which shock to buy
 

I have a 2002 ranger xlt ext cab 4.0 . I replaced the oem shocks a few years ago with the monroe sensatracs and they where not bad while driving. In may 2013 i had to replace them again with new sensatracs. But these shocks are terrible driving on them they are not comfortable you can feel every crack in the road it seems takes bumps hard also. I was thinkin about replacein them with the ford oem motorcraft shocks to get back the factory ride that i loved when i first bought my truck. or should i exchange the sensatracs with the monroe matic plus. I dont want to spend big money on ranchos or bilsteins.

A lot of guys go for the bilstein shocks... I know you don't want to spend the money, but if ride quality is that important for you then they might be worth looking into

I would take bilstein over rancho any day

I tried to save some money by getting KYB monotubes, and I got what I paid for. They were great at first but are totally worn out after 10,000mi.

I've heard that the bilsteins that are specd for the FX4 are a bit softer than the standard aftermarket bilsteins.

Gas Shocks will ride harder than Hydraulic Shocks.

I replaced the factory Ranchos on my 2008 FX4 at about 30k miles with Bilsteins. Now have about 45k on the Bilsteins and they feel the same as when I first installed them - still has that firm controlled ride over the bumps in the road. And they're not all rusty like the factory Ranchos were.

You get what you pay for in shocks.

Bilstiens for sure. Well worth the price.