Kind of shocks to run

[jms]

I've noticed that most Bilstein shocks for half ton fullsize trucks and Blazers seem to list 255/70 as the spring rates. Is this some generic thing, or is that based on the vehicle's weight?

Bilstein 5125 list two valvings: 255/70 for single shock applications, and 170/60 for dual shock applications. 5150 is the same, I believe.

According to the numbers, the shocks in my truck are 255/70 (I actually have no way at this point to verify that). I want more rebound damping; I can make the truck 'lurch' off a 6" rock, and slighly bouncy situations on e.g. an offcamber shelf road can become quite interesting. Also, straight climbs with even just a small step in it (like e.g. the LaunchPad on Golden Spike) can lead to a bounce, unload the front suspension, and break traction.

It also seems that the traction bar on the rear axle somehow plays into this 'lurch/launch the front' that I don't like.

BTW, I really liked the set of Bilstein shocks I had on my truck before it got the lift, though. That was a 4000-series shock.

 

[andyblack]

So I'm thinking that the 255 is the rating of the compression and the 70 is the rebound? What are those numbers refering to? I guess maybe you need a 255/100 or something. I guess a rebuildable shock could have washers (or whatever you call them) added or subtracted to slow down or speed up the rebound, right? Is that why you want the MX6?

 

[sponsoredbydad]

This is what I choose

 

[jms]

I got the MX6 on a recommendation from ORD. They had 5 adjustment positions, I used to run 3/2 (F/R) on the street, and a firmer 5/4 on the trail. I assume the adjustment affected both compression and rebound, but have no numbers for each of the settings.

From what I understand there doesn't seem to be an accepted (standardized) way to compare shock valving properties. I'd like to know how e.g. the Bilstein 255/70 valving would compare to the different settings on a MX6 or a Rancho 9000. Or any other shock, for that matter.

I'm at the point where I've declared the Bilstein 5125 (at least on MY truck, for what I want) a failed $320 (or so) experiment. They were certainly an improvement over my worn-out and well-used MX6s, but not what I want for my truck.