Your truck’s shock absorbers are the main component responsible for its smooth and comfortable ride.
Shock absorbers are the links between your vehicle’s wheel hub and the chassis, and they dampen irregularities on the road like potholes and rocks. Shocks also prevent your vehicle’s chassis from swaying when cornering.
Aside from everyday livability and comfort, the shock absorbers play a key role in your truck’s stability when accelerating, braking, and cornering. Having a good set of shock absorbers is critical because it allows your truck to traverse different terrain with safety and confidence.
Want to get better shocks for your truck? Choosing a shock absorber can be challenging, given that there’s a wide array of brands and models to choose from. That said, in this list, we’ll give you a list of the best shocks for trucks at various price points so that you can find the right shock for your budget.
Fox Racing 2.0 Performance Series
Fox is one of the go-to brands for top-quality shock absorbers for trucks because of its great reputation. It’s the go-to choice for many racing teams, and some truck manufacturers even have their shock absorbers as a dealer option.
Most trucks with stock shock absorbers have a spongy ride with a lot of body roll, giving drivers an unstable feeling when cornering.
Users report that installing a set of Fox Racing 2.0 Performance series shock absorbers immediately stiffens up the ride and prevents body roll to the point that the truck rides closer to a car. This set of shocks is for people looking for the most performance so that it can make their truck more confidence-inspiring.
Despite making the truck stiffer, the shocks also somehow enable the truck to be more compliant, particularly over large bumps like rocks and potholes. It can seem confusing to think that shocks can be both stiffer and yet more compliant, but the Fox 2.0 series shocks achieve this blend because of their vehicle-specific valving.
If you want a shock absorber that makes no compromises for occasional off-roading riding, this shock absorber is near perfect if you don’t mind paying for the relatively high cost.
KYB Excel G Series
The KYB Excel G Series is a gas-charged, twin-tube shock absorber that’s built with consistent dampening performance in mind.
KYB as a brand is known to bring high-quality shock absorbers at an affordable price. If you’re seeking out the most comfort, the KYB Excel G series is great when it comes to dealing with bumps. The Excel G series can also deal with off-road terrain, but it can be prone to body roll due to road undulations. These shocks are quite soft and are more focused on comfort, so they aren’t for people who want a balance of comfort and stability.
Bilstein B8 Sports Series
Bilstein’s B8 Sports series is pretty similar to KYB’s Excel G Series because of their similar characteristics. Both shocks are close in price but KYB’s Excel G shocks are a little more affordable. In terms of performance and ride feel, both shocks are a worthwhile upgrade in that they improve your truck’s shock suspension considerably. However, they vary slightly in terms of performance.
According to a user’s detailed review, Bilstein’s B8 Sports series shock absorbers are slightly better than KYB’s Excel G in many aspects such as ease of installation, build quality, and comfort at high speeds.
However, the B8 shocks don’t seem to perform as well compared to KYB in low-speed bumps. The B8 is stiffer than most stock shocks, which means you’re more likely to feel bumps and other imperfections on the road if you use them.
That said, the B8 shocks have a great balance of comfort and control on everyday roads, which means tackling bumps and corners at speed without succumbing to body roll. However, they’re not the best if you plan on taking your truck to an off-road train with lots of bumps.
Picking the best suspension can be a matter of personal preference. You might think that going for the softest possible suspension is the go-to choice if you’re interested in comfort, but going for a stiffer shock can be better sometimes. Slightly stiffer shock absorbers can handle excessive motions and result in a more stable and comfortable ride.
Rancho RS9000XL Series
Like the Bilstein B8 and Fox Racing 2.0, the Rancho RS9000XL shocks are much stiffer than what comes stock in most vehicles. The shock’s great valving allows it to soak up bumps with ease. It also comes with an adjustable compression control valve, which allows you to change the shock’s ride feel to your preferences.
RS9000XL owners have praised it because of its robustness. Some owners have already used the RS9000XL for hundreds of thousands of miles without any issues.
Despite the Rancho’s positives, there have been several RS9000XL owners complaining about issues with the adjustment knob. They say that the adjustment knob can get damaged by stones and debris, which can make the knob difficult to read and adjust.
The RS9000XL is Rancho’s high-end offering. A set of shocks for a wheel is going to cost around $170, which puts it right below the Fox 2.0 Racing series in terms of price on this list.
Skyjacker Hydro 7000 Series
Skyjacker’s Hydro 7000 series is the most affordable shock absorber on this list. However, its affordable price doesn’t mean it has inferior performance compared to the others.
Overall, some owners found that the Hydra shocks offer improved ride quality over stock offerings, especially if you’re going to replace old worn-out shocks. The Hydro 7000’s low price makes it an attractive option for people who don’t want to spend more than what it would usually cost to replace a set of shock absorbers.
When picking the best shocks for your trucks, you need to ask yourself whether you want comfort, stability, or performance. Most shock absorbers can’t be a jack of all trades. Hence, you need to pick the shock absorber that prioritizes the characteristics that you want. You also need to take into account your budget, as shocks that have fewer compromises tend to cost more. Overall, most of the shock absorbers in this list have been used by enthusiasts for years. You won’t go wrong in choosing any of the aforementioned product series in this list.
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