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The wheels are reinstalled and the truck is lowered down into place. We are ready to roll!
After installing the shocks, I took the truck out for a spin and could feel the difference before even pulling out of our parking lot! The first thing I noticed was that a lot of the road vibrations that I had tuned out from driving it on stock suspension, had disappeared. I had a friend who rode with me to the shop earlier that day, and then after the shocks were installed, she commented on how much easier it was for her to do her makeup while I was driving home (don't try that at home, kids).
When driving the truck harder, I noticed that it reduced body roll and brake dive greatly. The truck was much more stable at speed and had a faster response to steering input. Best of all, there was less tire screech and understeer. The truck had a more “on rails” feeling while cornering.
I didn't tell my dad, who doesn't know anything about cars or driving, that I had installed the shocks on the truck and asked him if he noticed anything different on the truck after driving it for a week or so. He also mentioned that it felt “different” and less bumpy on the road.
This means even to the untrained and unengaged driver, there were good, noticeable changes in drivability. Now I'm actually looking forward to spending countless hours towing the racecar to the track in my dad's F-150.
