I'v been reading a lot about shocks, both here and other sites. What I read about the Bilsteins tells me they're great, they stink, they're too soft, and too harsh. In other words, there didn't seem to be a real consensus. I had just about decided on Rancho RS5000's, as I'v used them before and know what to expect.

Then I got a smokin' deal on a brand new set of 4 Bilsteins, blue and yellow. Still in the box with the hardware for $200. Gotta love Craigs List.

I got time to install them a couple of days ago. Rear was pretty easy, took all of 30 minutes to do both. Front's were a little more hassle, and took about 90 minutes for those two.

The factory shocks were worn with 50K miles on them, and soft, but not terrible. For a stock shock. So it wasn't like I went from no shocks to Bilsteins. And I know what crisp, sharp handeling is supposed to be like, I race sports cars for a hobby.

These shocks are an excellent improvement. You can still feel the bumps, as you would expect. It' a 3/4 ton truck, not a caddy. I would describe the bumps as "crisper", not more harsh or more noticable - just differant. And the bumps and rough pavement don't upset the suspension like they used to.

There's a big dip/sink hole in the road about 1/2 mile from my house; I drive through it every day. It's been patched, and it continues to sink, so it's also rough and uneven. The truck used to nose dive through there, and then bounce around a bit. Not any more. It's a very smooth drive through there; very well controlled even at faster speeds.

There's another stretch of roadway near me that's always been bothersome. The inside track is potholed and patched. With one tire in that track, the truck would bounce around a bit, and you had to work it a bit to stay on target. It wasn't like a carnival ride, just rough. Again, not anymore. Those bumps are hardly felt at all, and the truck travels through them as if they were not there. Very smooth, not fighting the wheel even a little bit.

All in all, a remarkable improvement for something so simple and easy. Well worth the money.

 

Thanks for the informative review. I plan on getting a set of Bilsteins within the next year or so as well.

 

I bought some low mileage used ones from a PowerWagon not long after I bought this truck. Honestly, I never saw any difference from the stock shocks. I was told that the big difference is when you go off road. My truck never does that though. I have no complaints about them. One of my stockers had blown out and these were still cheaper than new stock units....

 

Yeah, if you go in expecting a dramatic improvement over stock, you will be disappointed. These shock do work well, soaks up minor road imperfections nicely but also stiff enough to handle the bigger stuff. I've heard that the larger your tire size the more you notice the difference and that the Bilsteins units usually have a longer service life than other brands, especially when worked hard..

 

It seems like these factory 3rd gen shocks are not bad. I guess the question is: How long will they last? I know guys go a looooong time on factory ones.

 

My truck only had 26000 miles on it when I noticed the blown front one. The truck DID have a plow on it before I got it though....

 

Shocks are an odd wear item. The gradually wear over time, and the handeling gradually degrades. You usually don't notice the poor handeling until it gets really bad. Or you change to better shocks and say, "Wowo, this is so much better".

How long do the stock shocks last? Tough to say, as it depends on your tolerance level. I should have replaced mine probably 10K miles ago. I knew mine were wearing out, but was waiting for a sale. As I said, I noticed a big differance.

 

I replaced my originals with monroes a year ago last summer and this october they were getting soft. (only 10,000 miles on them). Of course, past the 1 year warranty, so I bought some Bilstein 5100's. For me, it was a huge difference. The control and better ride is most impressive. The lifetime warranty is nice as well.

 

I have had great experience with Bilstiens myself. I have put them on every truck I have had. I had 2 bad sets in front of my Dodge Ram Van but they replaced them without question. The last set has been on for 8 years. They have a limited lifetime warranty but I have not needed it after the first week on any of my sets. You can find better shocks but for the money I don't think you can go wrong with them.
I found out my stock shocks were getting bad when I was driving home from the bay area to so-cal. The area of interstate 5 that crosses the mountains coming down to LA is called the grapevine and has developed some horrible spots and dips in the left lane. I hit one at 80 and just about lost it with the bounce. Ordered and installed a set of 5100s when I got home. This is my first set of non-HDs, the yellow and blue, and they seem to be set up about the same but accomodate a lift of 0-2".
The short of it is I would not use anything else unless I was going big bucks on off-road stuff like the 3" Kings.

 

Oh, I forgot to say my 06 Ram had 46K on it when I replaced them and it was a big difference in control. Still rides like a tank.

 

Not to hi-jack but can anyone give a comparison between bilsteins and fox shocks?
I'm considering dropping some cash on basically a new front end, Thuren track bar, end links, coils, bump stops, dynatrac ball joints.

My truck has 100K on the ticker and the coils sag, shocks are shot and the ball joints are on their way out.

So has anyone had experience with both?

 

fox= love them on my mountain bike and snowmobile. there are better options for trucks, like bilsteins. or thurens 2.5king set up if you have loot.