An Australian Ford Ranger owner suffering chronic back pain is finding shock absorbers from Monroe are not only improving the ride and handling of his vehicle but also making life at the wheel far more comfortable.
Owner Simon Leonow says a replacement set of Monroe Gas Magnum TDT 4×4 shock absorbers has transformed the vehicle but also saved him from spending thousands of dollars to rectify the problem.
Leonow had never replaced the shock absorbers in any of his cars across some 29 years of motoring. He always assumed that OEM shock absorbers were fine and never questioned that a vehicle manufacturer would not be able to provide the best ride from the factory.
But afflicted with chronic back pain, he started to feel every dip and bump on a standard bitumen road, making dirt or off-road driving particularly unpleasant.
“I drove 60,000 kilometres in a new Ford Ranger Wildtrak with some occasional off-road driving, but given my situation I was looking for a solution, varying from just updating my whole car to replacing all of the suspension and fitting a Recaro airbag seat,” he says.
“All of this was to try and achieve a more comfortable ride during my daily drive to and from work, but also when four-wheel driving in the Flinders Ranges, beach driving with the family and during the regular towing of a jet ski, XL motorbike trailer, BX trailer or two-tonne ski boat,” he says.
But before he made any change, Leonow took the advice of a trade professional and replaced his shock absorbers with a set of Monroe Gas Magnum TDT 4×4 shock absorbers as the first step to solve his problem.
“I was absolutely gob-smacked at the difference it made when I changed the shock absorbers. My first four-wheel drive across some 50 kilometres of sandy beach was no longer a jarring and painful ride,” he says.
“The Monroes just soaked it up and smoothed out everything. I got out regularly and just stood up, no more hunching over and slowly straightening up after a big, painful drive.”
“My Ford Ranger performed equally impressively across some worn out dirt tracks and corrugated roads. It was totally different, the car had been transformed.”
Leonow says had he made the many changes recommended by friends, aside from replacing his shock absorbers, he would have spent thousands of dollars unnecessarily.
“I got so many conflicting suggestions from people to solve my issue and after getting simple practical advice from one installer, I just thought I will start with upgrading the shock absorbers and go from there.
“It wasn’t a big investment and I am sure that anyone would clearly notice the improvement the first time they go off-road, drive on a worn road or when towing something heavy. I just wish that I had done this a long time ago.”
Monroe replacement shock absorbers are designed and manufactured in Australia for a constantly expanding range of standard and raised height, normal load and heavy duty load four wheel drives.
Visit the online catalogue at monroe.com.au.
