Which shocks?

[Jeepfreak]

I want to put new shocks on my Jeep when I get home and I have only ever run rancho, fabtech, and whatever was on any of the rigs when I bought them. I put a Fabtech 4" lift on my rubicon when I bought it with the fabtech shocks which are done now and am thinking about going with Bilstein 5100's. Is anyone out there running these on their jeep and what is the comparison between them and Rancho? I'm open to other options too. :thumb:

[mattzj98]

Night and day man! Bilstein 5125 (5100 series) are by far the best shocks I've ever ran.. and I ran lots of shocks.. id compare them to Foxs but the price is right for the bilstein as well.. u won't ever look back!

[Jeepfreak]

That is what I was thinking by everything I have read on the internet but real experience is always best. Thanks man

[mattzj98]

No problem! I am eventually upgrading my bilsteins but ONLY because I need longer ones at this point and I'm at a spot where I have not much to upgrade to begin with.. so I'm probably gonna go with some bling to make the jeep happy. Otherwise, id never think about changing those out

[sdhill]

x2 on the Bilstein 5100's. I do have the Rancho rs9000's, and they are nice but next time I'm going for the Bilsteins

[Jeepfreak]

I wish they made a steering stabalizer for my jeep also but I may go with and old man emu to cover that base. Unless you guys know something I don't.

[mattzj98]

THEY DO MAKE ONE! :thunb:

[mattzj98]

http://www.summitracing.com/search/Part-Type/Steering-Stabilizers/Brand/Bilstein/Product-Line/Bilstein-5100-Series-Steering-Stabilizers/?keyword=stabilizer&autoview=SKU&gclid=COuPz_K7y64CFeYERQodOwWhCw

[Jeepfreak]

The link says that is for the 07 and up. Will it fit on my 05?

[mattzj98]

all most steering stabilizers are, are shocks.. you should be able to make anything work using your hardware.... but google bilstein stabilizer tj, im sure you can find it..

[mattzj98]

To be honest though, I've bought Monroe steering stablizer (Stock replacement) from either advance or checkers and it was a lot stiffer (Better) than any of the aftermarket ones i've had and LOTS cheaper.. just a heads up, i'd check them out :)

[Jeepfreak]

thanks again

[Captain]

X2 on the Monroe from Autozone, they are way cheap with a lifetime warranty. If (when) it dies just bring it back and they give you a new one. I think I'm on my third one now! Just FYI for anyone who might consider it, you can't use a regular shock because on shocks the rebound and compression valving are different, and on a stabilizer it needs to be the same in both directions.

[mattzj98]

I meant shock dedign, not actual shock. It wood make you steer driver side all the time lol

[CodeXJ]

if you can afford the bilsteins definitely get those! If not I'm run old man emu nitrocharger shocks and I like them. :) you guys and your monroe shosk I be running Teraflex HD steering stabilizer

[Brody]

I gave up on the Bilstein's when Bilstein refused to warranty 3-4 month old remote reservoir shocks that I had just put on my rig. The shocks were leaking so badly, they were leaving puddles under my rig. I called Bilstein, and got the big f**k off. I talked to ORS and they tried to get the shocks warrantied for me. They got the big f**k off from Bilstein, too. Chuck, Brady and crew at High Country offered to help me and they tried to get them warrantied. Same deal.

That was about $600 dollars worth of shocks on my heap that lasted 3-4 months and the company can't stand behind their product? And what are we talking about? Probably less than $20 a shock to make, so $80 cost to the company?

That is a company that I will never do any business with ever again in my life. I will continue to tell people what happened to me so that they can see the kind of company Bilstein is and the kind of customer service response you can expect from them. This was years ago and was the absolute worse product and money misspent on the entire build of my truck. It was also one of the worse customer service experiences I had with anything on this rig.

You could not GIVE me Bilsteins shocks, nor PAY me to run them on my rig. To me, Bilstein is a **** company, with **** products and **** customer service. **** them. In addition to this, most of the shocks on rigs that I work on that are leaking also happen to be Bilstein shocks, so it is pretty obvious to me that this company, even knowing that they have seal problems with their shocks, simply doesn't CARE enough to remedy a relatively simple problem in shocks that they continue to make and sell. Your money, your choice, your rig.

Oh...I am now back to running basic Rancho or ProComp cheapo shocks and have had no problems.....

[Jeepfreak]

So help me understand this, You don't like Bilstein? I think thats what you're trying to say....:lmao::D

[Serious Offroad]

I've been running them for years without any issues at all. Outstanding shocks.

No returns or failures from anyone that I've sold them to.

Steering dampener? Here ya go:
EDIT
The following Dampener WILL ONLY FIT 07-12 JK MODEL Jeeps.
http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=419_1326_1352&products_id=87828

[Brody]

So help me understand this, You don't like Bilstein? I think thats what you're trying to say....

Yeah, I guess so. My trying to be subtle sometimes doesn't get the message across.....:lmao:

What really, really, really, pissed me off was the company's attitude on warrantying a 3-4 month old product that probably cost them $80 or so. When I talked to the rep and got the f**k off, I told him, "OK, so what you are saying is that you are telling me piss up a rope and you are not going to warranty over $600 of your products? And you are also telling me that you really don't care how much money I am bound and determined to cost you in revenue, all over something that is worth probably $80 to you?" Guess what answer I got. Years later, I am still telling people about it and will continue to do so.

[mattzj98]

Have been running bilsteins on everything I ever had. Diesels, bmws, jeeps.. never had an issue with product or service. In fact, my 5 months old shocks weren't long enough as I went bigger and Bilstein replaced them for me without questions. Will always recommend them =)

[4Runninfun]

When I first got my truck I had rancho's they were very stiff and made the ride up Grizzly lake absolutely miserable! by the time we were done with that trail, I was sore, tired, and cranky. If you haven't been up that trails it's bowling ball size rocks all the way up. I then decided to replace them with billstein 5100's. just that made a huge difference in the ride. However I will say this get the standard 5100 NOT the 5150. There are NUMEROUS reports of failures on those.

[mattzj98]

Agreed! 5150 (the fancier ones) have issues with adjusting nut on top breaking. High country sell them but they wanr everyone to stay away. Go simple with 5100s

[Brody]

High Country 4x4 started doing that after the problems they had trying to warranty mine (which, incidentally, they did not sell me and were doing it as a favor) and got the same bad attitude from Bilstein. They were not very impressed either.

Bottom line is that when you have a shitty experience with a company, business or product, you are probably not going to go back to that company, purchase their products or suggest that people you know go there and purchase their stuff. I wouldn't recommend Bilstein shocks to someone I loathed....

It doesn't take more than one experience like that to completely piss off a consumer and sour them on ANY product the company is selling. I could've simply burned the $600 for all the use I got out of the shocks. I have absolutely no respect for any companies that treat their customers that way, I don't give a **** who they are or what they sell. Why companies...and their customer service departments.... can't seem to get their heads around the simple fact that a pissed off customer is going to cost them a LOT of money, reflects rather sadly on the collective IQs of the management of these companies. My guess is that the collective IQ of Bilstein hovers around ambient room temperature...

[Serious Offroad]

You can any of the Bilsteins with Eye/Eye mounting instead of Stem/Eye mounts.

[mattzj98]

You can any of the Bilsteins with Eye/Eye mounting instead of Stem/Eye mounts.

.. 5125 :) what i'm running and love it.

[CodeXJ]

I will stick with my old man emu shocks for quite awhile. :D

[jesse05lj]

I have Bilstien 5100 and I love them!

[Java]

I will stick with my old man emu shocks for quite awhile. :D

I think OME shocks are made by Bilstien.

I was told, and I don't know if it's true, that if you buy NAPA shocks for a vehicle with a lift the part numbers for the shocks go in sequence by inches with the same valving; ie, if the part number starts with AAA11 and you go to AAA12, it's the same valving but 1" longer. And so on and so forth.

[Jeepfreak]

Does anyone have the OME shocks for a 4" lift I wondered how those would be?:cool:

[CodeXJ]

Does anyone have the OME shocks for a 4" lift I wondered how those would be?

Mine are for a 6" lift, I got them from my uncle after he lifted his jeep more to balance out front to rear lift.


I think OME shocks are made by Bilstien.
I looked it up :D And nobody can agree on anything a few think Monroe makes them, but regardless of who makes them they are at old man emu specs of that company not to other brands such as rancho or monroe. Plus the old man emu are valved, and tubed differently for a more vehicle specific giving a lot better ride quality., To say from the couple months I've had mine they are unbelievably amazing, and would probably buy them again once these go bad. Bilstein just costs way to much money for me. But if I was going to spend a good ammount of money I would buy Fox.

I did some digging in reviews and people like the bilstein 5125 and the ome both but for different reasons...

I was watching TruckU one time and they actually had VERY nice shocks that were taken and rebuilt by professional shock builders and were valved, and other crap that made them ride amazing under speed, rock crawling, on road. They had enough force to force the tire down when in speed and rock crawling, but not too much pressure so that they were able to ride over everything like butter. :D I want those lmao

[jesse05lj]

I run Bilstien's and a Teraflex stabilizer as well, and that is the only Teraflex product I have been unhappy with. I absolutely love the Bilstien shocks though!

[Jeepfreak]

What stabalizer would you suggest since you dont like the teraflex, I'm sold on the bilstiens and OME shocks.

[jesse05lj]

OME I hear are really good! My wife has a Rancho on her WJ with a 4" lift and it woks great as well, but now that I know that Bilstien makes a stabilizers for TJ, LJ I will most likely go that rout I love there products. I would recommend any of these.

[Jeepfreak]

Thats what Im thinking too. I like to have matching equipment on my jeep, probably dosn't matter but its the system I like.

[jesse05lj]

That is what I was thinking as well.

[CodeXJ]

I run Bilstien's and a Teraflex stabilizer as well, and that is the only Teraflex product I have been unhappy with. I absolutely love the Bilstien shocks though!

I agree. Don't get me wrong I like my Teraflex Stabilizer, but that's because the Pro comp one I had was definitely shot. Alhough I still get to much play in the stabilizer, but definitely better then an auto store brand. Needles to say next time i change the stabilier I may look into other brands.

[Jeepfreak]

Just my opinion but if you drive your rig on the road at all the steering stabalizer is probably the best defense for steering linkage wear and uneven tire wear. I don't think its good to cut quality in that area. Its the cheapest part of the whole system to replace but is the key to it all working well together.

[CodeXJ]

Just my opinion but if you drive your rig on the road at all the steering stabalizer is probably the best defense for steering linkage wear and uneven tire wear. I don't think its good to cut quality in that area. Its the cheapest part of the whole system to replace but is the key to it all working well together.

I agree, just sucks when you buy a stabilizer from a well known name and it doesn't do the job you expected it to do like my teraflex one which was suppose to be the best stabilizer they have.

[Jeepfreak]

Thats very true, I think Brody eluded to that earlier in the thread too. The thing I hate the most is when you have been using something for years and you like it then they change who makes the product and the quality goes to ****. As 4x4 people we deal with this a lot and that is why we build most of the stuff we can but things like shocks we are at the mercy of others. I have gotten a ton of great feedback from this thread, all of you guys are great and I can't wait to meet you on the trail.

[jesse05lj]

You will enjoy yourself with this club it is a blast

[mattzj98]

Damn, once again, I don't even have a stabilizer llol

[jesse05lj]

But you have PCS ram

[Jeepfreak]

Okay, this is probably something everybody has run into in the past but I have seen more of it in my search for bilstein shocks than ever before. I have been to all the popular websites looking at their shocks and price shopping and have found that most of them will sell you the wrong shock for your vehicle if there is more than one option. I found this out because I went to the bilstein website and got the proper stock number and started checking it against the ones being listed to fit my jeep. Anyway if you run bilsteins you may want to check and see if they are the correct ones, it may be limiting your travel up or down either is not a good thing especially if you come down hard and the shock is what takes all the force not your bumpstop.

[Serious Offroad]

It does happen, but keep in mind that just about every vendor on the WWW has thousands of parts from from multiple vendors on their site...myself included.

I try my best to make sure the info is correct and current but occasionally mistakes happen or stuff slips through the cracks.

The Tale of the Tape is how well and how quickly a vendor responds to your needs.

[mattzj98]

Okay, this is probably something everybody has run into in the past but I have seen more of it in my search for bilstein shocks than ever before. I have been to all the popular websites looking at their shocks and price shopping and have found that most of them will sell you the wrong shock for your vehicle if there is more than one option. I found this out because I went to the bilstein website and got the proper stock number and started checking it against the ones being listed to fit my jeep. Anyway if you run bilsteins you may want to check and see if they are the correct ones, it may be limiting your travel up or down either is not a good thing especially if you come down hard and the shock is what takes all the force not your bumpstop.

one way to avoid it, go flex out your rig without shocks, measure your fully extended distance, then your shortest distance. Then see if you need a stem to eye or eye to eye shock. Go to a store and give them your measurement and they will give you a shocks with most optimal travel

[Jeepfreak]

Good plan Matt, I just think it sucks that a vendor would do that. I think most people would just order shocks or get them over the counter and probably never know the difference except to wonder why they had to get new shocks very often because they kept wearing out to soon.

[jesse05lj]

High Country Performance 4x4 will take care of this for you and will sale you the right ones.