[SeacoastFirewood]

I was told today during my annual inspection at the dealer that my rear shocks are blown and leaking. They will need replacement in order to get a sticker.
The truck has 49K miles. 2017 CCLB Diesel.
I use the truck frequently to haul firewood, usually fully stacked in the bed - which equals about 1100 pounds.

My question is- what type of shocks should I replace the stock ones with that can handle the repeated abuse of a 1100 payload on crappy Maine roads? I am looking at the Bilstein 4600's - based on other reviews i have read on this forum.

I have no desire to change the ride height or quality from stock, just looking for something that wont blow out as soon as OEM.
The dealer is willing to install anything I bring to them, and considering that the DEF tank will need dropping I am wiling to pay their rate to have it done right.

thanks in advance.

 

[SFLTruck]

I was told today during my annual inspection at the dealer that my rear shocks are blown and leaking. They will need replacement in order to get a sticker.
The truck has 49K miles. 2017 CCLB Diesel.
I use the truck frequently to haul firewood, usually fully stacked in the bed - which equals about 1100 pounds.

My question is- what type of shocks should I replace the stock ones with that can handle the repeated abuse of a 1100 payload on crappy Maine roads? I am looking at the Bilstein 4600's - based on other reviews i have read on this forum.

I have no desire to change the ride height or quality from stock, just looking for something that wont blow out as soon as OEM.
The dealer is willing to install anything I bring to them, and considering that the DEF tank will need dropping I am wiling to pay their rate to have it done right.

thanks in advance.

I changed out my shocks myself with Rancho RS7000Mt "MONO TUBE" shocks. They were $167.00 shipped from Summit for the pair. I changed them out myself, the passenger side was a 10 minute job. The divers side was a bit longer because the top bolt and the proximity to the DEF tank. I just manhandled the bolt and did the change out. If you're mechanically inclined It can be done without removing the DEF tank with some good old fashion "elbow grease" and a pry bar. The ride with the new shocks is so much better I think I had 4000 miles on the clock with I changed them and I have about 18K on it now.

 

[Dmax Dan]

Sticking to my Bilstein 5100s. No need to change ride height, it’s just an option for the front. They’re stiffer than stock but you get added benefits with body roll and the like. Considering how much firewood you must be hauling, you should consider doing the 5100s with SD spring Add-A-Leaf (AAL). The AAL increases payload squat by around 750lbs and you shouldn’t need to replace the shocks for around 100k with that setup. Unfortunately the AAL will raise the rear by an 1” or 1.5”. That’s the benefit of the 5100s, you can adjust the front to keep the rake.
If you’re not concerned about price, I would consider air bags after replacing the shocks; whether aftermarket or stock. Lastly, I liked Rancho shocks but the painted metal is worthless once exposed to any road or sea salt, they’re also geared towards off-roading. Steer clear IMHO unless you want a softer shock and more body roll when hauling. Just my .02 cents. I am sure individuals with far more experience can weigh in. Good luck with the new shocks!

 

[SFLTruck]

I'm with Dan on the bags, you get the best of both worlds. When your loaded you can "air them up" and when you're not loaded you can drop them down to 10 to 15PSI. If you go the air bag route don't use a tee fitting between the two sides. it's the dumbest thing that they provided a tee because it exacerbates body roll. Plumb each side separately and with only 10 to 15psi it really does help with body roll. I keep a small hand pump in the back of my truck and when I attach my trailer I hit each side with 10 pumps each and that gets me at 50psi. This basically puts my ride high back to stock with the extra tongue weight.

As far a rust goes on the RS line, since I don't have to deal with salt sand anymore I can't comment but if you live where the roads get salted I would heed the warning. I defiantly do not miss scrapping windshields and thinking about the salt sand eating my body panels anymore.

 

[ridenm505]

Are there any aftermarket shocks that improve ride and compliance on washboard roads? Or is that impacted more by other driveline performance?

 

[SFLTruck]

Are there any aftermarket shocks that improve ride and compliance on washboard roads? Or is that impacted more by other driveline performance?

For me, that's the reason I changed the factory units out. I didn't like the way they bottomed out so easily. It's all a trade off the stiffer they are the harder they ride. You just have to draw the line in the sand for your particular needs.

You could also do an adjustable so if you know your going wheeling you can adjust accordingly.

Rancho RS9000XL Shock Absorber - P/N: RS999023

 

[Dmax Dan]

Are there any aftermarket shocks that improve ride and compliance on washboard roads? Or is that impacted more by other driveline performance?

If you have the cash look into progressive shocks (not the brand, see article link below). Steer clear of the Bilstein 5100s or any digressive shocks for washboard roads though, they will rattle your teeth out. The link below is to an article that breaks down matching shocks to road types, one of the better explanations that I’ve read.

Digressive vs Linear vs Progressive Pistons & Shock Valving - AccuTune Off-Road

AccuTune Off-Road’s Experience: Our Founder and author of this article, Ryan Raker, has been designing, tuning, and manufacturing shocks with digressive, linear and progressive damping curves since 2001. During that time he used state of the art shock dyno’s to design and/or tune premium shocks...

accutuneoffroad.com

 

[PlopDuramax]

Install those on Saturday. Loaded up my truck for work today and a surprised how stiff the new shocks were.

 

[SFLTruck]

Install those on Saturday. Loaded up my truck for work today and a surprised how stiff the new shocks were.

View attachment 9246

How do you like the roadmsters? maybe you could offset some of the stiffness by taking some of the tension of the roadmasters.

 

[PlopDuramax]

How do you like the roadmsters? maybe you could offset some of the stiffness by taking some of the tension of the roadmasters.

The roadmasters were a lifesaver for me. With the weight that I carry on a day-to-day basis it made the truck feel like stock again with a bit of a progressive rate spring in the mix.

I could lighten them a little bit, however I have the bilstein 6112 that I assembled over the weekend (set at stock height) and some rough country 2 in spacers to install as soon as my sway bar spacer and diff drop spacers show up. And I don't want my truck to sit nose high.
I have a feeling in a week or so the shocks will mellow out a little bit.

 

[JDB]

With that kind of loading (full beds of firewood), you might consider OME heavy duty leaf springs to complement the new shocks. I just installed a custom leaf pack (Alcan in Grand Junction, CO) to handle my topper, and they ride great (smooth yet firm).

If you have some cash to spend, look at that Accutune link above and consider 2.5” Fox shocks. I wish I bought mine through Accutune, because they woulda tuned the shock valving for free based on my use case and vehicle weight at four corners. The Fox shocks rode so stiffly (overdamped) off the shelf, that took them off and paid Accutune to retune including a higher flow piston (and IIRC a more linear, not digressive, curve). And for the person who asked about washboard roads, that’s a longer duty cycle than a single bump... so remote reservoirs help manage heat issues associated with that intense loading.

But for sure most everyone here will tell ya you don’t need to spend this kind of money. I was afraid of underdoing it, so I paid to overdue it