Greetings folks, I tow regularly, and I have about 50k on my truck. When should I be changing my shocks, and what are some of the warning signs of worn shocks. Don't want to replace them unless they need to be replaced. My tires are wearing very well.

What brand of shocks are you folks using ? I know Bilstein's are not out yet, but I believe Rancho meakes them for these trucks...

 

Yes, 2500/3500 Rancho's are available for both the 4x4 and 4x2. I had to replace mine about 2 weeks ago (all 4). My right front was blown after just over 22k. How I found this out was, I could easily push the front down and when it would rain I would get this god awful squeel. Once removed, I could take the shaft and pull/push it out/in with very little effort. I did'nt want to replace just one OEM shock, so I spent the $150.00 on the new set and installed them myself. Took just over an hour, could have done it faster, but I was'nt in a hurry. I spoke with a Dodge mechanic on Thursday about the shocks and he mentioned that he's seen them go about 18-20k. He also stated, it all depends on the shock construction. I'm much happier with the Rancho's, as the feel of the truck is more firmer and it does'nt waller around as it did with the stockers.

 

are you saying that you have 50k on stock tires and still have tread left??? I have 10k on mine and will be lucky to get 20k out of them.

 

I replaced my shocks just over the weekend, 7500 Miles. The stockers are very stiff and offer very very very slow rebound. ( I think one of them was shot, I could push it down no problem, one handed) I have Pro-comps (really who you buy from, there all made from 1 manufacture, just pick what sticker you want on yours) but they ride firmer, but are a bit plusher. I like them. Stock shocks dont' last long and as everybody stated your fronts will be toast soon, that Cummins is a lot of weight to sit on the front end.

 

this is what happened to one of my rear shocks while on vacation a few weeks ago. I hit something made of metal. I'm glad it didn't cut my brake line!

 

ive seen some dually owners getting 90k out of original tires with tread left

my rear tires wont last 1/4 as long as my front tires....

 

I thought you could get Bilsteins for the 3500 dually diesl application now. . What is KORE using? Are they re-valved gasser shocks? I'm going to need shocks like yesterday , so this is of some concern. What are the options for a dually?

 

I went to O'rielly Auto parts down here in Texas and got some Lifetime Warranteed Ones for my truck about 160 bucks. Asked the parts man about warranty he said as long as you own your truck the parts are good and I got that in writing don't know if there cheaper than Bilsteins but there heavy duty though and work very well. I know you gonna ask what brand they are and right now i don't remember. But if one is to let go I can get another at any O'rielly Autoparts store quickly. There made by Gabriel

 

Bilstein's are available for the 4x4's. The listing is actually for 2500 only, which is the issue. But when you look around you'll find that everyone uses the same shocks on both the 2500 and 3500 trucks. I've sold more than few sets to folks here, so far no complaints.

Rancho also has shocks for the truck (sold a few sets of those as well). I also carry Pro-Comp too.... .

I say you are much better off with the Bilstein's than anything else. Proven, durable, valved well. Rancho's are better than stock, but where the Bilstein's are high pressure gas mono-tubes, the Rancho's are hydraulic twin-tubes. Mono-tubes have bigger piston area which helps ride. They damp any movement, where twin-tubes take about 4-5 mm of shock travel to actually damp (and remember that if the shock has to move that much, the wheels move more before anything happens due to the motion ratio). And gas shocks are a lot more consistent since the gas applies pressue to the oil which causes it to foam much later than without a gas charge. Shocks build heat when they damp the springs.....

I tell ya, Bilstein's are a great shock. And for the cost of less than Edit per, I don't think you can beat them. And I won't run anything else on my truck if there is a Bilstein available. MHO

 

Yup 50k and more than half tread left... I drive about 100 miles/day, most highway...

How tough is it to replace these shocks ? are there any pitfalls I need to know about ? I got a price of $400 for 4 rancho's installed...

 

$400 doesn't seem to be a bad deal. Now, as for the Bilstein shocks, I was told that the ones listed for the 2500 will work for the 3500 (like Sam said) but...Gassers only! . I guess because of the front end weight.

 

Not true. Bilstein doesn't generally screw around. Whenever you have a listing that doesn't specifically say something like gas engine only, or up to X GVW the shocks are done to handle the the worst case scenerio. Anbody with "lesser" trucks gets an upgrade so to speak.

For example: The 94-02 trucks have two listings. One for trucks 6400 to 7500 GVW, and the other for GVW's over 8400. So they do pay attention to the different weights. In this case they either determined that the gassers needed or were not bothered by the extra damping needed by the heavier trucks. So they combined the lines.

So far there are more than a few folks running the 5100 Bilstein's, and I've heard nothing but good from all of them. Even if you subscribe to the theory that because they don't say Cummins, that it's weaker. There still isn't another shock that compares. In short, this is as good as it gets. Luckily, it's plenty for the job.

The high-pressure gas charge helps keep the damping more consistent when the shock is worked hard. And the larger piston/mono-tube design damps small movements much better. If you can stop an oscillation early, the shock doesn't need to work as hard to damp it after the oscillation really gets going. And BTW, 5100's are already more aggressive anyway since they are assumed to be going on lifted trucks that have larger tires and other changes. So that's even more of a buffer on a stock truck.......

 

There is a KORE Bilstein Custom Valved 5100 for stock and +1" lifted apps. The Kore Part number is 6647 and is in stock all the time. The shock carries a LIFETIME warranty. Not just limited to the current owner but for the life of the vehicle..... I personally have seen no warranty issues with the 5100's.
Greg

 

Loaded up I am sitting at 6 tons of fun. I have been looking at the Rancho 9000's because they are adjustable.
How will the Bilsteins work in this application?

 

The adjustability of the rancho is not that much. Just on the rebound circut. It isn't like a bypass tube, just a needle valve. It is the piston and valve stack that control the shock. Shaft speed is also an important factor. The greater the shaft speed, the more dampening. Making a shock stiffer and having the need for the shaft to move fast can cause failure. That is why Rancho made such a minor adjustment available. The bilstein is a self adjusting shock. It finds a sweet spot and the valving does the rest. Digressive is the word to describe the way the piston functions. Not agressive. I hauled the Kore truck on a 30 foot Dual Tandem trailer, maybe 18,000 lbs behind my truck. With race springs that are rated to 1/4 ton and 5150 shocks, it was still safe. Now I am not sugessting that you attempt this. Just saying that it works too. Go ahead and buy the brand of shock you think is the best, if it doesn't work, buy another one, if that doesn't work, buy another and another...........That is how KOre got the valving correct on the Bilstein 5100.......Lots of work........Remove, revalve, reinstall......


Greg