Gabriel Ultra shocks, any feedback

I called a store today to get prices for new shocks, these Gabriel Ultra shocks were recommended at Auto zone...has anyone tried them?

They are quite a bit less than the Monroe...just trying to save a few bucks.

I have a '99 (2 wheel drive) rodeo...right now, with factory shocks, it rides pretty rough
I am planning to get new tires too soon, any recommendations there?

I was planning to have all these things done at once, if possible
tires, shocks and u-joint

any advice or warnings would be appreciated!!
thanks
january

I'll give you some feedback about my tires. Since I bought the truck, I've only put Bridgestone Duelers on it. I had H/Ls and the last set is the Alenzas. They are a very smooth riding tire on the pavement, all have worn well with sidewall dry rot becoming an issue before tread wear after 4 or 5 years. I have not had them offroad. They are a bit pricey, and I think the next set will be Dayton Timberline ATs, like I have on my Jeep (and Gizmo has a set), or Ramblin's Yokohama Geolander ATs.

A rough ride is just what you get with a truck based SUV. Shocks aren't going to soften the ride any. The ride stiffness has to do with the springs. The only thing shocks do is dampen suspension travel and keep the tires on the ground.

If your OEM shocks were rough, to your comparison, you will not like any SUV or Truck shock.

But, for what it's worth, I currently have the Gabriel shocks on my '97 4x2 Rodeo and I LOVE them. They are far superior in comfort, control, traction then the previous KYB Gas-Adjust and Tokico Trekmaster's - which were both VERY rough and horrible.

Surferfletch is right, I do have the Yokohama Geolander's, currently on 3 different trucks right now - and I love them on all 3. I am noticing that my diesel, with currently 25k on it's Yokohama set, will probably need replaced by the end of next summer. But it is a heavy truck, and I'll be happy if I can get 35-40k out of them.

The Yokohama Geolanders AT II's are currently being replaced with Geolander ATS - which I took a good look at, at Discount tire, as we were putting new tires on our newly acquired Tacoma. They look to have even better wearing capabilites as well as water escape channels, they are not as aggressive however, as the AT II's.

I have Gabriel XD gas Bruiser's and I've been very happy with them on the highway drive to work and trails rated up to 4. I also can't say enough good things about the Yoko AT+II's- just a great tire aired down for the trail, and not much noise on the highway either.

I too am looking to replace the shocks so this thread came at the right time. As far as the tire discussion that has crept in here, I got Pirelli Scorpion AT's about two and half years ago (stock 245/16 size). They are great. When considering the intended use/expectations, they are probably the best tire I have ever put on a vehicle PERIOD. If the OE Bridgestones are a "5" (middle of the road compromise for the factory) on a scale of 1-10, then the Scorpions are somewhere around a "12".

I added gabriel ultra shocks to my 01 Ford ranger about 2000 miles ago and got mixed results. The front shocks which are supporting a coil spring suspension with a control arm set up work really well. They manage to smooth out the ride and provide just the right amount of dampening that I sought for when I changed the OEM's. The rears however were a different story. Those rear shocks are so stiff that they provide nearly no dampening at all. They were so bad in fact that I opted for a set of monroe's already. I now have monotubes in the rear and am pleased to tell you that the ride is much better in the rear. There is no more axle hop when going over small bumps.