Anyone have Bilstein shocks on their stock 4x4? Shock brand questions.

[t44e6]

I have used Bilstein shocks on several different cars from a 59 Porsche to a 1986 Cutlass and they have always given a great ride and last forever. Currently they are $80 and change each. KYB which I have been satisfied with on other vehicles are half that, Monroe / Gabriel similar. The 82 K10 has CarQuest branded shocks of unknown age and they just suck on the unimproved gravel / dirt roads common around here. Great on pavement, but on bumpy rutted roads they do not control the motion and you really bounce around. Are Bilsteins worth it in this application? Any experience with KYB? Gabriel or Monroe? Stock suspension, I don't tow or haul much weight. Mud season is killing me on these gravel roads.

 

[77 K20]

I had the classic yellow/blue Bilsteins on two different stock height trucks (mine and my dad's) and thought they were great. However when I bought another truck money was a bit tight- so I tried the KYB monoMAX shocks (stock height). Thought they rode as well as the Bilsteins and were cheaper.

 

[CalSgt]

I have used Bilstein shocks on several different cars from a 59 Porsche to a 1986 Cutlass and they have always given a great ride and last forever. Currently they are $80 and change each. KYB which I have been satisfied with on other vehicles are half that, Monroe / Gabriel similar. The 82 K10 has CarQuest branded shocks of unknown age and they just suck on the unimproved gravel / dirt roads common around here. Great on pavement, but on bumpy rutted roads they do not control the motion and you really bounce around. Are Bilsteins worth it in this application? Any experience with KYB? Gabriel or Monroe? Stock suspension, I don't tow or haul much weight. Mud season is killing me on these gravel roads.

GM must have thought they were worth while when they put them on a bazilion Z71 GMT400's. Not an apples to apples comparison but that's what sold me on them for my build.

 

[Grit dog]

I’m about too….
Just ordered a steering stabilizer and new 5100s to go with the new paint job.
Have had them in the past. And every one of them lasted longer than I had the vehicle. The most was about 170k miles on a dodge diesel and they still worked and not blown out.
They’re basically lifetime shocks or close to it imo.

 

[Frankenchevy]

Both are okay shocks. The 5100s feel better than my KYBs did. The 5100s are just starting to enter the realm of decent IMO. If your just on the street and you live in an area with decent roads, I doubt you’ll notice a difference for the first several years of service. You could spend a bit more than a 5100 and get a Fox that’s fully rebuildable.

 

[Doppleganger]

My favorite shocks were Sachs Boges - Bilstein bought them out and downgraded them.....always believed it was their way of getting rid of a main competitor. I have Bilsteins on my truck now - the few times I drove it before tearing it down I loved them. My truck is lifted 2.5" only due to new leaf springs, so I went to Bilstein's site and figured which ones I needed.

KYB's IMO are too stiff - white ones last forever though. Why we always called them Keeps Ya Bouncin'.

 

[Soundmound]

I just today swapped my seriously wasted shocks for a set of the N3 Rough Country shocks on my '02 Silverado 4wd. So far the ride quality is very good. I went tearing up a couple gravel mountain roads and it was oh so nice. I've had KYB, Gabriel, Monroe, etc and they're all pretty good out of the box IMO, but I also change shocks often if I'm beating on them. It's an inexpensive weekend project that will pay dividends in ride quality.

 

[bucket]

I used to have a '90 2500 Suburban that was stock height, 33's and the basic yellow/blue Bilstein shocks. It rode pretty darn well.

 

[SquareRoot]

LS Swap!

 

[shiftpro]

My 98 Tacoma had Bilsteins from the factory. Way too soft! Like the goggles, they did nothing.

 

[Frankenchevy]

My 98 Tacoma had Bilsteins from the factory. Way too soft! Like the goggles, they did nothing.

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C’mon man! Your expecting shocks to affect spring rate? Did you mean slow?

 

[shiftpro]

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C’mon man! Your expecting shocks to affect spring rate? Did you mean slow?

No, they were soft, very weak dampening, just like blown shocks. The truck had the off road package with locking rear diff and these useless shocks, which they claimed were better for handling and traction. Well that was NOT case. Maybe 1st gear low range crawling. I felt the truck was dangerous on the highway, high speed and lots of mountain corners, it just wallowed around. Excessive body lean. They weren't on there long, truck got lifted, 33s, geared down for the bigger meat. I think I went with KYBs that came with the lift. Then added poly bushing to the anti-swaybar. Then it worked awesome. I also put the TRD blower and headers on it. My buddy rewired the electric rear diff locker so it worked in high range instead of only low. It was a snowy winter mountain pass slayer! Really good truck I have to admit.

 

[hirschdalechevy]

The bilstein's I put on work really well for controlling bounce off road compared to white body hydro shocks I had before but my ride on the pavement got a little stiffer. The bilstein's I have are 255/70 valving, 70 compression, 255 rebound.

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[Battlac40]

I can't speak for a stock height, but for about 4.5 lift the Pro Comp Adjustables have been good and other SB owners said my truck rides nice.

 

[BearKing]

I have used Bilsteins many times over the years. Mostly on my Corvettes and Z28’s. They work great but never have tried them on my off road rigs.