Am considering the addition of aftermarket shocks. Have noted many have varying brands installed. Curious if there are strong feelings regarding the brand they chose. Would appreciate your opinions, and thoughts. Edited by: silatman

You'll get lots of comments on this, but here are my two cents.


I pulled my OEM shocks at 7500 miles. The left rear had no resistance left in compression and little in rebound. The right rear was better in compression and the same in rebound. Both fronts had about 1 inch dead spots. That is no resistance in either direction. IOW, the shocks were junk.


I considered both Rancho 5000 and 9000, as well as Edelbrock and Pro-Comp. I ended up buying the Bilsteins largely because of WOM here, but also because I know Bilstein makes shocks for high performance cars that I have driven so equipped (not owned unfortunately) and thought highly of.


My thoughts on them? They are expensive, but they are worth it IMO. The truck still rides nicely, but firmer, down the highway, and doesn't wallow in undulations or shudder when encountering potholes and the like. The OEM shocks took about 4 cycles to stop movement over undulations. These take 1/2 or 1 cycle (cycle defined as compressed to extended and then back to normal). On rough dirt ranch roads I drive, it is much smoother than with OEM (actual dampening is occuring!).


I paid about $240 delivered and put them on in about 45 minutes in my driveway. This was time and money well spent.

I pulled my OEM shocks at less than 1000miles. They were already crap. ANYTHING you put on is going to be an improvement.


I really do like my Bilstein 5100s

Had Ranchos on another truck and thought they rode rougher than the bilsteins, great for offroading, but not as nice on the road. I bought the bilsteins this time and love them.

My usage is never off road, (apart from camp sites), but I do tow a large fifth wheel. Comfort is my requirement, so should I buy Rancho's or Bilstein's?

railbuff:


I've been wondering about the shock thing as well since I know the factory shocks aren't worth much from past experience. I've always just gone with the Heavy Duty Delcos, but they're getting really hard to find now.


A lot of folks run Ranchos or Bilsteins and have posted about them. But I'm still confused. There was one post and I don't remember where, that a guy went to the Edelbrock shocks for about the same thing you and I are looking for in the way of ride. He was reluctant to try Edlebrock, since they're best know for gas engine performance mods, but he seemed quite happy with them.


I'd be especially interested in hearing from anyone who's run those shocks in comparison to the other two more common brands.

what about Monroe overloads? any opinions here? AkDually61

If customer service is what you are after then I would shy away from Edelbrock. I have only tried to contact them 2-3 times about various products and the delay or lack of response has been unbelievable. I e-mailed them with a quick question about shock length and 2 weeks later they never had responded. I finally emailed them back asking if there boss was happy they just lost a sale? I have also been put on hold for 10-15 minutes before with questions about fuel injection. It's a good thing shocks don't require much support. Now with all that said. The Eldelbrocks I put on my truck are fantastic. They do every thing as advertized. I have followed all of the shock post myself and I would have to say Bilisteins and Ranchos are great choices also. The only coment I have is some have referred to Billisteins as being a little firm or harsher than expected. The Eldelbrocks are definitely not harsh. They are just perfect. If you are always heavily loded a Billistein might be a better choice? Maybe it is because Billistein reccomends a heavy duty replacement and also offers a non heavy duty? I thought the red went with my white a little better also. Only have 2500 miles on them. Not sure how they will hold up over time or perform in hot weather? Personal choice. Will somebody ask GM for a credit on there defective shocks?

I will be changing shocks as well considering the Ranchos (9000 I think). Aren't they adjustable?

what about Monroe overloads? any opinions here? AkDually61


Haven't checked the Monroe's for awhile, but my big gripe with them and most conventional shocks on the market, is that they have "lost motion". That being an area of no resistence to movement if the shock is not moved for a few seconds, you'll get about an inch of travel before they start to work.


That is the reason most high performance shocks are gas charged, and Delco was the first to do that many years ago. I've always had good luck with their HD shocks which have a 1" diameter piston, but I've not tried to locate them for several years, and they might not even be available anymore.

Bilsteins!!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif


At first I hated them...I thought they were to stiff(maybe they had to brake-in), but I was sadly mistaken. 100Xs better than the factory shocks. The truck does have a roll or a nose drive when stoping anynore. I also sold the factory shocks on Ebay.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif


Bilsteins are the way to go.

Rancho 9000s


Replaced factory shocks with RSX 9000 Ranchos and the ride is exceptional now and I have the control to adjust them as I see fit.


I run them 5 front and 3 rear for daily driving and adjust the rear mainly for bed loads and trailering.


Just my $.02


Joe

Recent change to bilsteins. I have watched all the comments from various boards and used all of this info to make a decision. I think that every situation is different, but this is how I made my decision. If you want to spend the extra for in-cab controls, or do not change your carring status often(loaded or unloaded) than the 9000's seem like they might be the best. Mainly because you can "tune" them to your style of ride.


I change many times daily from being over loaded to empty, and could not part with the green to buy the incab controller. For these circumstances it seems that bilsteins are ideal. Compared to my stockers, these ride better, I wouldn't even call it firmer, just better, maybe more controlled. I had a loaded bang in the rear of my truck but could not locate the cause, until now. It was the rear axle bottoming out because the rear shock were wasted. The bilsteins cured this.


Bottom line is that both the 9000's and bilsteins will make you happy, but you have to make the desicion on adjustable or not.





later

Bilstein's made a big difference. Whatever you choose, I'm sure they will be better than what came with it.


Steve

railbuff:


I've been wondering about the shock thing as well since I know the factory shocks aren't worth much from past experience. I've always just gone with the Heavy Duty Delcos, but they're getting really hard to find now.


A lot of folks run Ranchos or Bilsteins and have posted about them. But I'm still confused. There was one post and I don't remember where, that a guy went to the Edelbrock shocks for about the same thing you and I are looking for in the way of ride. He was reluctant to try Edlebrock, since they're best know for gas engine performance mods, but he seemed quite happy with them.


I'd be especially interested in hearing from anyone who's run those shocks in comparison to the other two more common brands.





I'm the fellow that posted what you are referring to. I have Bilsteins on my ford van 1/2 ton, Edelbrocks on my Suburban (after much consternation for the reasons you mentioned). The Edelbrocks replaced Rancho 9000's which were too stiff in the 4 or 5 setting and a soft wallowing mess in level 3 and below.


I hated the Ranchos for the reasons stated, either way too soft or way too stiff. For point of reference, I like my cars/trucks way stiffer than most folks. Many have written that the Corvette Z06 is too stiff, but I think my Z06 rides just fine...The Ranchos only felt right when towing my 6000# boat in level 4.


The bilsteins on my van were a big improvement over stock but don't handle anywhere near as well as my Edelbrock equipped Suburban. The Edelbrocks have a nice compliant ride over bumps and rough roads, but exhibit the best body roll control I've experienced. No diving, squating or body roll. I'm not sure the rebound is any better than the Bilsteins, for that matter they may not be as good as the bilsteins. I just don't know.


I haven't replaced my OEM's on my 2004 CC D/A yet, but I'll post when I do, which should be soon. I'll most likely be going with the Edelbrocks as I hear that the bilsteins increase ride stiffness in our trucks. I don't want more stiffness as my truck is stiff enough from the HD suspension.

man a 42k truck and theyre puting crap for shox on...unbelievable...i'll ride mine for awhile and put bilsteins on next...what do you guys think of gabrieles ?? ive had excellent results on my other trucks..never having to replace them again. http://dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cool.gif ?!Edited by: bob camire

What model Bilsteins?

If you are going to need to adjust the shock damping for changing load conditions, maybe the Rancho adjustables would be the way to go. But the Bilsteins are very hard to beat. I had Ranchos, both adjustable (not 9000s) and non and the Bilsteins are considerably better than either of those. I don't know about Edelbrock, but some who have put them to heavy use have reported failures. I got my Bilsteins on sale from pickuptruck.com around a year ago for $46. That's cheaper than the cheapest Rancho I ever bought.

TC

anyone know where 's the cheapest place to get the bilsteins?

Thnaks

Pepperidge

I'm another w/the newer 9step adjustable Rancho 9000's. I had removed the OEM @ 4000miles and was surprised the truck rode as well as it had. (can't bring myself to unload such junque onto someone else tho). They had dead spots and one of the rear made a grating sound during compression.


I went w/the rancho's for adjustability. As I've only 4000miles on them so far, can't say I've strong feelings about them but that they've met/exceded my expectations so far. Just returned from a 3600mile trip over all kinds of road pulling a small TT and can't see how it could have been better. Plus I don't mind making the necessary adjustment manually as once I baseline my needs its a simple matter.


Got them from samsoffroad.com


Guess if there has to be a point to this, it would be that OEM replacement is in the essential catagory.





Edited by: ShumDit

Haven't used Rancho shocks in many years so can't provide any reliable info on them .... added Bilsteins to my 3500 about 40,000 miles ago and have been well pleased, can highly recommend them


Jim

My old shocks went to the land fill. I do know that Explorer Pro Comp makes a all new adjustable shock. Do not have any feed back on them. People like there tire. 4wheelpartswholesalers.com

What model Bilsteins?



I got mine at www.truckperformance.com (http://www.truckperformance.com)


Part numbers..


BILBE5-6082-H0


BILBE5-6081-H0

Silatman.... John Kennedy (dieselplace member and vendor) also sells the Bilsteins at www.kennedydiesel.com (http://www.kennedydiesel.com) . Cost you $260 shipped to your door. Got mine back in November and haven't stopped grinning yet.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif Edited by: jbh2000

I got mine tonight from Pickuptrucks.com for $251 shipped to my door.

Right now they are offering free shipping.


Regards,

Pepperidge

I am installing a custom front bumper with an estimated weight of 350-400 lbs. I have a 200 lbs. roll bar with rails and a 5th wheel hitch in back. Looking to install a custom (ranch hand style) rear bumper.

So, what shocks would work best in my case? http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif

P.S. Stock size tires, and tow a 9,000 lbs 5th wheel.Edited by: cdhd2001

You are gonna need to adjust your front ride height once every thing is installed. You also might want to think about airbags for the rear. Now back to shocks. Billsteins Heavy Dty. or the Rancho adjustables. I have never loaded my Edelbrocks so I can not comment on there effectiveness under heavy loads.

I called GM and I am told the stock shocks in the D/A are in fact Billsteins. Can anyone verify this. I was also told this by two independent suspension dealers.

If they are they are not the ones you buy aftermarket. If billstein is making the junk that goes on out trucks from the factory then they should give us a credit when we swap them out. On second thought if they are making the junk that comes on our trucks we should never buy another scock from Biilstein. I highly doubt they were made by Billstein. They looked more like something that came across the Ocean.

Who makes the OEM shocks?


hmmm. now, that's an easy one.... the lowest bidder!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cool.gif


I have read more than one place that the manufacturer is Tenneco Automotive who also makes (Monroe/Walker/ Rancho/DynoMax). At least for '02 and '03. (currently scouring the web for some actual data)


EDIT*** heres a little on the monroe/rancho Tenneco connection. http://autofieldguide.com/articles/129901.html


Some say they have a striking resemblance to the bilstein style, but I have not looked, after 28K my stockers are still on (how embarrasing)


Edited by: kjo43

My Vote....... Bilsteins.... On All Four Corners

A fellow that works for GM told me that GM's cost is about $2 per shock.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gifhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif

cdhd2001,


I put Bilsteins on at about 5,000 miles. Thought they were just a tad stiff while running around empty, HOWEVER!!!!


There's a chunk of I25 just north of Raton, NM that would cause me to slow down to about 45-50 mph going through there with the Fifth Wheel attached and with the OEM shocks. My pin weight usually puts me right at the 9200 GVWR. With the Bilsteins, I still notice that this is a particularly bad piece of concrete but I no longer need to slow down. BIG DIFFERENCE!! Good investment.

Rancho 9000's for me. What's not to like about a shock that allows YOU to adjust it so your truck rides how you want it to? It's all good...

Bilsteins, please. Had them on my 99 6.5TD Tahoe that I traded in on my DMax and they were one of the first mods to the DMax.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

got a hundred miles on my new bilsteins and love um like night and day from oem to the bilsteins best $260 i have spent in long time get the bilsteins just mount an forget!!!

The factory shocks on my 2003 2500HD were killing my back. Whether driving on or off pavement I really improved ride & control by installing Rancho 9000x series adjustable shocks. Wish I'd done it miles ago.


Front RS99295 Setting 6


Rear RS99274 Setting 4

I called GM and I am told the stock shocks in the D/A are in fact Billsteins. Can anyone verify this. I was also told this by two independent suspension dealers. Most likely there the same quality of shock that Ford installs on there Larait, they say Rancho on them, but they don't preform or last like them.

I will say it again. If it is to be proven that the stock shocks were made by Bilstein, we should boycott just on principle!

Installed the Bilsteins last night. Am about to leave to drive a few rough roads, as most because I live in rural Mississippi. Took a quick spin last night though, and boy what a diffference!!!!!! Thanks to all, if my short trip last night is any indication the difference is astounding. Will tow my normal load of hog dos tomorrow, and check how the tow, but so far, the best $260 I have spent.