbers work in two cycles -- the compression cycle and the extension cycle. The compression cycle occurs as the piston moves downward, compressing the hydraulic fluid in the chamber below the piston. The extension cycle occurs as the piston moves toward the top of the pressure tube, compressing the fluid in the chamber above the piston. A typical car or light truck will have more resistance during its extension cycle than its compression cycle. With that in mind, the compression cycle controls the motion of the vehicle's unsprung weight, while extension controls the heavier, sprung weight.

 

What Monroe shocks did you install? Sensa tracs have a decent ride. You also may have been use to the soft ride when your suspension was worn out.

 

I replaced my front shocks with Monroe-Matic Plus. I found them too bouncy, returned them (to O'Reilly Auto Parts) and replaced with Monroe Sensa-Trac shocks, which were satisfactory. Now I'd like to find some adjustable shocks!