John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) said:In reply to MrJoshua :
Did it come with anything cool like working roof lights?
Sample...
Came with the miles of very hard to remove reflective tape stripes, a welded on cone mount on the front, and a welded on hitch mount step in the rear, a grab handle screwed into the rear hatch, and miscellaneous road paint marks throughout. Lol, yeah, I dig it.
frenchyd said:Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:frenchyd said:In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
It really seems like you need air shocks. Leave them low when riding empty pump them up with a load.
That would be great, but two things prevent that: 1) that doesn't improve the shock valving, 2) they don't allow for running without air, so I would be fishing out the air compressor every other day.
The air adds capacity, but I already have plenty of that. If anything, I'd love to ditch all but one leaf, add slappers and air bags and some on-board air.... but that would further complicate the choice of valving.
El Caminos had air shocks and I usually road around with 20psi unless I was pulling a trailer or carring a load. I had a cigarette plug in compressor and in a few minutes it would be back to level.
Ride wise it was pretty decentThey didn't leak down overnight or even in months.
I had air shocks in the Impala SS for a bit. I used it to tow the boat sometimes. I always kept just above the minimum when empty (and they rode terribly). The thing about air shocks is that they are great until they aren't. They will eventually develop a leak and unless you notice it immediately, your air bladders are toast.
And again... I'm not looking for increased capacity. I'm looking for softer shock valving.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
My Dad's 1959 Cadillac Eldorado had air bag suspension. It road beautifully. More people got in he'd pull out the lever a little bit and it still rode beautifully.
GMC motor homes had air bag suspension on the rear tandem axles. That was and still is the best riding motor home. With care they'd last more than a decade or two. But yes eventually you'd need to replace them.
Do they make cheap aftermarket air shocks? Of course. Nothing made can't be made cheaper if quality is reduced.
Air BAG suspension, and adding air SHOCKS are two completely different animals! To do aftermarket, move the decimal point at least one place...air bag suspension CAN be great; air shocks, mediocre at best. And I’ve run the shocks on several vehicles to aid hauling capacity. Would never recommend without a talk about the negative side.
And besides, increased load is not what OP is looking for...
Bilstein 5100s are great and have been great
I used Bilstein 4600 iirc on my Silverado tow vehicle. They were good but a bit softer than expected. I d probably try the adjustable Ranchos next time around so I can stiffen them up if I want
Bilstein 4600s on my K1500. They are wonderful on the highway but are a little harsh around town, almost like the low speed damping is overly aggressive. However, it's worth it to me because they don't have that floaty feeling that so many stock or stock replacement shocks seem to have.
Harsh around town probably means too aggressive on the high speed damping, which is a characteristic of Bilsteins in every application I've used them on.
Keith Tanner said:Harsh around town probably means too aggressive on the high speed damping, which is a characteristic of Bilsteins in every application I've used them on.
Do you have a suggestion for a manufacturer who doesn't have that characteristic? I worry because it seems like the reviewers think the high end shocks are trying to be like Bilstein.
I replaced the blue delco shocks on our 06 for Bilsteins. On a 2wd, 5000lb GMT800 crew cab they are perfect. 5 years and 50k miles on these now.
edit: Billy 4600's are what we used. https://www.amazon.com/Bilstein-Monotube-1999-2006-Chevrolet-Silverado/dp/B01F812OYK
MrJoshua said:Keith Tanner said:Harsh around town probably means too aggressive on the high speed damping, which is a characteristic of Bilsteins in every application I've used them on.
Do you have a suggestion for a manufacturer who doesn't have that characteristic? I worry because it seems like the reviewers think the high end shocks are trying to be like Bilstein.
Depends on the platform. I have Konis on a number of my fleet, and they replaced Bilsteins in at least one case. They don't have that behavior. I'm also partial to Fox but that's not really the cheap and easy answer.
I need to replace the crappy blues on my Sierra, definitely feeling every bump in the road with it. Doesn't get driven much though, still has Mastercraft MSRs on it.
Keith Tanner said:MrJoshua said:Keith Tanner said:Harsh around town probably means too aggressive on the high speed damping, which is a characteristic of Bilsteins in every application I've used them on.
Do you have a suggestion for a manufacturer who doesn't have that characteristic? I worry because it seems like the reviewers think the high end shocks are trying to be like Bilstein.
Depends on the platform. I have Konis on a number of my fleet, and they replaced Bilsteins in at least one case. They don't have that behavior. I'm also partial to Fox but that's not really the cheap and easy answer.
I think it also depends on the application and usage. I wanted Koni's for the Sierra but they didn't offer any. Rancho's dad had on his 03 and he hated them. I knew the OE billies on the 2wd worked well so went that route and am pleased. I mean, it's not a cadillac. Unloaded the rear still wiggles because it's a truck with leaf springs. Winter is amazing with the 250lbs of weight in the bed because THEN it rides like a cadillac.
I do agree with Keith that billies on the 4wd torsion bar trucks/suvs kinda suck.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
You supportive of the Koni Orange (STR.T) or has your experience been primarily with the yellows?
The 03 FX4 350 I have now came stock with Ranchos, and at 135K, I'm planing on replacing. All stock extended cab long bed, except 285/16's ILO 265's. I hope they are worn, and don't just suck this bad! Right now Bilstein 4600 are on the prolly list, but would love suggestions for a good ride, with out being "floaty." I would think the weight of a 1 ton diesel (usuallly carring somethin' around!) would "soften" the Bilstein's some? Never ran 'em before
gearheadE30 said:Bilstein 4600s on my K1500. They are wonderful on the highway but are a little harsh around town, almost like the low speed damping is overly aggressive. However, it's worth it to me because they don't have that floaty feeling that so many stock or stock replacement shocks seem to have.
I pretty much agree with this. Used to use all Bilstein 4600, didn't have them in stock, so I bought 5100 for my current truck, they seem slightly stiffer then the 4600. I really do like the "non-wallow" of the Bilstein on the highway over large undulations, especially while towing, or having a heavy load in the bad. By the same token, around town most often they aren't horrible, broken sharp concrete, or sharp bumps really seem to bring out their worst character. Of course the high PSI inflation of LT tires ( general use I run 55-60psi F 65-70psi R) probably just exacerbates this.
After driving the Burb to work a few days I switched back to the '03 4runner sport with stock X-REAS shocks. Wow-this is what I want out of the Burb. I realized I just drive straight down the road in the 4Runner without avoiding the pock marked damaged sections while I work hard to find the smoothest sections of road in the Burb and am punished when I get it wrong. Crashing impacts over single bumps with a rubberband like vibration as it settles, and constant mayhem if I stay in the damaged road groove. Yuck.
I know the 4Runner is more of a people hauler than a work truck and LT tires make a difference but the same chassis 4Runner has almost the same exact tow rating as the Suburban and has significantly shorter sidewalls so I know it can be done without beating up the passengers.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Curtis, you might try Pro Comp ES3000 series shocks. They are fairly softly valved and work great on the Samurai. If you want something a little stiffer, the ES5000 series will fit the bill.
MrJoshua said:In reply to Keith Tanner :
You supportive of the Koni Orange (STR.T) or has your experience been primarily with the yellows?
Primarily with yellow or red, but I'm cool with the orange.
Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) said:In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Curtis, you might try Pro Comp ES3000 series shocks. They are fairly softly valved and work great on the Samurai. If you want something a little stiffer, the ES5000 series will fit the bill.
Thank you. I plan on contacting Rancho, KYB, and Bilstein, so I'll add them to the list.
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