You can make your F150 shocks last longer by rotating your tires regularly and maintaining the air pressure of your tires. You should also track the temperature of the oil in your F150 shocks to avoid overheating and reduce your load. Moreover, avoid exposure to road salts and harsh impacts along with testing your suspension systems every 12,000 miles.
Is that all? Not really. Read this article if you are still confused about how to make F150 shocks last longer.
How can you make your F150 shocks last longer?
You can make your F150 shocks last longer by following these 7 steps:
Rotate And Inflate Your Tires
If your tire is vibrating too much, the additional stress put on your shocks will reduce their lifespan. If your tire has uneven wear or is imbalanced, they will vibrate when you drive on the road. If your tires are underinflated your F150 shocks will have to do excessive motion which can damage them too.
Rotate the tires of your Ford F150 every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Get the tires balanced once every 6 months on an average. Additionally, maintain the air pressure of your tires. The manufacturer often recommends the air pressure you should maintain for your tires. Usually you will find this recommendation in the owner’s manual of your Ford F150.
Monitor Shock Absorber Temperature
If you want the shock absorbers on your F150 to last a very long time, invest in temperature sensors. You could build your own system using microcontrollers or simply purchase a temperature monitoring system from the market.
Attach the temperature sensors to the cylindrical housing of the shocks with a steel braid. Do not use rubber or plastic braids as they could melt down. Connect the sensors to the microcontroller with a wire. You could then pair the controller to your smartphone. This can easily be done using only a bluetooth module.
Using this method you can read the temperature of the oil in the F150 shocks while you are driving. The temperature of the oil in the shock absorbers usually exists at around 40°C. If the temperature increases too much and remains high for long, you could decide to wait until the oil cools down.
You could also reduce driving in hot weather to make your F150 shocks last longer. If the day is particularly hot, you could drive at night instead since nights are usually cooler.
Avoid Carrying Extra Load
The more load you are carrying with your Ford F150, the more the stress felt by the shock absorbers. The load makes the shocks work harder and also damages your entire suspension system over time. You could also redistribute the load so that the stress gets equally applied to the shocks.
Road Salt
Avoid road salts in order to increase the lifespan of the shocks of your Ford F150. Road salt can corrode the metal of your shock absorbers, specially in the presence of moisture.
Road salts are used in winter to melt ice and snow. Do not drive when the salt is being applied on the road. Fresh salt is most likely to be applied before, during, and immediately following a snowfall. After driving on the road, wash off the salt buildup on the shock absorbers to prevent rusting.
Rough Terrain
Reduce driving off road so that the shocks on your F150 may last longer. If you drive on rough bumpy surfaces the shocks will have to work harder to absorb the impacts. The added work can damage your shocks quicker.
Additionally, the oil in the shock absorber can get hot from the repeated compression and expansion of the shock. This can make the oil break down faster and reduce the life of the shock absorber.
Drive on smooth roads where the shocks have to do the least work. Avoid poorly maintained roads with rough surfaces and potholes.
Harsh Impact
Avoid sudden harsh impacts that can cause structural damage to your F150 shocks. This includes avoiding driving over speed bumps at high speeds and driving over potholes. Road accidents may also damage your shock absorbers.
Test Your Suspension System
Test the suspensions of your F150 every 12,000 miles. To do this test, firstly, park your vehicle on a flat ground. After that, grab the truck at any corner at a place which is not likely to get a dent and bounce it. Release the truck and let it bounce.
If the F150 bounces more than 1 and a ½ times, get your shock absorbers replaced. Driving with worn out shocks could indirectly damage your other F150 shocks. Each corner of your F150 should be checked in the same way.
How Long Do F150 Shocks Generally Last?
F150 shocks last between 50,000 miles to 100,000 miles. The lifespan of your shock absorbers will depend on how and where you drive. Some people need a shock replacement after roughly 30,000 miles. Properly maintaining your shocks can make them last much longer.
When Should You Replace Shocks On F150?
You should replace the shocks on your Ford F150 if you notice any of these symptoms:
- Rear end squats and nose dives: You need to have your shock absorbers replaced if you observe squatting when you accelerate your F150. The car sags backwards if the rear shock absorbers are damaged.
Likewise, damaged shock absorbers at the front wheels can cause the truck to nose dive. Replace the shocks if you observe these symptoms.
- Uneven tire wear: Your wheels will bounce up and down if your F150 shocks go bad. This repeated bouncing will cause bits of the rubber of your tire to get scraped off. As a result your tires will develop uneven wear patterns on the tread.
- Steering wheel vibrations: If your shocks are bad your steering wheel will vibrate when driving. Your F150 will tend to slide when you take a turn or change your lane. This will produce poor handling and make your F150 difficult to control.
- Oil fluid leak: Oil leaking out of the cylindrical housing of your F150 shocks is a clear sign that the shocks need to be changed. The oil seal of your shock absorber has been damaged causing the oil to leak out. This seal can not be fixed and the entire strut needs to be replaced.
Damaged F150 shocks are rarely repairable, so you may need to replace the shock altogether. The cost of a new shock absorber for your Ford F150 can be anywhere between $300 to $330.
FAQs
How long do 4×4 shocks last?
4×4 shocks last 10 years. But this is expected only if you properly maintain your shocks and drive very carefully on city roads. If you, however, hit potholes occasionally and drive off road from time to time, your shocks may last up to 5 years.
Can shocks last 100000 miles?
Yes, shocks can last 100,000 miles. If you drive your car very carefully and do maintenance regularly, your shocks might last this long. In other words, you need to baby your car. On the other hand, if you tend to drive aggressively, your shocks will last much less.
Should all 4 shocks be replaced at the same time?
Yes, you should replace all 4 shocks at the same time. This will ensure consistent handling and response on all sides of the car. If you do not want to replace all your shocks simultaneously, at least replace them in pairs. Change both shocks at either end of an axle together. Otherwise, the new shock will overcompensate and fail prematurely.
Conclusion
Hope I was able to clarify your doubts on how to make F150 shocks last longer. F150 shocks last a very long time, but if you follow the steps mentioned here, they will last much longer. I expect that you got your answers to all your questions easily.
That’s all for today. Thank you and goodbye!
