2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Pro and Con of double-shock setups

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Not long ago I put a new set of Bilstein OEM series shocks on the front my '96 then drove across the US to Maine and back. Took the long way home through Pensacola Florida and San Antonio Texas.



Now 9000 miles later they're almost toast. The freeways and turnpikes of Michigan, Ohio, Penn and NY beat the snot out of 'em. The one on the passenger side is a goner, which I blame on a wicked pothole in Kennesaw Georgia.



My truck felt great the day I put them on, my 354,000 mile beast felt like a new ride. Tight and smooth, but that's long gone.



Can anyone tell me if double shock setups will help maintain the performance of shocks and withstand brutal roads more easily? What are the drawbacks? My big beef with shocks is I like the way they feel the first few hundred miles then soon they're fairly ineffective. I thought the Bilsteins would do better than they did, but granted you guys in the Great Lakes and New England have pretty rough roads.



Vaughn

 

[metal tech]

I went with the Skyjacker dual Ft for just the reason you mentioned. With all the weight up front, I have added a Road Armor bumper, the front shocks are overworked. I used the Hydros, it is slightly stiffer when hitting expansion joints, but other than that it's a much better feel. I'm sure some of those high dollar Fox, King, ect, shocks could do the job by themselves. I can replace a lot of Skyjacker Hydros for what those shocks cost.



Al

 

[y-knot]

I have never had very good luck with shocks lasting myself. The worst ones were the Rancho RS5000's, they were junk !! You may have other issues which contribute to your shock problems, I know your truck has alot of miles. I would start with a objective review of your trucks front suspension. At 300K miles, you may have other issues that create excessive wear of the shocks and also make driving seem worse then it is.

As far as the dual shock mount goes, I think two shocks do a much better job at controlling the large and heavy front end of these trucks. I have had my Fabtech dual shock mount on since last fall, it was easy to install and I like having the shocks outside of the coil springs, they are easier to get to. It you like the Fabtech mount, be prepared that they do not offer it for the larger trucks, but it fits right in their without modification and works great. I was the Genny pig so to speak , as to whether it would fit or not. They really did a great job designing it, it is very strong and fits very well. I have always like Fabtech suspension pieces, I have a Ford I lifted with their lift kit, and it worked great.

When it comes time to pick the shocks for the dual shock bar, remember you need to run a softer shock then if it was a single shock installation. The Bilstien 5150 series, has several differently valved shocks you could use. I have always had good luck going Thur Off Road Warehouse for shocks and parts. They have great prices and very good customer service and support. I like to talk to Sonny, he great. I just recently decided to change the front suspension on my truck (yea I know I just did the front last fall, Oh well). I am going to the T-Rex type suspension with a twist, I am going to keep my Fabtech dual shock mount and run dual Fox front shocks and single Fox rear ones. While I am at it, I will replace all of the rubber bushings with Polyurethane ones and up-grade the track bar. I'll post how it goes later.

You also have the options of better single shocks, many companies now offer great performance shocks some with reservoirs.





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[bayvalve]

Hey Vaughn,

Glad to see the truck is still runnin strong... = ) I should probably fix my signature 'cause my truck is now your truck...

- Kevin.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Hey Kevin didn't know you were on here! Truck's doing just great! Has a few more miles on it now You may have seen I did the head gasket and ported it a bit and the cylinders still looked great.



y-not I appreciate your long post. The Fabtech setup looks sweet. I bought my Bilsteins from Off Road Warehouse so I'll give them a call. Keep me posted on the "T-Rex with a twist" setup you're going after, I'm curious how it will turn out.



I have added the DSS and the front end seems to be in good shape overall. The ball joints are tight, checked them with it jacked up, and no play that I can see in the tie rods. I had my brother get in and crank the wheel while I watched everything and it all looked good. The only thing other than the shock issue is the track bar is going south which I'm upgrading anyway.



Vaughn

 

[bayvalve]

Yup. . I don't really post, since I don't have the truck anymore. . Glad to hear the truck is in capable hands!

 

[PHellen]

Run the fabtech dual mount with fox's or kings. Fully rebuildable, you can valve them to your truck. The cummins engine alone over works shocks esp. when doing some offroad. I got pics on my website www.nomastyle.com to see my set up.