Anyone running Monroe SensaTracs on their X300? I'm curious if they are worth it, or a waste of time. I'm not a cheapskate, but $500 for a set of Bilsteins is a little hard to swallow, in light of the fact that I paid $200 for the car. Thanks in advance..

 

I drive for more than six years with Monroe Sensa Tracs. Very satisfied, even at high speeds.

 

you pay for what you get tho, i noticed one thing when i was buying shocks for mine xjr, the monroe doesnt have bushing on the botton of the shock where the bolt goes through. i went with bilstein instead just because of the quality. I forgot where i got then from but it wasnt 500 dollar for sure.

 

I care about ride quality more than anything. I'll spend the extra $$ if people tell me it's worth it. I found all four Monroes for $150 shipped. My best price for the comparable Bilsteins is $460.

 

I haven't had to change my shocks yet but you might want to check into KYB shocks. I've had good luck with them on other vehicles and they are reasonably priced.

 

I put KYBs on my BMW 633CSi (widely considered sacrilege by diehard BMW enthusiasts). I liked them, but ride quality was not a concern then. For the X300, KYBs only run about $100 less than the Bilsteins.

 

Rock Auto has the Bilsteins for $356 for a set of 4.

 

Well,the problem seems to be with pricing for some of us. Sometimes people purchase a part because they think they're saving alot of money ($100) but you also have to look at it this way.....even though they may be $100 more,it's really not that much money per shock when you look at the quality,ride and the fact that they usually last longer,so your getting more out of them over the number of years they are on your car.

 

i have the monroes,the fronts have developed leaking after 4 years,i replaced them with bilstein b-6,the rears are now clunking,so i will replace the also with bilsteins

 

I don't know if there is a direct interchange for the X300, but the Monroe Severe Service shocks might be a good inexpensive alternative. These are Monroe's heavy duty commercial shock, designed for police, taxi and other HD vehicles.

They are popular for other full sized cars like Impala/Caprice where handling improvements are desired on a budget, and I was very pleased with their performance on my Buick Roadmaster that I had replaced the suspension with police springs and sway bars.

Again, not sure if there is a SS model that fits the X300, but might be worth looking into.

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I have decided to spend the extra money on the Bilsteins. For less than $370 shipped (Rock Auto) it's just not worth it to cheap out on such a vital component, IMO.

 

That's a good deal, and you'll be happier.

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I've posted this a few times before, but 4 years ago I tried KYB adjust-a-gas (I think they're called) on the Daimler 6 front end. They were dreadful,crashing through every small road bump. I thought the dash would break off and the windscreen crack. So I had the original Bilsteins be built, and they are great.
If I ever needed new shocks, I'd rebuild the originals again. Or source the correct Bilsteins. That is a big part of why we like our Jags

 

I have kyb front shocks far superior as far as performance goes for turn in response and what not but yes they definitely feel road conditions a lot more mind you I have the whole front kit from powerflex also and poly upper shock bushes.

 

Purchase front and rear Monroe shock for my x300, both front and rear came in brown boxes boxes not not blue-white Monroe boxes and where marked Made in Belguim as was the stamp embossed on the shock body. They had added a fairly stiff ride, my 60 km. commute has about 20 km. of good secondary road that is fun to drive with few houses and very curvy. I like them. I still have all 4 original Bilsteins. but cannot find someone to service in eastern Canada. The price of Bilsteins her in Canada is about $800 even with shipping, and usually more. The Monroe's came with all busing etc.


Jiffy96 1996 VDP
76,254 miles
Green

 

And to echo... if you have the ability and time, some of the Bilsteins are rebuildable by Bilstein. As of a couple years ago I confirmed that the rear OEM Bilsteins were, and I think the way to tell was if the seal around the piston shaft was a nut or crimped. If crimped they could not be rebuilt. But Bilstein could tell you if you provided the part number stamped on the shock.

But in the end, it was more economical to replace them with new for me. I think the cost to rebuild was about half the shock cost, but you got all new bushings with the new shock and you're still using a 20 year old shock body. So I opted to just buy new ones.

...and the prices have come way down too. I think I recall there was a fire or something that impacted Bilstein production around the time I bought mine a few years ago, but I've noticed the prices have come down lately.

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