2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Bilstein Shock Choice-HD Or Standard???help!!!

[tom sweeney]

ok guys..... i'm driving myself crazy here... i cant decide which Bilstein shock to get..... Heavy-Duty or Standard... i DO want the best ride i can get,BUT... . most of the time the truck runs solo... i tow several times a year and have a 60 gal fuel tank/toolbox combo in the bed which i keep full all the time..... im currently running Rancho 9000's. . 9 position which really don't impress me a great deal with the ride quality.

any suggestions would be appreciated,Rancho and Bilstein seem to be the most popular... . so waddya think fellas????... ... ... . tom

 

[Bob Wagner]

Tom, It all depends on what you are looking for in a shock. The HD Bilsteins offer great handling and are a very good upgrade to the stock shocks.



Yes, the bilsteins are kinda stiff feeling but for all around performance they are hard to beat.



The tdr member special is in effect going on 3 years at http://www.offroadwarehouse.com



and I believe there is also a deal on shipping too.



just click on the tdr icon on the homepage. I make nada zip zero on this deal, but a lot od members have save a few bucks and ORW has sold a ton of shocks.



I had the HD Bilsteins on here since 15K and I am very satisfied for my 7K+ truck.



HTH

 

[AggieJustin]

Is the TDR discount still running? I didn't see a link on the homepage, but I wanted to see if anyone has used the discount lately.



Also, are BE5-2549 and BE5-2550 the numbers everyone is using for a '01 4x4?



TIA,



JM

 

[Bob Wagner]

sorry for the broken link( which I fixed) yes the tdr special price is still in effect.



for some reason ORW took away the TDR logo on the homepage, but if you enter TDR in the search criteria you will get the special member prices.



This deal is going on over 3 years

 

[RBallard]

I bought the OEM version and have been very pleased. Better than the stock shocks and way better than the Heckthorns that the Bilstein's replaced. BTW, I purchased them from offroadwarehouse. My only complaint about offroadwarehouse is that the must have me listed as having a jeep becuase they keep sending jeep catalogs, but they are great jeep catalogs!

 

[WBusa]

Yep, the 2549/2550's are what I have on my '95 now. I couldn't be happier... definitely the most bang for the buck of any mod so far. The beast went from feelin like a pogo stick on marbles to feelin like an actual automobile.

 

[SnoKing]

ok guys..... i'm driving myself crazy here... i cant decide which Bilstein shock to get..... Heavy-Duty or Standard... i DO want the best ride i can get,BUT... . most of the time the truck runs solo... i tow several times a year and have a 60 gal fuel tank/toolbox combo in the bed which i keep full all the time..... im currently running Rancho 9000's. . 9 position which really don't impress me a great deal with the ride quality.

any suggestions would be appreciated,Rancho and Bilstein seem to be the most popular... . so waddya think fellas????... ... ... . tom

What do you run for air pressure in the tires? Around 55 in the front and low 40's in the rear helps the ride in an empty truck. SNOKING

 

[Tcolesanti]

I am using the 5100's with the T-Rex front springs and it is a greatly improved ride over stock.

 

[bmoeller]

I have the OEM version. Stiffer, but I like them.

 

[tom sweeney]

i run 60 front and 50 rear... i have a 60 gal. in-bed fuel tank that i keep full... . tom

 

[diesel DOG]

I got the HD and love them. I even put a set on my Excursion with only 9,000 on the truck.

 

[jjohn]

I haven't had as good of luck with ORW

I ordered four OEM Bilstein shocks 2/7/2005 from ORW.

Got a good price no complain there “but” one of the rear shocks failed at less than 60 miles. Leaking oil like crazy.

I paid to ship the defective shock back to ORW, they said I would have to Buy another shock… until they received the bad unit for warrantee to Bilstein…



I paid for the fifth shock. They shipped it promptly also. Several phone calls to Off Road Warehouse later and several promises to call me back “that didn’t happen” and still no reimbursement for the failed shock.

I was told about two weeks at the time for reimbursement I shipped it back 2/17/2005 almost two months and nothing!

Not such a great deal for me… 4 shocks for the price of 5 and I got to pay the shipping to return the shock. Not real thrilled with the customer service at ORW.

JJ

 

[duaneparks]

Not real thrilled with the customer service at ORW.

JJ

If you haven't already, talk to Sonny. He is THE man and should hook you up.



I'm not affilliated, just a happy customer.



Duane

 

[jjohn]

Thanks Duane,

I talked with Sonny, he said he would take care of it. I'll let you know what happens.

JJ

 

[master1578]

How long did you run your stock shocks before changing them?



Did you change because you had to or wanted to?



TIA,

Brian

 

[jjohn]

How long did you run your stock shocks before changing them?



Did you change because you had to or wanted to?



TIA,

Brian

At 75,000. I thought they were overdue... but not because of any failure or know problem.

Brian,

They were way way overdue! one front and one rear shock was useless. Driveability improved dramatically.

JJ

 

[nfox]

Shock

How much stiffer are the hd bilsteins than the regular ones? I want the best ride for my 96?

 

[master1578]

Thanks for the reply JJ. I've been feeling a difference in ride lately so I'm changing mine out. Oh yeah, I'm at 99k. . However most (about 80%) of my miles are highway. In fact I finally need to change my rear brakes. Front brakes made it to about 75k. I'd have to check to be sure.

 

[LandShark]

jjohn: No excuse for crap service like that from Off Road Warehouse. If you don't have a refund by Monday call your credit card company and get their help. With a few complaints, a business can lose their merchant account (credit card processing) and they of course don't like that.



Can't say that I'm too impressed with the Bilstein going bad in 60 miles. I guess you are doing quality control for them!!!



BTW: I've found that it's generally better to deal with the manufacturer direct on warranty problems.

 

[jjohn]

jjohn: No excuse for crap service like that from Off Road Warehouse. If you don't have a refund by Monday call your credit card company and get their help. With a few complaints, a business can lose their merchant account (credit card processing) and they of course don't like that.



Can't say that I'm too impressed with the Bilstein going bad in 60 miles. I guess you are doing quality control for them!!!



BTW: I've found that it's generally better to deal with the manufacturer direct on warranty problems.

Landshark

I guess I'll have to try the CC company at this point. Thanks for the suggestion. Sonny at ORW said he would take care of it yesterday, end of the business day today and still no credit on the card (checking account online).

I'M sure dealing with Bilstein direct would have been a better approch live and learn. As for Bilstein going bad under 60 miles. It was a pain... but I'm sure it was an exception. I am happy with the shocks overall.