Which Monroe shocks for a 2002?

[Lukas]

Monroe shocks?

Trying to find out pronto which Monroe shocks will fit on my 1968 2002, if any. They are having a sale which ends tomorrow at the local auto parts place. They did not know and I phoned Monroe directly and they said they couldn't give me an answer.

Has anyone put them on their '02 and if so which ones (model # etc)? This car is going to be mostly a road trip car so I want a comfortable ride (no Bilstein sport shocks). One of the reasons I bought this car was because I know very little about the mechanical side of cars. So my knowledge is limited.

thanks

[PSloan]

Get some OE boges.

[Gordon]

Trust me, you don't want Monroe shocks. Look at the piston diamter in a Monroe shock versus one from a boge, Bilstein, or Koni. it's huge and it makes all the difference in the world. My former 02 had Monroe shocks and the back right rear broke. Replaced them with used Bilsteins and it made all the difference in the world. The links page has links to numerous 02 parts houses where you will find some decent shocks. Save your pennies for some decent shocks, you 02 will thank you.

G-Man

74 tii

73 Bavaria

70 2800

[winstontj]

Monroe shocks?

Trying to find out pronto which Monroe shocks will fit on my 1968 2002, if any. They are having a sale which ends tomorrow at the local auto parts place. They did not know and I phoned Monroe directly and they said they couldn't give me an answer.

Has anyone put them on their '02 and if so which ones (model # etc)? This car is going to be mostly a road trip car so I want a comfortable ride (no Bilstein sport shocks). One of the reasons I bought this car was because I know very little about the mechanical side of cars. So my knowledge is limited.

thanks

Was going to suggest talking to Dave Varco @ Aardvark Racing about used billys but you say you want the ride of a Caddy??? Well as Pat suggests - get OE boge or maybe try some Konis or KYB - Not Monroe.

Too bad because I threw away a perfectly good pair of Koni's not too long ago. Maybe someone will have something used but in good shape for you.

[ClayW]

I dropped around $400 for a set of Bilstein HD's a few years back and never looked back. This car sings on the highway.

If you want a comfortable ride, replace ALL suspension bushings with OEM rubber and get a new set of springs. Keep the wheel size less than 14", too. That, along with new Boge shocks will give you a comfortable ride. If you want a firmer ride than that, there are polyurethane bushings, stiffer lowering springs and heavier duty shocks.

Munroe's belong on sloppy American cars.

[Pierre]

(nt)

[napa02]

I sell monroe shocks all day and they are crap! I'm not one of those folks who belive that it must be OE BMW, say made in germany or have a bosch logo on it to work well on our cars, but you would be better served with something besides monroe. My choice for something not as harsh as bilsteins would be the KYB GR2's. The Gas-Adjusts are pretty stiff, but the GR2's are valved a bit softer. Don't have a catalog in front of me so I can't confirm if KYB still makes the GR2's for the 02. Back to the original question: The LE10051 is the last known part # for the rear shocks, I show nothing on the front struts. the rears do appear to obsolete.

[Paul7002]

Or Bilstein HDs. Last FOREVER, not too stiff, but not too cheap either

[Slavs]

We have a set of Monroe Gas Strut inserts up front. They are on a stock car, and they have functioned well for the past 10 years. I got them on sale at Sears (Both for $34). I still have another set (new and in the box), and I'll take a look at their designation and serial #s when I ghet home. These shocks have worked well with the stock springs. They are a little stiffer than stock, but not too stiff. I would say, they are firm and comfortable.

I would stay away from used Bilsteins. That's what I have been running, and I have all types of problems. The Bilstein HDs are very good shocks to use with stock springs, but don't use them with stiffer and shorter aftermarket springs. The rears will bottom out, and you will go around turns doing a wave motion, because they can't handle the stiffer springs. The Bilstein Sports are pretty stiff and work well with both stock and aftermarket springs. All of my used Bilsteins have problems. The HDs leak and are getting weaker while my Sports are stiff and getting stiffer.

New Bilsteins are Beaucoup L'Argent (Too Expensive)

Forget about KYBs. They were designed for off road Baja bugs which are expected to get airborne and survive. These are the crudest and stiffest shocks I have come across. Don't even bother.

The BOGE TS shocks are good with stock springs. These are the orange BOGEs, and they are the "TS". While BOGE makes gas shocks, they don't have any for the 02 (Not the last time I checked at least). Instead they offer the "TS" for the 02. These are much better and slightly firmer than the stock BOGE (Dark Blue or Black for stock). Don't bother with the standard BOGE, because you will wonder why they even bothered. These things are too soft. The "TS" Boge shocks are not expensive, and probably the best shock for the money. You ride will be firmer than stock, but not harsh. They are also about half the price or less than Bilsteins.

Koni shocks are very good as well. They are adjustable, but you have to remove them to adjust them. They are too expensive though, and the adjustable sales pitch is bogus because once you spend the day taking apart your suspension, you are surely not about to go through the whole procedure again bacause you feel you might want a slight adjustment. I've done it a number of times. The last time I went through this ritual, I chucked the damn things away. The Dutch can have their Konis, No Thanks.

Slavs

[Rastadog]

Forget the adjustment, don't lose sight of the fact they are very good shocks, yes expensive, love my Koni sports, 2 turns in from the softest setting for my street car.

[Lukas]

*

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I knew this post would get a reaction. I just had to check cause you never know. Monroe could make one decent shock in their line that is good. I thought they probably didn't and you have assured me that they don't. At 50% off it's worth giving the fire a poke to find out.

I will take all the advice you have given me and go forward with that. Your strongest opinions were for either the Boge or Bilstein shocks. I'll go with one of the two and if the girlfriend complains that the ride is not comfortable enough then I can justify buying some Recaros, haha!

Thanks again,

Lukas

[esty]

sorry you're having difficulties at both o2 boards...everyone here and there are just telling you what you need instead of trying to answer your question...

i ran monroes for 15 years and liked them...i may be wrong but look at their part number TS72829...if you have an old shock, take it and compare the size, etc...but i think that's what you're looking for

now my off topic comments...if you can't find the right monroe, KYB is about the best bang for your buck...i recently installed a pair on the rear and see nothing wrong with them for a daily driver

[K-Swiss]

I'm a big fan of "German cars= German parts, Japanese cars = japanese parts, American cars= American parts" Please put something that was at least OEM into the car. Otherwise your just going to be underwhelmed. A boge turbogas or something of the like would be a good fit. Monroe is just WRONG!, WRONG!, WRONG!!!!.

For the extremists like me I like my bilstein hd's and eibich springs in my 02 but compared to my e30 with H&R's and Bilstein sports it floats like a boat!

[K-Swiss]

I'm a big fan of "German cars= German parts, Japanese cars = japanese parts, American cars= American parts" Please put something that was at least OEM into the car. Otherwise your just going to be underwhelmed. A boge turbogas or something of the like would be a good fit. Monroe is just WRONG!, WRONG!, WRONG!!!!.

For the extremists like me I like my bilstein hd's and eibich springs in my 02 but compared to my e30 with H&R's and Bilstein sports it floats like a boat!