Bilstein 5100s are a HUGE upgrade!

KARNUT · December 12, 2022

I can see people having signature things they like to do on their rides. I’m all over that.

daltonc2425 · December 12, 2022

16 minutes ago, AJMBLAZER said:

Speaking of trolls...

Truly.. In all honesty, guys, to each their own.

There are two advantages to Bilsteins. They allow you to raise the front of your truck for more wheel offset and tire height, and they are a superior shock to Rancho.

I replace shocks on all of my trucks after 50k miles, and I upgrade to Bilsteins.

I shouldn’t have to say it, but this forum is to share ideas and experiences. You guys aren’t contributing to that. Karnut and It’s Tim.

pnw_obrigade · December 12, 2022

Well to be fair the average Joe who just drives their truck on glass roads the Ranchos are probably enough and aren't "bad" but they are far from great though. They have terrible rebound characteristics and the back end chatters over larger bumps vs a smooth rebound transition. This is heavily noticed on older highway with consistent concrete seams or typical FS roads that are wash-boarded. Although, a 2in shock body the internal valve stack is much smaller diameter compared to other more comparable 2.0 shocks like Bilstein or Fox. Ultimately, the build quality of Rancho is cheap and budget at best.

Good example, I hit a broken section of highway at 70mph on cruise control and the backend was so unstable the a$$ end skittered sideways in the rain some. This is a brand new 23 AT4 with 1,000 miles on it, far from acceptable suspension performance on a $70k truck. The Bilsteins aren't some holy grail but for their price point there isn't much better. Frankly, I'd rather have at minimum 6112, Fox 2.5's, or even Kings but all those are on 6 month+ backorders so these are about the best that's available right now to get rid of these junk shocks.

It's Tim · December 13, 2022

22 hours ago, KARNUT said:

I can see different shocks being an upgrade.

No noticable difference in a pickup truck except a lighter wallet... this thread sold alot of shocks & struts that were needlessly replaced.

AJMBLAZER · December 13, 2022

Well, they say opinions are like...something...everyone's got them and some of them stink.

Guess all those upgraded shocks to control body movement, suspension movement, heavier tires and wheels, lack luster OEM shocks, etc are worthless. Heck, even the crappy Z71 and then the AT4/Trailboss Ranchos are upgraded shocks. Silly OEM's.

Anybody remember when Z71's came with Bilstein shocks? Hah! GM was dumb. Glad they quit that waste.

daltonc2425 · December 13, 2022

2 hours ago, It's Tim said:

No noticable difference in a pickup truck except a lighter wallet... this thread sold alot of shocks & struts that were needlessly replaced.

I’ve got my stock Rancho’s in my garage. Let me know when you’re ready to purchase them. I’ll get you a price and shipping quote.

Dirk13 · December 13, 2022

4 hours ago, It's Tim said:

No noticable difference in a pickup truck except a lighter wallet... this thread sold alot of shocks & struts that were needlessly replaced.

What a stupid statement.

AJMBLAZER · December 13, 2022

If he's who I think he is then this is just his usual trolling. I've run across variations of the Tim screen name on quite a few truck and 4x4 forums over the last couple decades...many of which said troll has been booted from. Awfully coincidental.

KARNUT · December 13, 2022

On 12/12/2022 at 8:19 AM, daltonc2425 said:

Truly.. In all honesty, guys, to each their own.

There are two advantages to Bilsteins. They allow you to raise the front of your truck for more wheel offset and tire height, and they are a superior shock to Rancho.

I replace shocks on all of my trucks after 50k miles, and I upgrade to Bilsteins.

I shouldn’t have to say it, but this forum is to share ideas and experiences. You guys aren’t contributing to that. Karnut and It’s Tim.

It’s amusing to me that I questioned if the quality has really deteriorated since I bought my last new truck. People get their panties in a twist. My 40 years experience are OEM was up to the task. I actually worked my trucks in real off road conditions. All over the central and eastern US. Not as mall cruiser or looky loos. My front shocks raise my front two inches, cool. There’s a difference between cool toys and working applications. Did raising the front 2 inches and putting on bigger tires make it do work better? If it did I’d had done it. My experience is OEM did a pretty good job. For its intended purposes. Modifications for a different purpose doesn’t mean OEM is junk.

daltonc2425 · December 14, 2022

4 hours ago, KARNUT said:

It’s amusing to me that I questioned if the quality has really deteriorated since I bought my last new truck. People get their panties in a twist. My 40 years experience are OEM was up to the task. I actually worked my trucks in real off road conditions. All over the central and eastern US. Not as mall cruiser or looky loos. My front shocks raise my front two inches, cool. There’s a difference between cool toys and working applications. Did raising the front 2 inches and putting on bigger tires make it do work better? If it did I’d had done it. My experience is OEM did a pretty good job. For its intended purposes. Modifications for a different purpose doesn’t mean OEM is junk.

The only reason I’m upset about yours and Tim’s comments are because you’re ruining a good truck thread.

For me, raising the front does serve a purpose, as I haul trailers off-road for work purposes. I added air bags in order to tow and haul more securely (zero load-bearing squat.) Larger trailers tongues are easier to attach when the truck is a bit taller, so I raised the rear 1” for that, and the truck went up another .5”+ with the bags inflated.

So, I added 2” in the front with the Bilstein shocks in order to even that back out to stock rake.

Again, all opinions are welcome, but ruining a good thread is not.

Bilstein 5100 front and rear. Front set to number 5 (2”) and 1” rear block with Rough Country bags.

New heights are 38” F and 40.5” R. I’m also looking to add another 1.5” in the front so that I can put some wheels with more offset on a 33x12.5 all terrain tire.

KARNUT · December 14, 2022

3 hours ago, daltonc2425 said:

The only reason I’m upset about yours and Tim’s comments are because you’re ruining a good truck thread.

For me, raising the front does serve a purpose, as I haul trailers off-road for work purposes. I added air bags in order to tow and haul more securely (zero load-bearing squat.) Larger trailers tongues are easier to attach when the truck is a bit taller, so I raised the rear 1” for that, and the truck went up another .5”+ with the bags inflated.

So, I added 2” in the front with the Bilstein shocks in order to even that back out to stock rake.

Again, all opinions are welcome, but ruining a good thread is not.

Bilstein 5100 front and rear. Front set to number 5 (2”) and 1” rear block with Rough Country bags.

New heights are 38” F and 40.5” R. I’m also looking to add another 1.5” in the front so that I can put some wheels with more offset on a 33x12.5 all terrain tire.

I pulled 1 million miles with gooseneck with 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. They were registered for 25K. Off-road on pipelines and electric transmission lines. So I know a little bit about loading and suspension. Most of my trucks were modified for my taste without saying they suck stock. All with stock shocks and springs. I didn’t ruin your damn thread. I simply was surprised that people claimed the original was not up to par. I had no such complaint. I even carried 100 gallon fuel tanks, tool boxes and air compressors. So give me a break.

KARNUT · December 14, 2022

27 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

I pulled 1 million miles with gooseneck with 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. They were registered for 25K. Off-road on pipelines and electric transmission lines. So I know a little bit about loading and suspension. Most of my trucks were modified for my taste without saying they suck stock. All with stock shocks and springs. I didn’t ruin your damn thread. I simply was surprised that people claimed the original was not up to par. I had no such complaint. I even carried 100 gallon fuel tanks, tool boxes and air compressors. So give me a break.

By the way, nice looking truck.

daltonc2425 · December 14, 2022

@KARNUT Man, I see your point I really do. Depending on standards and applications, stock can work. We could back and forth on this for days as we already have.

At the end of the day, it’s about what we like and how each of us wants our expensive trucks to perform. Everyone has their own idea and if the truck doesn’t fit that, we rig it to how we want. It’s what makes the world go round.

Truce my friend. Thanks for the compliment on my truck.

KARNUT · December 14, 2022

1 hour ago, daltonc2425 said:

@KARNUT Man, I see your point I really do. Depending on standards and applications, stock can work. We could back and forth on this for days as we already have.

At the end of the day, it’s about what we like and how each of us wants our expensive trucks to perform. Everyone has their own idea and if the truck doesn’t fit that, we rig it to how we want. It’s what makes the world go round.

Truce my friend. Thanks for the compliment on my truck.

I agree personal choice. I modified to my preference. My only question was the reference to bad factory parts. Since I originally mentioned I haven’t bought a new truck since 2014. I left open the possibility that OEM had gotten inferior. I believe cylinder deactivation is a bad design, for what you gain. Some don’t. That’s why it’s called opinions. Of course there’s always mild ribbing. All in jest. I’m lucky being retired I get to go back and enjoy one of my favorites the avalanche. They had their own issues, but I can deal with. So far so good. I’ve had many GM performances vehicles. My personal favorite is the trailblazer ss. My wife hated that one. Rough ride. Anyhow it’s all good.

Diamond817 · December 28, 2022

On 12/13/2022 at 7:55 PM, daltonc2425 said:

So, I added 2” in the front with the Bilstein shocks in order to even that back out to stock rake.

Bilstein 5100 front and rear. Front set to number 5 (2”) and 1” rear block with Rough Country bags.

New heights are 38” F and 40.5” R. I’m also looking to add another 1.5” in the front so that I can put some wheels with more offset on a 33x12.5 all terrain tire.

Wait, what? You added 2" to the front, 1" to the backs and now you have a 2.5" rake (38/40.5)? The stock rake is 1.5". You should have a 1" total rake, no??