Seeking your expert counsel, oh wise Forum members:

I’ve got 108k in my 15 lariat 4WD and my wife, who has a bad back, is complaining that the ride has worsened. She requested I change the shocks.

It hasn’t been subjected to sustained off road driving.

Do you think it’s time for new shocks and would they help in your opinion?

Thanks!!

 

Change your shocks whether they need it or not. Your wife wants them changed, a happy wife is a happy husband!

 

108k I'm sure they're a little weak and it wouldn't hurt to change them but it might hurt not to.

 

Do you think it’s time for new shocks and would they help in your opinion?

Quite possibly - and yes.

 

Thank you all!

 

Yeah, time to change them, but the ride shouldn't 'worsen' with bad shocks; on the contrary. The ride would be 'bouncy', since the shocks lose the ability to damp motion when done, not the other way around.

 

Yes, the ride softening is the sign. Maybe you have changed tires to a stiffer sidewall? That does matter. Our oldest truck is a 2007 F-150 4x4 and it still has original front struts and rear shocks at 170,000 miles. Trusted mechanic mentions this about once a year, but they are not leaking yet and those front struts are expensive.
And this truck has many miles of rough unpaved roads on it. Maybe Ford factory shocks and struts are pretty good.

 

my last truck came stock with bilsteins. 15 years later they were still good.

 

I'm at 20k and my wife is already complaining about the bouncy ride from the under dampened rear shocks. Time for some Bilstein 4600's.

 

I usually change them out around 100K miles. Or before because I upgrade.