Anybody have any experience with these. On my OEM the rubber insert is starting to look like it had better days and it started me thinking about replacing it with a Fluid Damper?

Glenn

 

From what I have gathered , is not needed till your start running the truck hard , like drag / pull , high RPM , money may well be spent to get you to needing one , then get it .
I noticed you do not like the Bilstein shocks , why , this is the 1st bad review I've read , but most go for the 5100 , for lifted trucks .
Other wise they seem to be well recommended , haven't done yet , but they were on my list .

 

They don't dampen the truck the way they should. I think the quality is there but the application is not correct for our trucks. Like taking a light car shock and putting truck ends on it. I went from OEM to the Monroe Gas Magnums and was happy until one failed and my friend who has a 97 CTD went straight from OEM to the Bilsteins and swore by them. So I went ahead and ordered them and put them on and was shocked (pun not intended) it was like the truck was really loose. When at idle if I tapped the fuel pedal it was like the truck had a 1000 HP engine it would rock side to side (time it just right and I could really get the truck rocking back and forth at a red light or something). Going done a highway it was like the truck would pitch and wallow like an old large 70's Cadillac or something. The shocks just were not up to controlling the weight (empty too). I finally had enough and replaced them with the Gas Magnums and it was like "WOW" what a difference! I got my truck back. However, I noticed the build Quality seem to drop a bit on the Monroe's since my first ones but the dampening seems to be the same. So after listening to me preach about this a friend of mine took his Billys off and went with the Monroe's and he called me up and thanked me for talking him into it. He couldn't believe the difference himself. The bottom line is Bilstein makes great shocks. I had the on my Vettes for years (have a 2006 Z06 now). If you dive your truck slow and just use it to ride into town every now and then or whatever then I am sure they would be fine. I drive an hour to hour and half one-way everyday at speeds up to 80 and IMHO they just don't control the way they should, even though they might last forever. The day I taking the Monroe's off and putting on the Bilstiens they even looked wimpier (Smaller body and shaft and even the hardware was'nt as HD) I realiize that they are a Monotube design and maybe that why the difference. Even in their (Bilstein) advertising they don't metion things like piston or shaft diameter when refering about these shocks (Because there is nothing to bragg about IMHO).

 

Thanks for the heads up , Geno's Garage is one of the ones that were recommending , they said that they were not up on shocks , but a source that they like recommended them , so thats once removed at least .

 

Anyone found a deal on the dampners yet? Man thier like 400+ dollars, i would like to have one since this project of mine is race only and sees higher rpm, but... i have also read were lots of the sled pullers run 5k+ on the stocker so i suppose my 4k is alright. I will keep a close eye on it though to make sure it doesnt get loose at the rubber. Whats the best deal others have got one for and where? Thanks Ryan

 

I bought all of the shocks at shockwarehouse.com and on their web site they have a stiffness rating for different brands and they rated the Bilsteins really stiff. I called them and talked to them about my disappointment with the Bilsteins when I ordered the new set of Monroe's and it was like "The first we have heard of it" kind of thing and they must just figured I was some whacko. My guess is what is happening is people drive their trucks with OEM shocks that have been bad for a while then go and get a nice new set of Bilsteins and what a difference, they just don't have anything else to compare them to so they figure since they bought allegedly the best they must be the best end of story and just don't think about it. Since I had experienced a different brand, it was a different story for me. The truck handled so much better and it didn't nose dive when stopping. I have no experience with any other brands myself. Maybe the KYB, Rancho's or others are even way better that what I got now? I don't know? That's my story and I am sticking to it! Good luck on whatever you decide

Glenn

 

I'm the guy Glenn is talking about. After I put the Monroe's on, I could not believe the difference. SInce I first put the Bilsteins on, my front tires always cupped when they wore. SInce the installation of Monroe's, the problem has gone away. If anyone wants my old Bilsteins, they came off my 97 2500 8800GVW truck, they can have them for free, otherwise I will throw them away in a few weeks.

 

I forgot about the tire cupping problem too, good point! I notice the same thing myself. I threw the Bilsteins out, they were perfectly good condition (1 year old) and I was going to offer them here for free too. I ended up just throwing them out.

Glenn

 

Thats been my experience too. I went from rancho RSX 9000 to the 5100's and they dont seem to have much rebound damping, so the truck pogo's on the highway when you hit bumps.
You wont get adjustable high speed damping without a much more expensive unit. The low speed damping is almost as bad. Its a compromise.
Honestly, I dont think the suspension on these trucks can be solved without replacing the coils and leafs with the proper weights for optimum sag when empty and then getting good shocks. (fox, king) Then youd have to run air bags for loads.
If I had the $$$ Id do it.

 

I looked at the fluid dampers myself because my stock one was dying. I just couldn't justify the gain for the price, $500 compared to $220 for OEM one from Cummins.

 

But if your old one needs to be replaced , thats the best time to mod , instead of removing a good working part , for a mod .

 

look on ebay I sold my oem damper 30.00 when I put on a fluid damper

 

I too have questions about the fluid damper .I tow about 75% of the trucks use RPM is 2200 to 2500 on the freeway .I was thinking it would be a good idea to run one due to those rpms for long hauls.

 

2200-2500 rpm isnt the high rpm people are referring to on these trucks. Most people spin to almost 4k before they do a fluid damper, from what i hear it really smoothes out the 2.5k to 4k+ pull, i wouldnt worry about it for towing in your rpm range.

 

I put one on, I tow most the time and put in a g56 6speed with a valair solid flywheel it helps to dampen gear rattle.