I had the Bilsteins installed in my FX4 last week.

The improvement is tremendous! I did not have a cushy ride before, and I still don't now, but it is much improved.

The ride is now firmer and smoother. You don't feel every bump and ripple, but you still feel the road. It still rides like a truck, but a much improved truck with this mod!

I would strongly suggest the Bilsteins as replacements for the OME, especially in the FX4.

 

What do you mean when you say "you can hear the front end expand out to the limit"? Thanks

 

Meaning the front springs/shocks moves out to its full extension.

 

Those are a totally different Bilstein shock. A reservoir shock mounts with the shaft down and emulsion style shocks(non-reservoir) mount with the shaft up.

The rebound and compression should be valved differently so there will be a difference. Mount the OEM replacements with the shaft/boot up.

-Tim

 

How would the jounce and rebound valving rates change depending on a boots up or down configuration? As stated earlier I don't think it matters which way they are mounted and from past experence on a different model truck bilsteins were mounted boots down. However, if anyone is laying awake at night wondering about this before they install them, I would sugest calling someone who could definitivly answer your question such as Donahoe Racing, SDHQ, etc. I would listen to them before anyone posting on this thread, including myself. Actually if anyone calls them post what they said, I may reinstall mine boots up if they say to.

 

bilsteins can be mounted either way. I have a set of 5100 i am going to mount on my jeep this weekend and due to the configuration of the mounting hardware that came on these The rears will be boot down and the front will be boot up.

 

The rears are mounted boots down on my Jeep, as well.

 

Total incorrect BS. The shock does not know which end is up and the valving cannot change since the piston still is either going inward ( that would be compression) or out ( lets see ... oh yeah thats rebound). It's true in this application it could be mounted boot up or boot down but boot down is the proper way. If you drag the shock trough the rocks boot up and dent the body bad enough the piston Will seize and then the shaft breaks. If you ding the shaft it will leak oil but you'll still have a shock to drive home on, in most cases. Even on poor old Ivan Stewarts (back in 2000) Toyota 4 Runner prerunner we ran emulsion style shocks (non-reservoir) with the boots down but then maybe Bilsltein told us the wrong way.

 

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...136-117887.jpg

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...136-117888.jpg

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ThumperMX113
[B]If I was you I'd just call Blistein with all this different answers coming in.

I called Bilstein Friday there response after ten minutes on hold,was that they should be installed with the Stamped word Bilstein (its not the blue painted part but stamped into the shock body) oriented so that the wording is right side up. I looked on my shocks and the front shock is stamped on the bottom with shaft up the only way it can be installed anyway, the rear shocks are stamped on top with shaft down or boot on bottom.

 

Well there is your answer guys.

 

[QUOTE=Alterra]Bringing an old thread back to the top...

I received my Bilsteins yesterday. The rear shocks have the stamped and painted names right side up with boots up. Also, the boots are different on mine than in the photos I've seen here. The ones I've seen in pictures are the accordian-style boots sealed on both ends. Mine are smooth rubber sleeves that are attached on the rod end and free-floating on the other, just like the OEM hard plastic sleeves. I double checked the part numbers against what is listed on www.eshocks.com and the part numbers are the same. I suppose Bilstein revised these shocks.

 

I contacted Bilstein when I went to put mine on. The boots go down. The lettering on the labels is correct end up so you can read them.

 

question for people with the boot up should we change it so the boots down or just leave it?

 

That's what I'm telling you. The stamped lettering and the label lettering are both oriented properly when boots are up. I'm also guessing you have the accordian-style boots on yours. If that's the case, then two people in this thread have received conflicting info from Bilstein. The first person said that the stamped lettering should be right side up, meaning that boots go up. You're saying that the labeled lettering should be right side up, meaning boots go down. Someone at Bilstein needs to make up his mind. The boots on my shocks are not the accordian-styled ones. That would also explain why your stamping and labeling are opposite each other and mine are not.