Advise me on suspension

[Lefty]

I need suspension advice. I'm due for another upgrade. I think. Mine is a lowered two thousand three Ford Edge two wheel drive. I replaced the two inch lift blocks in the back with one inch and cranked down the front end as far as I could (about a half inch) in order to improve handling. I've got some nice oversized Coopers. I'm very happy...all except my front end needs new ball joints and new shocks again. It's been only two or three years. My mechanic told me that's about parr for the course up here in Minnesota. The roads I drive are salty, rough, and full of potholes. I go off road too.

Is there some sort of A arm/ball joint upgrade that is a little beefier? What do you recommend?

Are there better shock absorbers? Longer lasting? People here seem to love Billsteins.. Aren't they about the same as Monroes?

Also, the original rear shocks are beginning to leak. I'm think adjustables might be nice. Sometimes I haul heavy loads. Maybe the kind which come with coil springs?

 

[4x4junkie]

I wish I could tell you what a good brand of ball joint is anymore... There's been so much turnover (parts companies being sold/bought/sold/bought) in the last decade or two that all the ones that were good are either gone, or maybe are under names I don't recognize anymore (the only one I can be somewhat confident in recommending is the original Motorcraft brand, if you can find them).
I've also occasionally seen guys say Mevotech TTX stuff was working well for them, but I've no personal experience.

As for shocks... Bilstein is worlds ahead of stuff like Monroe (Monroe is like a stock-upgrade shock where Bilstein is more performance-orientated), If Bilstein is within budget, definitely go with them. KYB may be a good option too (might also be a slight bit less $$$ than Bilstein). I've had KYB "Gas-A-Just" shocks in the past and they were good as well.

For a bit of extra load-carrying ability, you might look into Roadmaster Active Suspension (RAS). I've not used it personally, but I've heard many good reviews on it over the years, and is easy to install & adjust.

 

[Lefty]

Well for sure, I've learned my lesson on shocks. I'm thinking Bilstein or KYB.

I will check out your other suggestions.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I would personally stay away from the shocks with a helper spring. While they might help a bit with a heavy load... in my experience they're not good shocks.

You would be better off with good shocks and an AirLift system for the times you're running heavy.

Last time I bought chassis parts... I went with Moog. They went global too... but i check the country of origin. I try to stay away from the China stuff.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Well for sure, I've learned my lesson on shocks. I'm thinking Bilstein or KYB.

I will check out your other suggestions.

Most of my stuff runs bilstein. They're about as good as you get without going to something like Fox or serious aftermarket performance. Your ride will become noticeably more bumpy, but handling does slightly improve, as much as a shock can actually make handling improve.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Personally, I’ve just gone to Autozone for stuff like ball joints, control arms, brakes, etc. That stuff usually has a “lifetime” warranty there which they explained to me years ago as “as long as you own the vehicle”. So in a few years when the part is roached I take it back and they hand me a new one. With parts quality generally being crap anymore, this seems like a good deal to me since I keep my vehicles a long time.

As for shocks, I’ve learned some lessons…

The higher end Monroe/Gabriel/Guardian/etc is better than the el-cheapo ones but a KYB is noticeably better than even the high end of the “factory replacement” shocks. I won’t buy anything less than a KYB now.

My Choptop got Rough Country N3 shocks. Light years better than the OE style stuff I had been using. My lowered green Ranger will likely get Bilsteins. F-150 and dump truck will probably get RC N3.

Those silly little shocks with the coil spring are garbage. Worse ride quality than the OE style shocks and they wear out super fast. Better off getting airbags, heavier suspension, or something along those lines. I’ve toyed with the idea of trying to make an overload leaf pack like the big trucks use before. Someone on here added coil springs in the back for hauling as well.


Poly bushings increase ride stiffness but are best used everywhere or nowhere.