Shocks - well....

[jms]

Edit: I 'recycled' the 5125s, see below.

Bilstein 5125' are on the truck now; don't like them, too soft, not enough rebound damping. My truck has D60F/R, about 4" lift, 35's, tube bumpers F/R, 9.5 winch, dual batteries - that's the extra weight items; engine is a 350.

Bilstein 71xx, 91xx: nope, don't have the time to deal with tuning/nitrogen etc.
Doetsch: tried that, can't do business with them - I'm not going to sign a waiver that basically sez they can sell me a Monroe shock off the shelf.
King/Fox/Fabtech: too much $$$ for what I do.

Option 1: back to ProComp MX6, I had the first-gen, used to work well.

Option 2: RS9000XL; front only, not going to fit in the back w/o exhaust mod; could go w/ RS5000 in the back.

Option 3: plain. ProComp ES3000 at all corners.

Option 4: cheap. Do nothing, and stop complaining .

What say ye?

 

[LT.]

What does you budget look like? I like the idea of a tunable shock because of exactly what you said. You are looking for more rebound dampening. I know you said you don't want to mess with it but..... Just my .02.

LT.

 

[ezoliver]

I know that I would go with BBCS at this point after having checked lots of shock specs and reviews recently. But I know you don't have those as a selection.

My vote would probably be either the first two... but in reverse order. Although I kinda condone running the same shock all around unless there is a HUGE weight bias or you are jumping...

Option 2: RS9000XL; front only, not going to fit in the back w/o exhaust mod; could go w/ RS5000 in the back.

Option 1: back to ProComp MX6, I had the first-gen, used to work well.

 

[90'K5]

I've been running Doetsch for the past few years on the front and some old worn rough country's on the back. The Doetsch handled well but felt too soft. I am now running BBCS on the front and the same old shocks on the rear.

On the street I think BBCS handle a lot better. I've not had a chance to run them on the trail yet, but will be heading to Trees Labor day - so we'll see.

 

[miniwally]

Bilstein 5125' are on the truck now; don't like them, too soft, not enough rebound damping. My truck has D60F/R, about 4" lift, 35's, tube bumpers F/R, dual batteries - that's the extra weight items; engine is a 350.

Bilstein 71xx, 91xx: nope, don't have the time to deal with tuning/nitrogen etc.
Doetsch: tried that, can't do business with them - I'm not going to sign a waiver that basically sez they can sell me a Monroe shock off the shelf.
King/Fox/Fabtech: too much $$$ for what I do.

Option 1: back to ProComp MX6, I had the first-gen, used to work well.

Option 2: RS9000XL; front only, not going to fit in the back w/o exhaust mod; could go w/ RS5000 in the back.

Option 3: plain. ProComp ES3000 at all corners.

Option 4: cheap. Do nothing, and stop complaining .

What say ye?

As you know I am a big fan of good shocks. I would look at anything that is rebuildable. Did you look at swayaway? they are a reasonable shock for less money than say Kings.

Obviously I am all about King shocks and love them but can understand the need for a lower end shock that does a good job. Or check out some of the racing forums for sale sections and maybe you find some high end shocks for less $$$

 

[sandypants]

i used the 5150 from bilstein great results.. when i ordered them the asked me what i was using them for and all that ... nothing but awesome results... anybody else agree?

 

[bot0611]

X2^

Call bilstein.

You got the 5125's specificlly for your truck right, so that would be for a stockish truck...

Go with the bilstein 7100. 275/78 valving, i had this on my truck (350 engine, 4", 33's and it drove nicely with soft ride springs.)

What brand springs are you using, you have to keep this in mind as well in my experience the springs (leafs or coils) will play a huge roll and can override the shocks work so be carefull on choosing.

You can also tune thoose shocks in 2 ways, one is the valving and the other the gas pressure you get into the reservoir, frankly i will always advise to use reservoir shocks i went to them and never looked back.

 

[tRustyK5]

i like my 5150's, they don't feel too soft for my liking...but I haven't got a lot of seat time with them yet. We'll see how they feel with the 90, unknown 4" fronts and rear blocks (temporary)

I do know it takes the majority of my weight to compress them. Pretty sure mine are 255/70, which sounds really good but I have no idea what those numbers mean in the real world/laymens terms.

Rene

 

[ryoken]

I'm doing 5150's up front, 5125's out back...

 

[bot0611]

Just shooting ideas here but have you thought that the rebound issue could be because of the leafs and shock are too stiff combined...maybe you need less rebound on the shock

 

[miniwally]

Just shooting ideas here but have you thought that the rebound issue could be because of the leafs and shock are too stiff combined...maybe you need less rebound on the shock

Shock Valving is a weird science. I know that we are fighting an issue on the front of the car that we can't get rid of enough rebound valving. Going through the whoops at 60+ you can feel the front axle pulling the front of the car down. Makes the ride much harsher on the front. King has the blow off valves for the coilovers waiting on us to send them the shocks we just haven't yet.

Michael, the point of to much rebound is actually something that I think may be true in your case. Look at it like this, the hopping starts as it always will with a leaf spring and every time the tire hits the ground you compress the suspension and thus the shock, then as the tire comes off the ground the suspension can't unload fast enough due to the rebound valving and the next time the tire hits the ground there is less suspension travel and the cycle repeats. If you had the clankers to keep doing this you would eventually have the spring fully compressed with no compression travel left just due to shock valving.

For higher speed desert stuff we actually tune the compression stiff and the rebound really light. This causes the vehicle to actually raise up in really rough stuff and provide more compression travel for the big hits.

We don't run much rebound on either end of the car and so far for the rocks it doesn't seem to hurt us.

Food for thought

Just throw some triple bypasses on it and we can get it tuned really nice

 

[miniwally]

The situation that make things really interesting is as follows: front tire rolls over rock, spring compresses, and as the spring unloads it launches the truck upwards. Do that in an offcamber situation on the uphill side, and the upward lurch can lead to very uncomfortable weight shifts... or: imagine a rock ledge which needs a little bump, front goes up and over, and as the spring cycles out of the compression phase, it makes the truck front lurch upwards, unloading the tire, breaking traction from the front end, well, here goes the fun...

I'm aware that it has to do with the speed and momentum in each particular situation; alas, I usually get accused of driving too slow. It could also be that I didn't notice it as much until I installed the heavier front axle, which may result in more momentum transfer via the compressed spring. I'm also thinking that part of this may be related to the rear traction bar, which may aid in pushing the nose of the truck up, thereby 'helping' the front spring when it unloads, and in doing so contributing to the lurch... all of that makes me think that more rebound damping, particularly in the front, may help quiet things down...

What you are saying about feeling this more with the 60 points towards rebound valving. The 60 has added a lot of unsprung weight which in effect can change the effectiveness of the shock valving. Heavier weight will pull the shock out faster, thus needing more rebound damping to slow it down.

If you can find something that has more rebound I say do it. I don't know if the rancho shock change the rebound setting or only the compression. I just don't know enough about the adjustable shocks to say.

 

[Adventurous 4x4]

If you don't want to modify the mounts then stay with what you have for now. I've been running BBCS up front and a set of 9 year old RS9000's on the rear with good results. The BBCS's have worked great.

 

[Greg72]

It would be great if BlazerBash got to be a big enough event where vendors like KING or Bilstein would send a truck with demo parts to try out... maybe offer some tuning services on-site??

Then again, if the event got as big as EJS there probably wouldn't be any room on the trails, and the traffic jam would be worse than the one happening in China right now!

 

[rob h]

I bought set of rs9000 9 way adjustables for all four corners with 14 inch travel, i didnt wheel anything but mild offroading with it yet but with my alcans up front and the shackle flip in the rear they seem to hold their own on the street. It seems to ride good and handle decent for a large lifted truck.

 

[Blazinaire]

As you know I am a big fan of good shocks. I would look at anything that is rebuildable... check out some of the racing forums for sale sections and maybe you find some high end shocks for less $$$

This is the route that I would recommend. You don't have to have 4" diameter 5 tube bypasses or drive 120mph offroad to realize the benefits of a customer valvable/ rebuildable shock. Being that you already have what I would consider the best "throw away" shock out there, I think you would be taking a step backwards both in performance and finance buying a different set of "throw aways."

Fox 2.0 shocks can be had for $50 each in need of a rebuild if you keep your eyes peeled, and they range from 6.5" travel to 14" so you should be able to find some that will fit in your stock mounts. I ran them for years and revalved once before switching to Fox 2.5" triple bypasses.

F-O-A also makes a decent shock (after you change the oil and clean the gunk out of them) for a much more economical price than buying from the bigger manufacturers. I have them on my daily driver dodge 2500 and they work well. They use the same valve shims as King and a similar piston design so I was able to use a shim stack that has been proven to work well with the same truck as mine that used King shocks.

What about just adding a cheapy shock alongside your existing front shock? Sure it will add to compression dampening as well, but it may be a worth while trade off if it gets rid of the bounce???

 

[wazzabie]

Bilstein 5125' are on the truck now; don't like them, too soft, not enough rebound damping. My truck has D60F/R, about 4" lift, 35's, tube bumpers F/R, dual batteries - that's the extra weight items; engine is a 350.

Bilstein 71xx, 91xx: nope, don't have the time to deal with tuning/nitrogen etc.
Doetsch: tried that, can't do business with them - I'm not going to sign a waiver that basically sez they can sell me a Monroe shock off the shelf.
King/Fox/Fabtech: too much $$$ for what I do.

Option 1: back to ProComp MX6, I had the first-gen, used to work well.

Option 2: RS9000XL; front only, not going to fit in the back w/o exhaust mod; could go w/ RS5000 in the back.

Option 3: plain. ProComp ES3000 at all corners.

Option 4: cheap. Do nothing, and stop complaining .

What say ye?

Are any of these made in the USA?

 

[ccarley]

I'd just like to throw in a thought or two that I learned about shocks & springs since owning my Suburban.

When I bought it, it rode badly due to 4 shocks in the front (that were designed for single applications) and stock rear shocks with a 4" lift.

I upgraded to Bilstein 5100's. Front stock laid back location (for 4" lift), and of course what they recommended for the rear as well. This is with stock saggy leafs in the rear, using blocks for the lift.

I found exactly what you are describing; I had a very wishy-washy ride, where if I hit a hole on one side, the body would sway back & forth a lot. I could not believe the ride, and just figured the Suburban was "too big".

I replaced the rear springs recently, so now the truck has Explorer Pro-Comp springs front & rear. No blocks. The ride, with the same shocks, is night & day. I feel much more confidant off-road, off camber, hitting ruts & holes now. I still have issues with the front shock length, I think they are too short for the lift, but the ride is nice on & off road.

Now, I may be upgrading to the new 5160's for the front, and mounting them in the vertical (stock) location... if I do, I'll report on those when I get them.

Good luck, I know it can be frustrating getting your vehicle to ride as well as you want it to.

Clay

 

[KansasTwister]

did ya ever find a setup you liked? Im leaning torwards using the tuff country 4" heavy duty springs in the front, if they are too stiff ill take one or two out. And a flip switch in the rear. Ive read on here abut people using the super duty mounts, but not sure if they are really needed for a 4" so i may stick with stock mounting.



So, did ya decide yet?

 

[KansasTwister]

I have yet to take the k5 anywhere but my yard, but as ive said its going to be a driver for the time being. Its got what appear to be newer shocks all the way around so i dont need to worry about shocks till i lift it. If you find something nicer post up, although i dont think the 5125s would be bad for my intended application.