160K and I believe the shocks are original (black in color). Truck has a flat bed therefore I would expect that I have about 400 lb heavier bed than a regular long box truck.

I will be hauling a 32' (40' with the bunk) gooseneck trailer - 5000lbs empty, 14K combined weight when loaded.

I did some research, including this forum and pretty much decided on the Bilstein HD blue and yellow shocks. My concern is, will the truck ride like a hey wagon? Should I put the HD blue and yellow in the rear due to the weight & gooseneck trailer but then only put the regular silver colored shocks in the front since my front is not "really" affected by the bed & trailer?

Has anyone had both the Bilstein blue and yellow as well as the regular silver shocks to provide any insight on the ride? Please note I do not have a lift and do not have any intention on lifting the truck.

On a totally seperate note, if any one has ever installed versatrack in a Featherlite trailer, I would like to ask questions about the installation.


Thanks
SAS

 

I put the silver on my truck. It was night and day with the way it rode and handled.

 

If you're worried about the rear shocks, go with Timbrens or airbags.

 

I intend on getting air bags, probably the independent control.

Regardless of the spring in the truck, I would still assume the damper would / should be the HD.

Good suggestion though on ensuring the truck has enough spring

 

I am looking to install new shocks as well. Do the silvers make the ride smoother when running unloaded on a non-lifted, stock truck? I understand these are HD trucks but anything would help.

I looked them up on Geno's and they seem ok on price......

 

I ordered the Bilstein HD this week for my non lifted 4x4,along with the lazar smith trac bar bushing's and hardware kit. I will report back when i get everything installed. I have read the Bilstein HD and 5100(Silver&Black) ride about the same,only difference is the 5100's are for leveled trucks..

 

I had the silver ones on my 03 and I have the blue/yellow on my current truck. I did not notice any difference at all in the ride or handling of my trucks with these shocks but mine do not leave the road. Maybe the difference is noticeable when you go off-roading....

 

I've got the 5100s on the front and Ranho 9000s on the rear. The fronts work far better than stock, but are pretty soft. They give less topping out and less noticeable bottoming. Less skating around on rough surfaces. On the rear I like the Ranchos because, for heavy loads, you can turn up the damping and make them really stiff. The Bilsteins are velocity sensitive and, with heavy loads, just can't be as stiff. The Ranchos make a huge difference, over stock, on the rear. Much more stable and far less bottoming. And, on the rear, they keep the tires in contact on high speed corners that have rough pavement.

 

I just noticed that shock warehouse has bilsteins for 25%off and free shipping until 9/30. Thats a good deal. Hope this helps.

Jim