GEN 1 How to know if my shocks need a rebuild

[Druepy]

I recently bought a raptor with 109K miles. I bought it from a dealership so the history on the previous shock rebuilds is unknown. The truck is on the mid-perch so I am guessing they might have been rebuilt once? I'm trying to figure out if they need to build rebuilt or not. I haven't driven any other raptor so I have nothing to compare it to. And it is my understanding that mid-perch make the right a little more harsh so that adds another layer to it. The reason I am looking into this topic is that the ride just isn't what I expected. It is not bad, I have always had cars with stiff rides, it just doesn't absorb bumps like I thought it would. I haven't seen any visible leaking. any suggestion to identifying whether they need to be rebuilt or not? I almost just want to do it to clean slate the truck.

 

[xrocket21]

Raptors are soft, they definitely ride different.

"Go faster, it will smooth it out" is a valid description.

Best way to know if they are blown is by feel which requires some experience.

There are two suspension components, the shock (dampener) and the spring. The spring obviously makes it move/bounce and the shock dampens/slows that movement. Springs with no shocks would be very bouncy. Instead of hitting a bump and absorbing it, it will hit a bump, and then bounce slowly smaller and small, like aftershocks in an earthquake.

So look for the feeling of it continuing to bounce.

If any of that makes sense? it is a bit hard to describe....

 

[Druepy]

Raptors are soft, they definitely ride different.

"Go faster, it will smooth it out" is a valid description.

Best way to know if they are blown is by feel which requires some experience.

There are two suspension components, the shock (dampener) and the spring. The spring obviously makes it move/bounce and the shock dampens/slows that movement. Springs with no shocks would be very bouncy. Instead of hitting a bump and absorbing it, it will hit a bump, and then bounce slowly smaller and small, like aftershocks in an earthquake.

So look for the feeling of it continuing to bounce.

If any of that makes sense? it is a bit hard to describe....

Yes I understand. Really it takes someone knowing what the rebound should feel like vs a shock that needs to be rebuilt. It's that part of it that I am struggling with, I don't really know what the ride is like on shocks that have recently rebuilt. I'll just start flagging down other raptor drivers to do comparison with. I feel like a shop is just going to say yep they need a rebuild. I might as well rebuild them just for piece of mind

 

[Ruger]

An old school test is to jump up and down on each corner of the vehicle. When you quit, the vehicle should immediately return to top dead center. If it keeps moving, the shock at that corner needs to be replaced.

Tire wear is also an indicator. A wear patter called "cupping" indicates that the tire is bouncing down the road rather than rolling, and that is a sure fire indicator that the shock at that tire is blown. Unfortunately, it takes a while for that wear pattern to be noticeable.

 

[Druepy]

An old school test is to jump up and down on each corner of the vehicle. When you quit, the vehicle should immediately return to top dead center. If it keeps moving, the shock at that corner needs to be replaced.

Tire wear is also an indicator. A wear patter called "cupping" indicates that the tire is bouncing down the road rather than rolling, and that is a sure fire indicator that the shock at that tire is blown. Unfortunately, it takes a while for that wear pattern to be noticeable.

I'll give that a shot and report

 

[Druepy]

An old school test is to jump up and down on each corner of the vehicle. When you quit, the vehicle should immediately return to top dead center. If it keeps moving, the shock at that corner needs to be replaced.

Tire wear is also an indicator. A wear patter called "cupping" indicates that the tire is bouncing down the road rather than rolling, and that is a sure fire indicator that the shock at that tire is blown. Unfortunately, it takes a while for that wear pattern to be noticeable.

I jumped on the rear bumper. It seemed to do more of a side to side shake as opposed to an up and down bounce. It did seem to shake for a while though

 

[Raven13]

Honestly with that mileage on them I would rebuild or upgrade them. Congrats on scoring a Raptor, lots of knowledge here, just search what you need to know.

 

[exx1976]

I would just rebuild them or have it done. There are places that will rebuild all 4 for $500 plus the ride. The rears are super easy to replace, did mine the other day in about 10 minutes. Haven't done the fronts yet, but soon...

 

[Dane]

For what it's worth, I'm at 83K miles and have rebuilt mine twice. Mine does get wheeled hard. I would be willing to bet you are in need of a rebuild. Probably best to just do it - then you'll have a feel for how they should ride. I bet you notice a significant difference.

Make sure to replace your front bushings as well. I'd also recommend the flutter stacks and valve upgrades.

As mentioned, your other option is consider and upgrade, but those are FAR more expensive.

I managed to pick up a stock take off set a while ago. Having two sets has REALLY made the rebuild experience easier since my truck isn't out of commission while I get them rebuilt. I picked up the second set, in good condition, for about the cost of a rebuild, so WINNING!

 

[40oz]

The turn around time for the shock exchange program from We Build Shocks takes a while so be patient if you go that route.