I read a lot on this forum since I joined the other day and I have found so much helpful information. My latest endeavor, today, was shocks. Almost every thread I read said that BILSTEIN shocks are the best for hauling and towing. After a hard time finding them in my area I got them and put them on the rear of my 05 dually. I have to say THANK YOU to everyone who recommended these shocks, so far I love em. I am going to be pulling my fifth wheel camper next month and I will really get a chance to test them, stay tuned and I will give more feed back on how they worked with pulling our 40' camper.

 

Your post had me drive down to Summit Racing and pick up the Bilstein F4-BE5-C605-H0 shocks for the rear of my 2wd 2500. Did you get the 4x4 shock C614 or the 2wd C605? Anyways, I have just painted 4 coats of clear ceramic engine enamel over the yellow. I hope this keeps them looking new a little longer.

 

Hey ThunderRoad how are you. I wanted to get the 614s but they couldnt get them so I got the 605s, besides they couldnt tell me the difference between the 614s and the 605s, so thank you for letting me know that the 614s are intended for 4x4 applications. Do you know if the 614s are geared more towards a lifted application or just for an off road application?

 

You should try to avoid running different brands of shocks. Change all 4. Different shocks have different damping. They are designed to work as a complete set complimenting each other on each corner and front to rear.

 

Hey Navydood, thanks for the thought. I never really thought about them working as a set of four, I was only thinking of them as an axle set. Thank you for the heads up.

 

This is the application guide from bilstein. It's the first download on the list. http://www.bilsteinus.com/dl.php The 2wd uses the C603 & C605 / front & rear. The 4wd uses the C604 & C614 / front & rear. The "lifted" trucks are at the end of the guide. My guess is that the 4x4 stock height shocks are valved for off road use. I installed my shocks. Good improvement in ride quality on the road. Rear axle is smoother over the small bumps and a big improvement over the large holes and bumps, rear end now tracks with the front end when driving over the larger holes in the road. The yellow / blue shock with the gloss black rear axle and silver cover really stands out. All the other posts are true, Bilstein is a good shock for the Dodge truck.

 

To anyone who has been following this thread, here is my report on the Bilstein shocks. We just got back yesterday from our little trip. We didnt go that far just a 300 mile round trip with lots of back roads. I have to say that I LOVE these shocks. They performed perfectly and as NAVYDOOD pointed out I should have replaced all the shocks, I feel they would have performed even better, I am going to change the fronts ASAP along with the steering stabilizer. I hope that others will benefit from my comments.

 

I put the yellow/blue Bilsteins on my truck last winter and am not impressed. They dive too much when braking, wallow too much in the turns, and bottom out on speed bumps/cattle guards. Worst money I spent on my truck. No improvement over the stockers with 80,000 miles on them.

 

My experience is just the opposite. Perhaps you bought the wrong shocks?

 

Ditto above. They are awesome shocks.

 

Sohappy, I'm afraid you may not be happy with any shocks, or combination thereof. The problems you are describing probably have to do with a variety of ills, none of which have much to do with shocks. Shocks dampen the rebound of your springs after they are compressed, stabilizing the ride. In other words they keep your pickup from being bouncy when it hits bumps. Regular HD shocks, like we're talking about, do not increase the load capacity of your springs. The nose dive and wallowing probably have more to do with sagging springs and under-inflated over-sized tires than anything else.

 

The yellow blue Bilsteins are the cheap ones, slightly better then factory! Also might want to look into air bags if you tow alot! Grumpy John 4X4

 

Not sure what you mean by "cheap". The Yellow/Blue Bilsteins are among the most expensive shocks I found while shopping on-line for them (I'm only talking about non-adjustable, non-airlift, just HD shocks). The 5100s are less than $10 more each at most places ($68.14 vs $75.50 at shockwarehouse.com). Bilstein has had a rep for high quality shocks for many years for any type vehicle. I've had Bils on other vehicles and find them to be quality parts. I'm sitting here waiting on my new Yellow/Blues, which are on backorder for a month.

Just for info - the 5100s, that a lot of guys are putting on, are specifically designed for mild-moderate off-road use on 4X4 trucks with 2-3" lifts (I put 5100s on a lifted Toyota Tacoma TRD, which came from the factory with the yellow/blues). If your truck doesn't fit that description, you are wasting money and may damage your shocks by bottoming them out (although I imagine it would be tough to bottom out my 3500 without breaking my neck too). The regular yellow/blue HDs are what you need. Just make sure you order the ones for your specific model truck (4X4 or 2wd).

 

Interesting. My wife could easily compress my stockers and she's no amazon. My front springs unladen would bottom out so easily stock it was a joke. The Bilsteins have stiffer dampening and are designed to keep your tires in contact with the road. I've read some reviews of the Bilstein's being a bit stiff compared to stock but certainly not the opposite.

 

I just installed 4 monroe reflex and am quite happy with then so far.

Jim