Bilstein shocks thread

nadrojcote · 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.

#2 makes sense if you are talking about travel length. A longer shock doesn't necessarily have a longer travel. Also longer shocks will increase down travel and require new upper control arms.

Ezekiel2517 · May 11, 2015

Thanks. I think I may go with the 5100s soon. They seem to be the right cost/performance ratio for most folks. And if they dont work out (as some of the mixed reviews might suggest) then it is not the end of the world.

I dont really care about offroading too much. I am never going rock crawling or doing anything rough enough to warrant a high end offroad suspension.

I bought 4wd to slide through the black mud at our family ranch. You dont sink, you just slide all over if you hit a slick spot. And even then, I would probably go out in the tractor or Polaris so that I dont have to wash my truck later :-)

TotalAutomotiveLV · June 3, 2015

These do not ride anything like the 5100, its a much smoother riding shock. Ive been testing the development set for 6 months now and I am loving them - a nice improvement for me over the 5100s. The suspension travel length is slightly different too to maximize travel.

The 5100s are a great OE replacement shock that will provide a bit of lift, where as this is a tuned Bilstein BTS suspension that is designed for the weekend offroader and will provide much more dampening and control.

800 is the MSRP price, the sets that have been out and selling now are going for under 675ish

nadrojcote · June 3, 2015

These do not ride anything like the 5100, its a much smoother riding shock. Ive been testing the development set for 6 months now and I am loving them - a nice improvement for me over the 5100s. The suspension travel length is slightly different too to maximize travel.

The 5100s are a great OE replacement shock that will provide a bit of lift, where as this is a tuned Bilstein BTS suspension that is designed for the weekend offroader and will provide much more dampening and control.

800 is the MSRP price, the sets that have been out and selling now are going for under 675ish

How do they ride on road compared to stock/5100's?

TotalAutomotiveLV · June 3, 2015

Smoother, much smoother. The 5100s with stock springs were better than stock, but seemed to jar a bit over larger bumps and werent anything special on the highway.

These are on a whole differnet level in terms of the ride smoothness on road. Because they use a larger shock with more dampening force, they are able to use a lighter, linear rate spring which provides an awesome ride that isnt stiff, but not loose either. There is less front end dip under braking, the truck stays much flatter during freeway on-ramps and corners and the freeway ride is caddy smooth. Less body roll too!

nadrojcote · June 3, 2015

When will they be released?

Edited June 3, 2015 by projectsummit

Crf450r420 · June 4, 2015

If he is testing them on a Silverado for 6 months then they are probably close. Can't see them needing testing for over a year since they are just tuning them to work the best on the application.

TotalAutomotiveLV · June 4, 2015

When will they be released?

Just asked Bilstein for ya. I know the GM/Chev application is the next one they are going to release for sure.

nadrojcote · June 4, 2015

Just asked Bilstein for ya. I know the GM/Chev application is the next one they are going to release for sure.

Thanks, I plan on selling my rancho quicklifts and upgrading to these.

Edited June 4, 2015 by projectsummit

marino454 · June 5, 2015

Smoother, much smoother. The 5100s with stock springs were better than stock, but seemed to jar a bit over larger bumps and werent anything special on the highway.

These are on a whole differnet level in terms of the ride smoothness on road. Because they use a larger shock with more dampening force, they are able to use a lighter, linear rate spring which provides an awesome ride that isnt stiff, but not loose either. There is less front end dip under braking, the truck stays much flatter during freeway on-ramps and corners and the freeway ride is caddy smooth. Less body roll too!

What kind of lift did you get with the 6112s in the front? I'm having trouble finding any lift information on Bilstein's website....

Rawyzf · June 5, 2015

Great info in this thread.

Chadwilliam1 · June 6, 2015

Where are you guys buying the 5100s from also are you guys putting steering stabilizers on?

Let me get this straight the 5100s are height adjustable but you I dont need to adjust the rear height of the rear shocks. On my last truck I had Ranchos RS9000 I could adjust the ride tension based on the amount of weight I had in the bed.

southern_sierra · June 6, 2015

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.

That was me that put some new take off black stock shocks on. The ride is better took the jarring away that I was having. Only cost me $174.00 on ebay. I installed them myself and added 1/2 inch lift blocks under the front shocks which raised the front 1.25 inches and leveled my truck perfect. I carry weight in the back so it squats alittle.

Edited June 6, 2015 by southern_sierra

nadrojcote · June 6, 2015

That was me that put some new take off black stock shocks on. The ride is better took the jarring away that I was having. Only cost me $174.00 on ebay. I installed them myself and added 1/2 inch lift blocks under the front shocks which raised the front 1.25 inches and leveled my truck perfect. I carry weight in the back so it squats alittle.

what did you have before? I really should have just got the black stock shocks instead of rancho quicklifts. They're better than stock ranchos, but they have the same jarring. Edited June 6, 2015 by projectsummit

southern_sierra · June 7, 2015

what did you have before? I really should have just got the black stock shocks instead of rancho quicklifts. They're better than stock ranchos, but they have the same jarring.

Mine is a Z-71 had the stock ranchos. The right rear rancho was leaking at 1000 miles replaced by gm. When I replaced them at about 4000 miles with the black shocks the left rear was leaking.