Put Bilsteins on the Silverado

Quote
Also the rears were without a doubt bad. I compressed them by hand yesterday afternoon and they still have not rebounded.


If the ride improved and you deem it worth the money spent, then it was the right thing to replace them, BUT those Rancho RS5000 are not gas pressurized like most shocks and are not supposed to rebound on their own.
 
Originally Posted by Dave9
Quote
Also the rears were without a doubt bad. I compressed them by hand yesterday afternoon and they still have not rebounded.


If the ride improved and you deem it worth the money spent, then it was the right thing to replace them, BUT those Rancho RS5000 are not gas pressurized like most shocks and are not supposed to rebound on their own.


Interesting, I never knew that about the Ranchos. I have never been a fan of them, even when I worked at Sears Auto and we got extra spiffs to sell them.

Just took the truck for a fairly long drive around Santa Barbara and Montecito tonight, and the ride was significantly better. But now the whole front end squeaks like crazy.
 
Originally Posted by Hermann
Been thinking about Bilstein 5100's on the F-150. Anyone here put Bilstein's on a 2015 or newer F-150.

What I am looking for, is a better compromise of compression vs rebound damping. The standard shock intensifiers are OK until you hit bigger imperfections.


I put rears on my 2018 stx because the stockers were opening too much towing. They were sloppy. 5100s tightened the ride some but were still pretty soft with a load. Added a hellwig sway bar to the rear on the light setting recently and the combination is fabulous. It also has a camper shell and I regularly get the ztr mower in there, which weighs around 350 lbs I'd guess. It's ok with that.

I read mixed stories on doing the fronts. Some said fronts with 4x4 was driveway doable. Others said there's a lot more work involved with fronts because the halfshafts get in the way.

The bilsteins are more buttery and let the suspension move more than the stockers.
 
Bilstein 5100 are digressive valving. If you dont know what that means, google it. It will help you decide if they are right for you.
I dont like them. Not saying they are bad, just dont like they way they are valved. At least on a 150/1500 pickup.

BTW I have a 18 f150 and I hate the OEM shocks. Rebound damping is very little.
 
Last edited:
I just received KYB GAS A JUST for my 05 Silverado 1500 4wd. It has the original shocks with 197k miles. The front are very soft, rear seem okay still, but likely also worn.

I'm getting them installed Thursday while on vacation. That and hopefully grease the steering shaft to temporarily get rid of the typical gm truck steering shaft clunk.

I'm hoping it feels like a new truck.
 
Originally Posted by bdcardinal
But now the whole front end squeaks like crazy.

Time for a front end rebuild but you planned on that. But man, an ex-friend had a older Chevy truck I spent many hours cussing and man-handling a simple sway bar link that had to be destroyed due to neglect when I had to replace a CV axle on it.
 
Originally Posted by nthach
Originally Posted by bdcardinal
But now the whole front end squeaks like crazy.

Time for a front end rebuild but you planned on that. But man, an ex-friend had a older Chevy truck I spent many hours cussing and man-handling a simple sway bar link that had to be destroyed due to neglect when I had to replace a CV axle on it.


Good think I don't have to worry about any CV axles on this truck.

Shopping for all the front end parts now. I really don't want Mevotech but that seems to be all my vendors carry.
 
Originally Posted by Srt20
Bilstein 5100 are digressive valving. If you dont know what that means, google it...
I did.

My images come up.
smile.gif


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
 
Bilstein's are good shocks. When my 98 Chevrolet K1500 truck hit about 36,000 miles, I replaced the factory Bilstein shocks with Bilstein HD's. The truck has about 139,000 miles on it now and the shocks still feel good. They were installed almost 20 years ago.
 
Originally Posted by bdcardinal


Shopping for all the front end parts now. I really don't want Mevotech but that seems to be all my vendors carry.

With how many GMT800/900s are on the road, I'm shocked you can't find Moog(Problem Solver) or TRW stuff for it. I'm sure Energy Suspension makes bushings for it but squeaking will be a fact of life.
 
Originally Posted by Srt20
Bilstein 5100 are digressive valving. If you dont know what that means, google it. It will help you decide if they are right for you.
I dont like them. Not saying they are bad, just dont like they way they are valved. At least on a 150/1500 pickup.

BTW I have a 18 f150 and I hate the OEM shocks. Rebound damping is very little.

Thanks for the reply
Amen to the total lack of damping. Ford is probably paying $5 for the OEM's
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by meep
Originally Posted by Hermann
Been thinking about Bilstein 5100's on the F-150. Anyone here put Bilstein's on a 2015 or newer F-150.

What I am looking for, is a better compromise of compression vs rebound damping. The standard shock intensifiers are OK until you hit bigger imperfections.


I put rears on my 2018 stx because the stockers were opening too much towing. They were sloppy. 5100s tightened the ride some but were still pretty soft with a load. Added a hellwig sway bar to the rear on the light setting recently and the combination is fabulous. It also has a camper shell and I regularly get the ztr mower in there, which weighs around 350 lbs I'd guess. It's ok with that.

I read mixed stories on doing the fronts. Some said fronts with 4x4 was driveway doable. Others said there's a lot more work involved with fronts because the halfshafts get in the way.

The bilsteins are more buttery and let the suspension move more than the stockers.

thanks for responding
I think I will get two on the rear and see if they are enough of an improvement to get the fronts eventually.
 
Originally Posted by nthach
Originally Posted by bdcardinal


Shopping for all the front end parts now. I really don't want Mevotech but that seems to be all my vendors carry.

With how many GMT800/900s are on the road, I'm shocked you can't find Moog(Problem Solver) or TRW stuff for it. I'm sure Energy Suspension makes bushings for it but squeaking will be a fact of life.


Ya I found the Moog listings. My vendors for some reason are all Mevotech now. I will probably get them from Amazon.

I also noticed last night that someone cranked the heck out of the torsion bar keys. That would explain the negative camber wear on the old tires and why the truck rides not ideal even with the Bilsteins.

I was telling one of my wholesale customers about it and he said I could use his shop on a Saturday which I thought was really nice of him.
 
Bit of an update. I took 4 full turns out of the torsion bar key bolts and the ride is significantly better. Also the steering is less "darty" like bumpsteer is where it should be. I might take a turn or so more out per side once it settles out some.
 
Bit of an update. I took 4 full turns out of the torsion bar key bolts and the ride is significantly better. Also the steering is less "darty" like bumpsteer is where it should be. I might take a turn or so more out per side once it settles out some.
It should be touching a little bit.
 
Back
Top