Fox Shox.....that aren't meant for a van.

[BrianBlair]

Alright.....my 1993 E250 is getting new shocks soon. I would like to stick with Fox as I like their products and have access to wholesale pricing.

So, here's the question: They make a shock with all the proper dimensions but it is meant for a Ford Truck(Lightning, perhaps). Will the valving be different enough for me to really notice a difference?

My current setup is a pair of older Bilsteins so I have to imagine anything will be an improvement.

Thanks,

BB

[WeldTecDesigns]

The valving is going to be different. How significant the difference might depend really on how you drive and where. We lift a lot of vans and always do custom valving in the FOX shocks to increase performance. If your going to spend the money you might as well do it right the first time.
If your going to guess get something for a F250/350 that is closer to the weight.


www.weldtecdesigns.com

[REF]

what's your weight? Might be enough of a spread that the valving would need to be different. But, keep in mind that Bilstein does a similar thing and specs out a Ford F-150 shock for the front of the E-350 SMB with the Quigley 4X4, and a yellow body motorhome shock for the rear, so it's possible it could work. Give a shout to Agile, just be patient for a reply.

[Bbasso]

Why mess around with an unproven set up. Bilstein shocks work wonderful on our stock vans.
Bilstein Part Number: BE5-E205-H0 (33-176857)
Bilstein Part Number: BE5-H341-H0 (33-187570)
Less than $370, hard to go wrong.

[j.whitbread]

Originally Posted by Bbasso

Why mess around with an unproven set up. Bilstein shocks work wonderful on our stock vans.
Bilstein Part Number: BE5-E205-H0 (33-176857)
Bilstein Part Number: BE5-H341-H0 (33-187570)
Less than $370, hard to go wrong.

When i put Bilstein's on a while ago, I called them and spoke to a guy, his name is on here somewhere, and he got me these. Front's are off "a lifted early broncho", he said, rear's are closer to stock.

[MountainBikeRoamer]

To chime in on the Bilstein shocks:
I tried out two different sets of the Bilsteins on my 1995 E250 RB -- both the "HD" and "Comfort" versions of their shocks.

Tried out the HD versions first --- and found that the control/stability of the van was AWESOME. But also found that for the weight of my van (came in at 7000 pounds even, without gear), they were too stiff. Van was pretty punishing over bumps. It was like riding in a military transport if you hit any kind of quick speed bumps. I decided they carried too many trade-offs to live with. (It often felt like the rear wheels, in particular, were "skipping" off the ground when hitting a bump....accompanied by a rough "SLAM" to the chassis.....)

So out those HD shocks came.....and in their place went the "Comfort" version -- which I had shied away from at first, because it conjured images of a floaty, mushy motorhome for retirees in Florida (no offense, Florida retirees.... ) --- but i tell you what, these shocks are great for this size/weight van. Not quite as sharp-handling, to be sure, but they've been fantastic for long trips and for eating up the bumps when driving off-road as well. I would NOT call 'em mushy or floaty. Just composed and compliant.

Bilstein does have an awesome "return 'em if you don't like the ride quality" policy, which made this all possible.....so that's worth a lot for sure.

Just another data point for you, as you evaluate the options.