Just installed bilsteins! Great!!

[SOOT]

I went and priced the bilsteins for the 99. How does $355 sound, installed all 4? So they will be going on next week.

 

[Jack in Alaska]

Can anyone give me a direct comparison of Monroe Sensatracs vs. Bilsteins???



Someone that has had both on there truck not a "my buddy says... etc"



Thanks in advance fro any info.

 

[jsimpson]

I put Sensatrack struts on my Park Avenue. The next time I had it aligned, they were ALL bent! I have Bilsteins on my Tundra and my RAM. Next, they'll go on my Corvette.

 

[TPCDrafting]

Is having the Bilsteins on your truck anything like going from riding a quarter horse to your Paso Fino's? Wife has a Paso and swears that's the best horse she's ever had. (and she's had many)! Camping World has the Bils for 65 a piece, and install is cheap too!

 

[CoreyPerez]

This is only my opnion, but I don't really think that these shocks are all that great. If I hadn't thrown my old shocks away, I'd have pulled these back off and re-installed the OEM shocks. That and the price that I paid for them, it kind of makes me want to keep them. I'm just curious, how tight did you folks tighten down the rubber bushing at the top of the shocks? Mine are making a "thud" sound and I'm sure that its from that bushing. Also, I have the bushing to be what I thought was tight enough.



Thanks,



Corey

 

[redram]

I've had the Bilstiens on my 96 3500 for 100,000+. Paid $200 for 4 from a place called MacNeils out of the midwest. They usually advertise in Car and Driver, Road and Track type magazines. There ad is usually for those fancy floormats and sheepskin seat covers but they also sell Bilsteins.



As I understand it, the Bilstein's are warranted for life and if 100,000 + on a truck like the heavy front ended Cummins is an indication, they will hold up well. Checked with the tech guys at Bilstein while at the Sema show and they said the shock is still functional as long as you can not compress the rod lower than 0. 75 inch from bottoming out. If you can, then some of the nitrogen gas charge has leaked out.



I can not compare to the Monroe Sensatracs but I first tried the Monro Gas Magnums before the Bilsteins, and they are for sale with less than 5000 miles if anyone is interested. The OE shocks were crap from the beginning. Those came off by 18K!.



Gabriel is supposed to make a large diameter RV shock (but I never could find anyone that had any real tech info)



Happy trucking.



Redram

 

[jsimpson]

Yep; it's like going from a quarter horse to a Paso Fino! It's amazing how much more like my TDR Tundra my one-ton Dodge rides now! And I haven't even loaded the Lance yet! A trip to Kentucky in a couple of weeks will be the REAL test!

 

[monkfarm]

I think if you don't push your truck around corners (i'm a wisconsin hillbilly), you're not going to discover what these shocks are about.

I bought a 97 explorer for my wife, and the thing would wallow around corners like a boat. High winds would move it around also. I installed the bilsteins soon after new, and (seemingly ) the only limits on corners were the tires. I think if ford would have installed bilsteins, they wouldn't have had the problems they did. You know the explorer is tippy, and that's what's scary. You don't feel it.

 

[45A1]

monkfarm, that's exactly what i wanted to hear. mine are going on this weekend. i'm burning out the outside edges of both my front tires faster than the rears. seems like the truck is always pitched to one side... i'll be pumped if the bilsteins help out.

 

[45A1]

Well the new shocks are on... definately an improvement in cornering but maybe a little firmer ride over bumps. I ended up putting the stock rubber doughnuts back on the front ones. Anyone else one this? I couldnt get the top one on with the bottom bilstein one so I just used both the stock ones.