Replacement Shocks
 

My 07 has ~40K on it and the rear shocks that came stock are simply awful. I've experienced wheel hop on many vehicles, but not until at least ~70K. The Aspen has steadily gotten more and more wheel hop over the past 3K or so.

That said, what kind of shocks are recommended? I used the Rancho RS5000 on my 03 Sport Trac and they were nice, but really, really stiffened up the ride. I've used Bilsteins and Konis on mid-90s Tbirds...but those were lowered with heavy suspension mods. Without breaking the bank for Bilsteins or Konis...what's recommended for the Aspens? I'd like to keep a smooth highway ride (with 20" rims, that's no so easy), but don't need it to feel like my Sport Trac did. Are the Monroe's good? I haven't heard a lot of good things about them, but they were related to different applications (off roading and/or high performance).

I know this is an old thread, but wanted to report that I had the same problem with bad shocks at 40k miles, and replaced them today with Bilsteins. The difference is remarkable. This is a highly recommended upgrade for those of you in the same boat. The install took 1 hour, and there were no problems with the parts.

Here's the part numbers if anyone's interested:

Bilstein HD replacement shocks --

F4-BE5-D910-H0 (front)
F4-BE5-D911-H0 (rear)

I did decide to go with the bilsteins a few thousand miles ago. They're excellent. Worth the $250 from shox.com. Just had to look them up for the Durango.

Shocks
 

A question for the twp people who installed Bilstein. I have read that on the rear the shocks are installed upside down, meaning the rubber boots are in the bottom. Is this correct?

Yes, this is common for rear shocks on SUVs/trucks.

Mine are boot up, but it doesn't matter. Bilstein is clear that the shock can be installed in either direction with no issues.

I don't like to resurrect old threads, but I thought this was appropriate. We just hit 40k on our '07 Aspen, and as stated before, the shocks were atrocious. In fact, I had a noise coming from the back when going over bumps, that I could've sworn was a loose sway bar bushing. Turns out the rear passenger shock was completely shot. You compress it, and there's no spring back. I replaced them all in about an hour with Bilsteins, and the ride difference is incredible. I installed the rears with the boot down due to the drain holes in the boots being at the top. It rides like a 5000 lb. sports car now. We're SO happy. It's better than it was new.

Also, we just did rear rotors and pads all the way around. They were completely shot too. Duralast rotors and Hawk LTS pads all around. Feels like a brand new car.

I had the same experience. You'll note after a few weeks (when the euphoria of not bouncing down the street wears off) that the shocks are pretty firm, particulary on the rear when there's not a lot of weight back there. We went on a road trip with lots of luggage back there, and the ride was AMAZING. The shocks are set up in favor of handling a load at the expense of unloaded ride quality, IMO.

Would Monroe Reflex be a "happy medium"? Anything would be better than stock. I only have 14K on my Aspen, but the OEM shocks are way too cushy/wishy-washy. Monroe has "buy 3 get 1 free" now.

I put the Reflex on my 06 Durango (50K at change) about 10K ago and on my Aspen (40K at change) about 1K ago. I really like them, to me they were a happy medimum between good control and a comfortable ride. The ride is much more controlled, both in bumps on the road (eliminated my rear wheel hop) and much much less dive in the corners. I think they ride just fine on normal roads (comfort wise) but offer a much more responsive and secure ride in the corners and over the bumps.