Bilstein shocks thread

Ezekiel2517 · May 7, 2015

Holy cow. The ones being sold for Tundras are almost $800. I think I just lost interest :-)

nadrojcote · May 7, 2015

They're designed for heavy off road use and come with coils, those are a lot cheaper than other competitors. Still lots of people will think more $ means a better shock, then they will throw them on their mall crawlers and wonder why they ride so stiff.

WendysOrBust · May 7, 2015

Holy cow. The ones being sold for Tundras are almost $800. I think I just lost interest :-)

That's really not all that bad. Fox coilovers for our trucks run around $1,600

nadrojcote · May 7, 2015

That's really not all that bad. Fox coilovers for our trucks run around $1,600

Exactly

WendysOrBust · May 7, 2015

Exactly

I most truck guys, think in terms of $$$ to amount of lift. So for $800 one could get a 4-6"lift. But buying parts that increase actual off-road performance and suspension travel are expensive. I'd hate for Spurshot to come around and let people know how much his front King coilovers cost.

Not saying Zuhl did that. But coming from someone who has spent $2k on coilovers for his auto-x car, $800 is a really good price for someone looking for better off-road, on-road performance without breaking the bank.

Edited May 7, 2015 by WendysOrBust

Crf450r420 · May 8, 2015

I've got $2400 in my cars coil overs, so $800 isn't bad at all. These are suppose to be a lifetime shock also. I won't be going off road at first as the truck is to pretty, but that will change. As a matter of fact I already have 2 dents, a scratch, and a door chip in the right rear corner thanks to other thoughtful people (I'd be in jail if I caught them). For that reason I'll be putting these on soon and not using them for off road right away.

Spurshot · May 8, 2015

I think there's a big misunderstanding of large off-road shocks. These large off-road shocks are generally damped to much lower values than on-road shocks. This allows the suspension to move much more freely when driving down that bumpy two-track at 50 mph. The large diameters are for added capacity of fluid to remain cool. Also, expensive off-road shocks usually have sophisticated variable damping rates. I don't mean "adjustable rates", but they often have adjustable rates along with variable rate damping. A good off-road shock doesn't act anything like those factory Ranchos.

Ezekiel2517 · May 8, 2015

I just wanna lift my front end an inch or two to allow for some 33s. And to get a better ride. It currently sucks. I think toward that simple goal, $800 is a lot. For other goals, such as hard core offroad capability, $800 is peanuts. But that is what the polaris is for :-)

I guess its all about personal context...

WendysOrBust · May 8, 2015

I just wanna lift my front end an inch or two to allow for some 33s. And to get a better ride. It currently sucks. I think toward that simple goal, $800 is a lot. For other goals, such as hard core offroad capability, $800 is peanuts. But that is what the polaris is for :-)

I guess its all about personal context...

I would just go with the 5100's then.

Crf450r420 · May 9, 2015

Spur is right larger capacity will handle more movement and not get as hot. Also the variable in the valves is the flex in valve stacks, so the quicker the move the more they bend and close of the passage to control rapid movement different from low speed changes. The large valves allow for more progressive control.

Spurshot · May 9, 2015

I just wanna lift my front end an inch or two to allow for some 33s. And to get a better ride. It currently sucks. I think toward that simple goal, $800 is a lot. For other goals, such as hard core offroad capability, $800 is peanuts. But that is what the polaris is for :-)

I guess its all about personal context...

One of the members here got some standard black shocks that were someone's take-offs. I don't recall what he had to say about them. Might be a path worth exploring if budget is limited.

nadrojcote · May 9, 2015

The black shocks ride a lot nicer than z71's. My friends silverado LT with black shocks is night and day difference compared to mine.

yuhdabest · May 10, 2015

The 6112 are not out yet for the trucks, only the 5100. The 6112 is much more massive compared to the 5100 and is designed for the weekend offroader.

Let us know if we can answer any questions!

I have a 2015 Sierra 1500 5.3 SLT I know the part numbers for the Bilstein 5100 (24-238304) fronts but I can't find anybody who has them in stock. Why?

Edited May 10, 2015 by yuhdabest

yuhdabest · May 10, 2015

I have a 2015 Sierra 1500 5.3 SLT I know the part numbers for the Bilstein 5100 (24-238304) fronts but I can't find anybody who has them in stock. Why?

Jon A · May 10, 2015

The larger body and piston basically allows the shock to do a better job at whatever it is valved to do. I wouldn't be surprised if these both ride better over bumps offroad and handle better. They look like a higher quality shock than the 5100's all around.

My concerns personally are:

1) The spring rate. Some of their advertising mentions using softer than stock springs which might ride nicely offroad but wouldn't be what you want for towing. I'd want to verify that before jumping.

2) Length. I think anybody wanting to spend this much money on front shocks probably is best served with a shock that gives proper suspension travel on a "leveled" front end. If they're the same length as stock you run into the same limitation you do with the 5100s.