Monroe Strut units

Has anyone tried out or heard about the Monroe 171352 replacement all-in-one strut unit? I ordered them for my 1st gen to save a little money. $190 total.

Wondering if they are going to be a stiffer/bumpier ride than the bilstein/emu setup?

 

I;m betting softer and aslo won't last as long. Quality costs.

Try not to confuse firm with smooth. Quality is firm and smooth. Cheap is soft and rough. Might seem like a paradox, but quality dampers do both.

 

LOL... just had a set of these installed today (along with rotors, brake pads, center carrier bearing and alignment), but I don't have an opinion yet, since I drove straight home after the install - about 3 miles. They seem firmer, but the old Bilsteins had a 154K on them and were leaking.

Not too worried about how long they'll hold up, since I only drive the truck about 3000 easy miles a year and will probably sell the truck in another year or two.

 

i have them on mine i havnt noticed any difference really but thats just me.

 

Thanks all for the replies. @Devout, that is kinda what I gathered from sifting through the forum, and yes I was completely confused. I've never had anything really nice like fox or king or what have you, so I guess I won't notice the difference.

@TawcoTime I should have mine delivered by Thursday next week and then installed by weekend. I will offer my opinion. I'm betting that I will notice a significant difference from what is on there. My ride has 157k on it and I can see/hear that the coils are toast. The original shocks aren't even on the truck anymore. Like you, I drive occasionally, maybe 3k a year also.

Oh, by the way, I have Gabriels on the back, just looked yesterday. Nice shocks too, they ride nice!

$40 G63494 White Ultra Truck Shock, 1 Pack

G63494 Ultra Truck Shock w/ G force technology.

 

My '93 came with Gabriels on it. They seemed to work fine right up to the point one of the eyes broke off of the left rear.

The cheepo Monroes I put on my Bronco faded after 18 months.

 

Hmm that sucks. I will upgrade next year maybe.

 

Update: So a friend and I installed the new coil overs yesterday. Piece of cake by the way. I think it only took about 45 minutes total.

My opinion is that the Monroe QuikStrut unit is a little soft. By soft I mean, really soft. That can be a good thing if I wanted a softer ride. I was really hoping to stiffen the front end up a lot but this wasn't the solution. Anyone know what would be best to really make the suspension tighter/harder?

 

Don't despair; These could have been cheepo's made for a LARGE parts company as a special. YMMV.

 

5100 Bilsteins both front and back. I went from the yellow TDR Bilsteins to the 5100. Not even close, and will never put anything else on my Taco.

 

I don't understand why you ask opinions of what this setup will give you AFTER you order it.

 

Good point. Won't be doing that again,,,lesson learned!

 

That's interesting. For some reason I was under the impression that 5100's and 4600's were same except 5100 is height adjustable? Hmm, I guess I need to read more...

I put the 4600 on my struck yesterday. They are a lot better than the moroes but I guess that goes w/o saying. It's like comparing apple to oranges, two totally different products/outcomes.

 

@ THE Driver - Are 5100 shocks firmer than 4600 shocks?

 

^ I have NO IDEA, as I've never even seen 4600's. I used 5100's on my Jeeps, was quite happy with them, and saw that there are countless Taco owners that were happy with them also.

 

Are you running the stock coils with the 5100's?

 

IIRC, they came with their own. They were installed in Dec 2011, my memory is fuzzy about the details, primarily because I installed the rear shocks as a friend of mine was installing the front struts.

 

I was told by a parts guy today that 5100's are not available for first gen tacos. Only 05 and newer. A quick Internet search turned up only the 4600's.
my bad .... Found em, but a shady site. Anyone got a link for them at a reputable company?

 

wheelers off road or downsouth motor sports carry 5100s

 

The TRD Billies are not even close to 46mm like the Bilstein 4600's

The 5100's are digresively valved, unlike the 4600's

Either would make me happy, but in my case, the more zoot 5100's actually cost me less.