Another Shock Question

[CRutledge]

2006 5. 9 4x4 Mega Cab Completely Stock



Which Bilstiens? the yellow and blue or the silver



thanks

 

[HBarlow]

I've only used the blue and yellow on highway-driven 2wds. Don't know what the black and silver are for. Maybe for off-road 4x4s?

 

[pullya]

Black and Silver are generally for 4WD and can be used for vehicles with up to a 2" lift.

Jay

 

[TimothyLong]

This has been discussed on other threads. Basically there are 3 kinds of Bilstein shocks available for our trucks. There are the yellow and blue standard Bilstein's which are equivalent to Mopar OEM shocks. Then there are the HD shocks, which are a beige-yellow and blue that are recommended for most HD applications. Then you have the Bilstein 5100's, the silver and black shocks, for lifted / off-road applications. Bottom line is that the OEM replacements are just that and should be avoided if you care about towing, hauling, or body roll / performance. The HD's are specifically tuned for Dodge Ram applications and are great for towing / hauling heavy loads. The 5100's are a more generic off- road shock made for lifted applications. So, if you have a stock suspension and you do heavy hauling and/or towing, the Bilstein HD's are the way to go. If you have a lifted front (leveling kit) and a stock rear and do heavy hauling or towing, then I would go with 5100's in the front and HD's in the rear. If you have a lifted front (leveling kit) and do not do heavy towing/hauling then go with 5100's all the way around.

 

[Grumpy John 4x4]

billsteins

go with the 7100's

 

[CRutledge]

I'm still confused! I have 65K miles on my truck. My truck seems very soft in the front when I hit a low spot going down the highway it feels like the truck bottoms out. What will the 7100 do that the 5100 won't? I don't do a lot of heavy towing. I do mostly highway driving.

Thanks

 

[kowaliga]

5100's on stock 4x4, Q. C. , longbed approximate 'new truck ride', unloaded. The rear end is still too reactive over humps in the road but overall, a more confident-driving vehicle.

 

[TimothyLong]

From postings that I've seen in the past, the 5100's are probably stiffer than the HD's. There are folks on here that really don't like the 5100's because they don't like the ride they get with them. Those folks prefer the HD's whether they tow or not, mainly to get a better ride. I have a 2" leveling kit on my '03 and I run the 5100's in the front. I absolutely love them and I don't mind that the ride is a tick stiff. I'm running Edelbrock IAS Performers on the rear at the moment (had them on all 4 till I had to replace the fronts when I put the leveling kit on). I haven't gotten around to replacing them to match the ride up a little better, but I'm leaning toward HD's in the rear. So what you should decide on is whether or not you will like a stiffer ride. If it doesn't bother you, then you should consider the 5100's. Otherwise go with the HD's. Both are excellent shocks and you can't go wrong either way. I will add a note to consider, guys that have 5100's all the way around say that the 5100's perform very poorly when loaded for that once or twice they haul or tow heavy. Another thing, as kowaliga mentioned above, is that they will make an empty bed a bit active. Even though you do mostly over the road driving like I do, putting HD's in the rear should help this. But again, it's a matter of personal preference.

 

[Matt400]

2006 5. 9 4x4 Mega Cab Completely Stock



Which Bilstiens? the yellow and blue or the silver



thanks

Easy. . The HD's cuz they are valved specifically for your application and the oem spring rates.

The 5100's have generic valving so they work with a range of aftermarket springs and lifts plus they are a little longer to accommodate the lift.

 

[HBarlow]

There seems to be some very useful information here but I can't follow some of the posts because some of you are speaking in codes I am not familiar with. I was only aware of the standard OEM replacement Bilsteins which are Blue and Yellow. I don't know their model number. I have used them with impressive success on highway driven 2wd trucks used for extensive towing. I was also aware of the black and silver and assumed they were for off-roading on 4wd trucks.

A third version, in beige and blue has been mentioned but the info is unclear because sometimes the Bilsteins are referred to by color, sometimes by model number ie 5100, and sometimes by descriptions like HD.

Would someone who knows list the three choices along with color and Bilstein model number?

 

[RKerner]

5100, 7100, and HD descriptions

 

[Matt400]

Or ckeck here :

Bilstein, Innovation and High Quality Since 1873



And there is the 800# that will also get questions answered Bilstein

 

[TimothyLong]

There seems to be some very useful information here but I can't follow some of the posts because some of you are speaking in codes I am not familiar with. I was only aware of the standard OEM replacement Bilsteins which are Blue and Yellow. I don't know their model number. I have used them with impressive success on highway driven 2wd trucks used for extensive towing. I was also aware of the black and silver and assumed they were for off-roading on 4wd trucks.



A third version, in beige and blue has been mentioned but the info is unclear because sometimes the Bilsteins are referred to by color, sometimes by model number ie 5100, and sometimes by descriptions like HD.



Would someone who knows list the three choices along with color and Bilstein model number?

Harvey, sorry about that! Didn't mean to lose you there. Thanks Matt400 and RKerner for providing additional information!

 

[HBarlow]

Thanks to each of you for some helpful Bilstein information.

I found the Bilstein website itself to be the most informative. I spent some time studying the Bilstein site and all I could locate was two shock part numbers, front and rear, for Dodge 2500/3500 trucks, 2wd or 4wd. They seem to be the "HD" shocks. If the truck is a lifted 4 x 4 the 5100 version seems to be right. I couldn't locate a third choice. Did I miss something.

I had been thinking that maybe my 2wd 3500 cab and chassis would require 4wd shocks since it uses what appears to be a standard solid axle 4wd front end minus differential and axle shafts but since the Bilstein chart specified the same shock for 2wd or 4wd, I guess they are the same.

That's good news because I have a brand new, still in the box set of Bilstein rear shocks that I purchased for my '06 thinking the first set of Bilsteins was failing. It turned out the too soft rear leaf springs were failing due to pulling heavy trailers. I had extra leaves made up and installed to stiffen the ride and carrying capacity and never installed the new shocks.

 

[DaveHess]

I have 5100's on mine based on recommendation from Geno's. I was expecting hasher and got a smoother ride. I also got rid of the dribbling from the rear over less than smooth roads. I like my 5100's.

 

[brods]

Over the years on different vehicles I’ve had Monroes, Gabriels, Konis, Skyjackers, Rancho 5000s & 9000s, Elderbrock IAS, Bilsteins, and probably more that I’ve forgotten. Each and everyone of them advertized a list of gimmicks which were supposed to make the vehicle ride better and more controlled. Well yes, compared to worn out shocks that was true. Compared to good shocks, well lets just say none of them stood out from the crowd as anything extraordinary.



Even while knowing better, I fell for the Bilstein hype (partially because of all the glowing reviews here on TDR) and bought the 6681 and 6647 5100s. Not impressed and certainly would not recommend them as a good value for the price.



I have come to the conclusion (besides that I am a bit of a sucker) that a shock can only do so much with the stock suspension (meaning very little) and that any halfway decent shock will do an adequate job with the stock suspension. Spending big bucks for top name shocks only makes a tiny difference at best and is a total waste of money at worst.



YMMV

 

[HBarlow]

I agree with the above to a point. I agree completely that a shock cannot do more than dampen spring compression and rebound. That is what they are designed to do. The difference between brands is how well they do what they are supposed to do but more importantly, how long they will do it satisfactorily.

My experience with standard blue and yellow Bilsteins on 2wd Dodge Ram duallies is that they restore excellent ride qualities and last almost forever on a highway driven truck, even when routinely hauling heavy trailers.