Time for New Shocks

[James Beyer]

Hey all, time for new shocks.  Rear shocks are bouncy and leaking.  With 111,111 figured I would replace front and rear shocks.  

Any Recommendations for Shocks?

 

[BeanBeer]

Bilstein 5100 is very popular

[James Beyer]

Thank You

[OffTheAir]

If you plan on keeping the stock ride height, I'd highly recommend Bilstein 4600s. I've had them for almost three years and I think they were a huge improvement over the Ranchos I had before.

 

I also can't say enough about Bilstein 5100s as well. There is a reason this name is thrown around so much, they are quality parts worth your money. At the end of the day, the 4600s and 5100s are very similar, the 5100s just offer more adjustability and are built for leveled/slightly lifted applications, but can be used stock.

Edited April 30, 2023 by OffTheAir

[rav3]

111k isn't bad for OE shocks.

[James Beyer]

1 hour ago, rav3 said:

111k isn't bad for OE shocks.

Just replaced OE rotors and pads, and seen the shock leak.  So yes, lots of miles for standard equipment.

[doropallo]

I replaced mine with the Bilstein 5100 HDs. Rides so much better.

[MikeBMW]

On 4/30/2023 at 3:53 PM, doropallo said:

I replaced mine with the Bilstein 5100 HDs. Rides so much better.

Yep, I did the same with Bilstein 5100s. (I'm not familiar with the HDs)
Rear, no lift, but I did have the front adjustable 5100 put on at a 1" lift.
The ride has been way better!

[mikeyk101]

I agree that Bilstein is a good choice. I went with the 4600 on the rear. But I went a different route on the front. I had the cheap Rough Country spacer to level the front but wanted to get rid of that.  I seriously considered the Bilstein 5100 but saw that Rancho had the Quick Lift strut with adjustable damping that was complete with springs and ready to install. The Bilstein 5100 requires the OEM springs removed from the old struts and swapped to the new Bilsteins. I was able to get them at a smoking deal that was less than the Bilstein so I gave them a try. They gave me the same 2" level I had with the RC spacers. So far I'm pretty happy with them.  

[MikeBMW]

1 minute ago, mikeyk101 said:

I agree that Bilstein is a good choice. I went with the 4600 on the rear. But I went a different route on the front. I had the cheap Rough Country spacer to level the front but wanted to get rid of that.  I seriously considered the Bilstein 5100 but saw that Rancho had the Quick Lift strut with adjustable damping that was complete with springs and ready to install. The Bilstein 5100 requires the OEM springs removed from the old struts and swapped to the new Bilsteins. I was able to get them at a smoking deal that was less than the Bilstein so I gave them a try. They gave me the same 2" level I had with the RC spacers. So far I'm pretty happy with them.  

4600s are good, for sure.
And, yes, the Bilteins require a spring removal and reinstall.
I never knew about the Ranchos. Seems like a great option!

[mikeyk101]

I was able to score mine for $120 each brand new. The Rancho Quicklifts run normally from around $190-250 each but like I mentioned, are ready to bolt right on. I'm not setup to have been able to swap out the old strut springs to the Bilsteins so I would have had to pay a shop to do it. And they have 9 adjustable levels of damping which the Bilstein don't offer. I have mine set at 6 for regular daily use but haven't tried towing with them yet. It's recommended to go to 7 or 8 for that. Here is some info on these:

 

https://www.gorancho.com/products/leveling-systems/quicklift-loaded-leveling-system/rancho-loaded-quicklift-complete-strut-assembly-rs999949.html