I took advantage of the buy 4 get 1 free deal on Bilsteins. These are the yellow/blue and are supposed to be heavy duty. I only put the fronts on this afternoon - rears are for tomorrow, if no rain. I had Rancho RX9000 on my truck and the fronts were fading.

First of all, I was suprised at the diameter of the bushings. They are much smaller than the washers that came with them. Also, they are not a whole lot bigger than the hole in the upper suspension arm mounting bracket. I was also surprised at the torque spec for the top nut which by the way, has a nylon insert in it (self locking nut). The instructions called for 19 ft. lbs. or 25 nm for M10 threads which is what these are. That doesn't do much for compressing the upper bushing against the washer.

The OEM specs for the nut on the OEM shocks is 40 ft. lbs. for 2 wheel drive. The Rancho shocks I had before, came with urethane bushings and both bushings were almost the same diameter as the washers. I took the truck for a drive afterward and the ride seemed ok. I guess it will take a while before I have a final judgement. Hopefully these things will hold up well.

 

removed post (nick)

 

Although I have no exp w/the Bilstein blue/yellow from what I understand, you probably should have installed the 5100s which are black/silver for 2500/3500. Once I installed mine I noticed an improvement right away. I wouldn't hesitate to install some on my Jeep GC.

 

Removed post (billmac)

 

I believe the black/silver 5100's are for 4x4's only. As I mentioned in my thread and my signature, my truck is 2 wheel drive.

 

The Black/Silver and the Blue/Yellow are identical in every way with the exception that the Black/Silver have a slightly longer stroke for a truck with a leveling kit.

In the case of a 2 wheel drive truck such as Billmac's, it's irrelevant.

I've run the Blue/Yellows on my leveled truck for almost 5 years now and have had zero problems but will have to agree with Billmac on the differences with the bushings and torques.

Age wise, I'm at the point where I need to replace mine and I'll just stick with the Blue/Yellows.

Jeff

 

Thanks for posting your experience Jeff. I assume that since you've had zero problems with the shocks, the smaller size bushing didn't cause any problems? I was tempted to use the urethane bushings from my old Ranchos. They appeared to be in good shape. Anyway, I didn't do that. Didn't know what kind of impact that would have on the Bilstein's performance. If I have any problems with the bushings, I will remove the Bilstein ones and put the old ones on. I will have to get a couple of m10x1.5 self locking nuts since there not reusable.

 

With regards to the bushings, use what your comfortable with. I've actually tried both and they worked just fine. I know of guys who have re-used the originals and others that have used the new "smaller" bushings with success. Either way, they will work, it's your call.

Jeff

 

I wouldn't go out and get new nuts if you have to take them off. Those nyloks will lock the nuts in places for several uses. If you can't turn them by hand, they will be fine.

I've had Bilsteins on my dually for 3 years now, no issues with the bushings.

 

At first, I hated my Bilsteins and felt that they were no better than stock except for large high speed bumps.

Now that I have about a year on them, they have loosened up a little and feel great. Truck drives much better on washboard gravel roads. On the highway it feels a touch more "sure footed" but not enough gain in on-road handling to justify the cost.

My urethane bushings still look great, no complaints.

 

If you could edit out my post in your quote, then the offending post will be gone.

my appoligies!
Nick

 

Nick, thank you. I hope that I didn't come across as too rude with my comments. Normally I appreciate your insites and experiences with the Dodge CTD. Also, your comments about the springs on your truck was interesting. I already sorta of knew that the spring setup on these trucks cancelled out a good bit of the shock performance.

 

your welcome, I get sidetracked, and too eager sometimes, I should have just stated as you did the stock springs do limit shock performance