Shock Help

nate1dawgg · September 28, 2015

I'll admit, I'm slightly confused with what shocks to go with. I know I'll be going with the Bilstein 5100s on my rear, but what about the front? I have a 2" level. I'm not sure if I should go with the 5100 or something else. Any help is appreciated.

NitroCherokee · September 28, 2015

5100 for the front of your truck are adjustable, so you'd take out your level and install the 5100 adjusted to the amount of level you want. I would for sure go with the 5100

nate1dawgg · September 30, 2015

Say I were to just keep my level, what would be the shock recommendation for the front.

NitroCherokee · September 30, 2015

Say I were to just keep my level, what would be the shock recommendation for the front.

You don't have "shocks" on the front you have struts. To replace them the spring has to be removed from your stock strut and installed on the new strut. My opinion is you'd be an idiot to keep the block/spacer level that is in there now and not do the 5100 adjustable

BlackZ71Silverado · October 2, 2015

Seems you have already heard from Bilstein fanboys here and were told you would be an idiot not buying those shocks & struts. Truth is, that's an uneducated response and there are several options out there so pay no attention to the fanboy 'my brand is best' crowd. Shocks are a personal preference item.

Rancho sells a complete front strut assembly that gives you a full 2" (plus a little) of front lift unlike the Bilsteins. They are also 9 position adjustable for ride stiffness, unlike the Bilsteins. The 5100's mentioned are good shocks but you are stuck with only one setting, stiff.

I recently replaced my Bilstein 5100 shocks/struts and I currently run the Rancho Quicklift with RS9000XL shocks on both of my trucks and love it. They have been great shocks and the adjustability is really nice to have. I had Bilstein 5100's on my 2008 before going with the Ranchos and it was a good decision for what I need. They worked well and were much improved over OEM but they were a little stiff while not towing and having an unloaded truck. The Rancho RS9000's fixed that issue with their adjustability.

I have had good luck with both Rancho and Bilstein. It all comes down to what you are looking for in the ride and what you need. The Rancho 7000MT shocks & struts would be another good choice for replacements. From my experience, they feel about the same as the 5100's. If you tow/haul a lot, Bilstein 4600 would be a good choice.

Some of the Duramax forum guys are liking the ProComp Prorunner shocks & struts. The struts are designed similar to the Bilstein and have a couple ride height settings. Just giving you a few options because there are so many out there.

If you really want a good quality set of shocks, take a look at the Fox shocks & front coilovers. They are a little pricey but well worth the cost over standard shocks from either Bilstein or Rancho. I would love to have gone with the Fox setup but just can't spend that much money on shocks for two trucks any time soon.

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nate1dawgg · October 2, 2015

Rancho sells a complete front strut assembly that gives you a full 2" (plus a little) of front lift unlike the Bilsteins. They are also 9 position adjustable for ride stiffness, unlike the Bilsteins. The 5100's mentioned are good shocks but you are stuck with only one setting, stiff.

I recently replaced my Bilstein 5100 shocks/struts and I currently run the Rancho Quicklift with RS9000XL shocks on both of my trucks and love it.

Thanks for the info BlackZ71, I'm definitely not locked in to a specific brand, just looking for a good set. Are you running the QuickLift struts along with your 2" level? Are the struts lifting it more than the level or is it at a setting that doesn't lift it? Same question for the shocks, is there additional lift to the 3" block or did the heights not change?

NitroCherokee · October 5, 2015

Seems you have already heard from Bilstein fanboys here and were told you would be an idiot not buying those shocks & struts. Truth is, that's an uneducated response and there are several options out there so pay no attention to the fanboy 'my brand is best' crowd. Shocks are a personal preference item.

Rancho sells a complete front strut assembly that gives you a full 2" (plus a little) of front lift unlike the Bilsteins. They are also 9 position adjustable for ride stiffness, unlike the Bilsteins. The 5100's mentioned are good shocks but you are stuck with only one setting, stiff.

I recently replaced my Bilstein 5100 shocks/struts and I currently run the Rancho Quicklift with RS9000XL shocks on both of my trucks and love it. They have been great shocks and the adjustability is really nice to have. I had Bilstein 5100's on my 2008 before going with the Ranchos and it was a good decision for what I need. They worked well and were much improved over OEM but they were a little stiff while not towing and having an unloaded truck. The Rancho RS9000's fixed that issue with their adjustability.

I have had good luck with both Rancho and Bilstein. It all comes down to what you are looking for in the ride and what you need. The Rancho 7000MT shocks & struts would be another good choice for replacements. From my experience, they feel about the same as the 5100's. If you tow/haul a lot, Bilstein 4600 would be a good choice.

Some of the Duramax forum guys are liking the ProComp Prorunner shocks & struts. The struts are designed similar to the Bilstein and have a couple ride height settings. Just giving you a few options because there are so many out there.

If you really want a good quality set of shocks, take a look at the Fox shocks & front coilovers. They are a little pricey but well worth the cost over standard shocks from either Bilstein or Rancho. I would love to have gone with the Fox setup but just can't spend that much money on shocks for two trucks any time soon.

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You may need some reading comprehension classes.

If you read the first post he says that he is going to run 5100's on the back, and in MY opinion if you are going to run the 5100's on the back the best option for the front is to get rid of the blocks/level and run the 5100's on the front as well. It is my opinion, I am no fan boy.

Uneducated response? Nice touch, I'll step out while the pro gives his opinion

nate1dawgg · October 15, 2015

Well I'm open to options for the front and rear. I was going with Bilstiens since I've heard on overwhelming response across multiple boards for them. However as I said in a previous post, I'm open to what I put in, I just want something good.

I'd also like options with removing the level and with keeping it. I definitely don't have a lot of knowledge on shocks/struts in general, so I like everyone's opinion.