I know there has been alot of threads on here before about the bilstein shock upgrade, but I just cant believe the night and day difference!!! My truck drives like a completely different truck now! No more worn out cadillac front end and no more bucking bronco in the rear. When I removed the rears you could here fluid sloshing around in one of them and it was pretty much "dead"... Mind you truck is an 06' with not even 3000mi on it!

If any of you out there have NOT done this upgrade I would highly recommend it! I got mine from Kennedy, good price and fast service!

By far one of the best upgrades I have done so far!

THANKS KENNEDY! :D

Its one of the best upgrades.. Too bad its not offered from GM as a factory option.

John

Its one of the best upgrades.. Too bad its not offered from GM as a factory option.

John

Actually, I'm glad they don't offer them. ;)

Waiting for mine!!!

Actually, I'm glad they don't offer them. ;)

Hehe, I bet;) I did buy 3 sets from you.. :D

The more of these "Bilstein shocks kick ***" threads I read the more 'need' to get them. :) I'm beginning to wish I hadn't found this site as I think my wallet is going to hurt soon.

What kind of difference do these shocks make when towing? I'm going on a ~2700 mile trip towing a 12-13k goose soon (2 weeks). How much of a difference would these shocks make in that scenario?

just put mine on this week. definitely a better ride overall. most of all, no bouncing rear end when empty.

The more of these "Bilstein shocks kick ***" threads I read the more 'need' to get them. :) I'm beginning to wish I hadn't found this site as I think my wallet is going to hurt soon.

What kind of difference do these shocks make when towing? I'm going on a ~2700 mile trip towing a 12-13k goose soon (2 weeks). How much of a difference would these shocks make in that scenario?

just the ticket for towing as well. best investment I made for the $$. the improvement in loaded, unloaded or towing ride and handling is unbelievable. I had my stock shocks for <5K miles before switching and should have done it the day I drove it off the lot.

the amazing thing is bilsteins aren't much more expensive than lots of other name brand aftermarket shocks, but work WAY better.

The Bilstein shocks are awesome........I bought them from Kennedy!
No more bouncing UP and DOWN.......I took the stock shocks off with about 8,000 miles on the truck and I could just push them all the way down very easy :(

I have the Bilsteins and love them also. The truck has much more control over the suspension movement. The ride is better unloaded, towing, and offroad. One word of warning though, they did not cure my truck of the bouncy freeway ride when unloaded. Honestly, I think that is just the way it is with a HD truck. If I am on a concrete freeway, the bounce can still be quite severe.

Just installed my new Bilstein shocks on the Chevy. HOLY SH!T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a difference. I think i just bought a new truck. Will be ordering a second set for the GMC next month from Kennedy.

I wish I could feel the difference everybody is raving about. I replaced my monroe heavy duty with a new set of bilsteins but I didnt feel any difference. The same bumpy roads with the old shocks are bumpy with the bilsteins, & I also got mine from Kennedy. Maybe I didnt get the same series as everybody else. Mine are yellow with a smooth blue dust cover.

Could be the tires, bumpers, etc I guess, as the shocks are all the same.

Maybe my shocks were just that bad? 32,000 miles on both trucks and seems they been bad for a while.

I could tell on the front-end.... know more bounce, can't wait to hook-up the trailer. Put them on at 8000 miles, the ride is the same, but I didn't buy them for the ride.

Got mine from Kennedy also.

Gcat

I have an 06 and only had 3000 miles when I changed mine...WHAT A DIFFERENCE
Thanks Kennedy Diesel:)

Kaz, I agree! The shocks did not do much for the bouncy on the fwy, but then again I have a dually. Anyway will be installing my Velvet Ride shackles within the next 2 weeks. That should help on the fwy!

I have an 06 cc dooley with 4000 miles. Frankly, the oem shocks appear fine and I can't complain of an unusually rough ride although california freeways can be less than comfortable on occasion but that's not necessarily a problem from poor shocks. Will I notice a difference from bilsteins on a dooley similar you all have experienced with single rear wheels?

Mine is a dually.

I have an 06 cc dooley with 4000 miles. Frankly, the oem shocks appear fine and I can't complain of an unusually rough ride although california freeways can be less than comfortable on occasion but that's not necessarily a problem from poor shocks. Will I notice a difference from bilsteins on a dooley similar you all have experienced with single rear wheels?

The general concensus has been that you don't know what you are missing until you put them on regardless of miles. Myself, I fell more connected to the road, primarily in the front.

Another highly satisfied Kennedy customer here too. I replaced the originals at 35K. Night and day difference! I really think I noticed most of the change from the rears. They were pretty much useless - almost no resistance and one would just be stuck travelling half way out.

The truck just feels so much more solid.
I usually tow a 11K 5th wheel and am anxious to get it hooked up for a trial run.

Suppose they'll help fuel mileage too?:D

I put my Bilsteins on (also got them from Kennedy) at 500 miles, two weeks ago. At first, I loved them, because the truck bobbing up and down was really reduced, and rear wheel hop also was reduced. But now I'm thinking of changing back to the oems. The ride is punishing over the concrete freeways, and breaks in pavement, manhole covers, driveway edges, etc... I don't remember that with the oems.

Ideally, I'd like the control of the Bilsteins without the punishment. Any chance of that happening ???? :confused: If I don't change them, I'm afraid I'm headed for early rattles, as the cab and dash shake pretty good over bumps.

Give them some time to break in. The will become more supple after you get some time on them. They are built to last - so they are a bit "tight" at first. And run your air pressure lower in your tires when running unloaded....

jeff

This may be a dumb question??? I am 6" lift shopping now but I would still like to put Bilsteins on after the lift is installed. Is this possible and how do you know what part number to use. I was shopping lifts with no shocks because as I have read here on this site usually the shocks that come with a lift are junk right out of the box.

I just took off the crappy stock shocks and am enjoying the much improved ride from my Bilstein's. Good value for the money!

I wish I could feel the difference everybody is raving about. I replaced my monroe heavy duty with a new set of bilsteins but I didnt feel any difference. The same bumpy roads with the old shocks are bumpy with the bilsteins, & I also got mine from Kennedy. Maybe I didnt get the same series as everybody else. Mine are yellow with a smooth blue dust cover.

I agree...I think the whole Bilstein thing is a little oversold. I've had Bilsteins on a couple of trucks, and they all are very stiff. I have them now on the front of my truck, but they were too stiff in the rear, and I'm back to OEM's on the rear. Bilsteins did help get rid of the bounce in the front.

Everyone slams the OEM's because the OEM's will take in air if left on their side. When swapping shocks, the typical process is remove the old, set it on its side, and install the new. When picking up the old OEM, it feels squashy and does not dampen correctly. Just let it sit verticle for a while and try it again. It's most likely fine.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a big fan of the OEM's. I did have one set go bad (they were binding and would not freely extend). I'm sure Bilsteins would outlast OEM's by a longshot. On the other hand, for those of us older guy's that like a bit of a softer ride, Bilsteins are not the answer...especially in the rear.

The ride is punishing over the concrete freeways, and breaks in pavement, manhole covers, driveway edges, etc... I don't remember that with the oems.

Ideally, I'd like the control of the Bilsteins without the punishment. Any chance of that happening ???? :confused: If I don't change them, I'm afraid I'm headed for early rattles, as the cab and dash shake pretty good over bumps.

Well, got a few more miles on them now. Also have my shell back on and about 200 lbs of daily tools and stuff in the back. Ride is better, even respectable in most cases, for an HD truck. I still hope the Bilsteins will ease up just a bit. I remember them being stiff at first on my 1/2ton also. Runnin them new in an unloaded truck is brutal, tho.

Gotta love a high pressure monotube gas shock vs a plain jane oil shock that our trucks come with.

Are they a rougher or a smoother ride? Better loaded or unloaded? I'm getting conflicting reports. What color are the shocks? Stocks are black correct?

Ok I don't know if I would say wow, but they do help. They do ride a little rougher in the front, but it doesn't nose dive and hop as bad anymore. It's a more controlled ride, but a firmer one. jmo

What color are these shocks? :ro)

Yellow tube, blue dust cover. (Bilstein OE stock replacements.)

DEWFPO

Are they a rougher or a smoother ride? Better loaded or unloaded? I'm getting conflicting reports. What color are the shocks? Stocks are black correct?

FWIW, I think they control the body motion of the truck way better than oems. The truck is dampened nicely over humps, and doesn't "bob". They are pretty firm on bad pavement, etc. I haven't been offroad with them, or even dirt road yet, but I expect they will be fairly hard. I'm still hoping they soften up just a tad.

I'd like to get new shocks to get rid of some of the bounce, but don't know if I can stand a rougher ride. 52,000 miles so far on my rig and alot of front end bounce especially with 10,000lb. 34' travel trailer on it.

I'd say 98% report greatly improved ride/control w/o harshness. 1.5% report little or no difference. .5% say they are harsh.

I'm with the majority.

P.S. You might "feel" a little more if the small stuff in the road, but the overall improvement is well worth it...

I just installed my Kennedy Bilstein's and I love them. I run a cross box loaded with tools, a ladder rack with 2 ladders, a dolly, and misc. pipes all the time. Even brand new I didn't like feel when cornering or the roll (or bob) of the truck. Over bad washboard roads I felt like it wasn't going to stop because it was skipping right over the washboard. I am very happy with the bilsteins and wish I had done them sooner.
Thanks for the fast excellent service Mr. Kennedy.

The ride is a little stiffer, but I am used to driving trucks and I thought the stock suspension was too soft anyway. To each his own I guess.

This may be a dumb question??? I am 6" lift shopping now but I would still like to put Bilsteins on after the lift is installed. Is this possible and how do you know what part number to use. I was shopping lifts with no shocks because as I have read here on this site usually the shocks that come with a lift are junk right out of the box.

For lifts look at the Billstein 5100 series. I have them on my lifted '96 and am very pleased with them. If Kennedy can't get them for you look at this page- http://jackit.com/Shocks/Bilstein_5100.htm
That's where I got my shocks. Good service.

Just installed the Bilsteins last night. It's amazing the difference they made. Mind you, my old shocks could be compressed by hand. They barely returned to rest also. They were just shot!

The new Bilsteins looks great, drive well, and handle anything I threw at them last night.