I can only speak to the rear shocks since I upgraded everything else at one time. I ran the stock rear shocks for awhile and it was drivable at least. After finally upgrading the rear shocks to some Icons, I noticed less dive under braking, less roll during cornering and less squat during acceleration. Combine that with the extra wheel travel and it's all around much better! It honestly surprised me to see how much of a difference changing only the rear shocks made. You can ride around for awhile on the stock ones just fine, but I'd replace the shocks when possible. I just waited until I found a good deal.