Edelbrock vs Bilstein

[Superglide]

Sorry to bore you guys. I'm replacing the shocks and would like your opinons on which you would put on your truck. Mine is a 2004. 5 2500 CTD 4x4 stock suspension. 90% highway/10% moderate rough gravel. Occasionaly tow a 27' trailer, about 8,500 lbs. I've ridden in a Ram 1500 with Edelbrock IAS shocks and found it to be a real nice ride, however, don't know how good they would be on a heavier truck.

So, the question is - Edelbrock IAS or Bilstein (F4-BE5-C604-HO)? Comments greatly appreciated.

 

[Newt]

I ran Edelbrocks on a Ford Ranger towing a HiLo travel trailer. Much better than OEM.



That said, I plan on using Biltsteins on the 3500



Newt

 

[KO_RAM]

I just put the Bilstein 5100 series on last week. Much better ride than the OEM's (even when they were new). I've got 110K on the truck now.



I pulled the 5er on Saturday for a short drive home (about 20 miles) from winter storage and it seemed to ride nice. I'll know more when I get a few more miles on it, but with the truck alone they are definitely an improvement.



I've never ran the Edelbrocks, so I can't help you there.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Haven't used Edelbrocks but I do have the yel/blu Bilsteins and I use my truck the same wasy you do, all on-road and highway. The ride difference is tremendous. I strongly recommend the Bilsteins!

 

[ENafziger]

Another vote for Bilsteins here. They are a great company with a great product. Rather than cutting costs and outsourcing for cheaper components, they continue to push the bounds of performance with new technology and top of the line quality and parts.

That being said, the Bilstein 9100s I've been running are awesome! I'm also running Bilstein 7100 stabilizers, and Bilstein 4" rear travel bump stops.

--Eric

 

[04blackcherry]

Bilstein 5100 series. Great handling. Great control. I do a lot of freeway driving. I've also been cutting firewood off road for a couple months. I never feel on the edge.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

The Bilsteins are good shocks for awhile but die faster than anything else I've ran, wore out two sets of blue/yellows within 20k miles each then switched to KYB Monomax shocks. The KYBs have held up much better, they're a little stiffer to start with but so far considerably better shock KYB Monomax Shock

 

[BLMills]

Superglide,



My opinion, for what it's worth. I replaced the OEM shocks with Edelbrock IAS shocks. I was really happy with the ride for the first 25K miles. Fairly smooth on the highway, but didn't like the tune and dampening as much on rough mountain roads in Colorado. Washboard roads were scary. I thought they were still ok until getting transferred out to San Diego and the truck was downright unsafe on the highways out here. Also, both rear shocks began leaking hydraulic fluid at 35K.



Replaced them with Bilstein 5100s and my truck now rides better than new. They are stiff but in my opinion no tire hop on rough expansion joints and really shine off-road. Can't yet comment on the longevity.



Not trying to bash the Edelbrocks. I'm sure they are great, but didn't work for me. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Superglide]

Many thanks for all the replies. From your thoughts and some more research I've decided to go with the Bilstein 5100's (BE5-6681-H6).

 

[Blakers]

Would you recommend the Bilsteins for moderate off road use? I run about 40% on 2-lane highways and the rest between dirt roads and gas well lease roads.

Thanks.

 

[LRutigliano]

The Bilsteins are good shocks for awhile but die faster than anything else I've ran, wore out two sets of blue/yellows within 20k miles each then switched to KYB Monomax shocks. The KYBs have held up much better, they're a little stiffer to start with but so far considerably better shock KYB Monomax Shock

Hi Vaughn,



I just replaced the shocks on my 2002 Durango with KYB Monomax. I love them, however, these were the hardest thing I have ever done to any vehicle as far as effort goes. Since they are monotube shocks that are charged to 360 psi, they don't compress when you are under the vehicle, even if you are the Hulk.



I had to jack up each corner and fully extend each corner, then:



On the fronts, I had to compress them with all of my weight and then tie strap them in the compressed length and then install them.



On the rears, I used a floor jack to compress the shock just enough to slide into the lower bracket.



BPITA to install, but very worth it...



I would love to get these for my 3rd gen, but after looking at the truck install compared to the Durango, I am not confident I would ever be able to get them installed.



The truck looks to be about 2x harder, especially the fronts. I can't even see the lower bolt on the PS of the truck. The rear lower brackets completely cover the lower hole like a skid plate , so a floor jack wouldn't work...



Any insights?



Thanks,

Louis