How long shocks last?

[Goin 4 Broke]

How many miles before you change shock absorbers on your tow vehicle? I have just under 30,000 miles on my 2015 F350 and I can feel some extra "bounce" in the front end when not towing.

My thinking is that with many of the miles towing, the front OEM shocks may be getting worn out.

I am looking at Bilstien replacements.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

[RichR]

I put Bilsteins on my truck shortly after I purchased truck- still on and no problems. Truck was purchased in may '98.

[richfaa]

We ordered heavy duty all around and have air bags on the rear to keep us level .We have the truck inspected every year at a FordTruck facility and as of March 2015 we were good.

[DQDick]

Ours are inspected frequently but after almost 60,000 miles, most of them towing, the OEM shocks are still on there and going strong.

[mlh]

I put Bilstiens on my F250 at about 60000 miles. I couldn't see any difference in my truck in any way. I nephew works in my shop put them on his 2500 Dmax and said he could see a big difference. I can't imagine that my truck came with a lot better shock than his.
Lynwood

[sambam]

If you're looking for recommendations, Bilsteins are very good shocks, and a big step up from the GM OEM's. I can't speak for Ford. I've put them on all 3 of my Silverados.

[WeBeFulltime]

I put Bilstien shocks on my previous TV (2007 Ram 2500) at about 60,000 and they made NO DIFFERENCE at all. $400 parts/labor wasted!

Present 2012 F350 SRW 4 x 2 with 32,000 shocks are still just fine.

[Artemus Gordon]

I too got the upgrade on my last F450. I think I just replace the Rancho shocks with exact same units when current shocks need replacing. No ride difference on last truck and the Bilstein lasted no longer than my original shocks !

[The Bone]

Stock shocks shouldn't go bad that fast. You sure are driving that thing LOL
Depends on the roads that you drive on. If they are mostly pot hole roads than that will beat them to death. If you have the snow plow package than the springs may be stiffer than you would like.

[Art-n-Marge]

Shock replacement intervals have a lot of factors. I have over 120,000 miles on my original OEM shocks and there is NO sign of needing changes. However, the way you drive has a lot to do with it along with how much weight is involved. Consider rough roads, how fast you drive on them, and how much weight you are carrying during all this abuse.

That said, 30,000 sounds very premature, but then maybe you had cheap OEM shocks. My Ford came stock with Rancho heavy duty shocks, which are highly regarded by some for my application. The way they are performing so far satisfies my needs just fine. I might add that I check the alignment and other suspension parts quite frequently and this might just help the shocks out a little bit, not having to make up for a bad suspension.