I recently purchased the Bilstein 5100 2" leveling shocks and the matching rears. There are no instructions for the rear shocks. They are easy enough to install, but my question is if the black boot goes down at the axle end or if the black boot goes up near the frame? The Bilstein sticker reads correctly if you mount the black boot side down toward the axle end. I appreciate your help and comments. thanks!

 

Yeah install them boot down how ever it spells bilstein correctly ha and if you want to confirm call bilstein yourself and get their answer.

EDIT: if they are mono tube shocks which im pretty sure they are they can be mounted either way but go with boot down.

 

X2! Boot down. Any high quality, gas charged shock will be boot down. Plus it looks cooler and is safer on the shock. Also, don't use the boot...looks cooler and no detrimental effect to the shock!!

 

Also, I read that there are drainage holes in the boot, so boot down makes perfect sense.

 

I was wondering about this myself after I got my truck back from having the Bilsteins put on at the dealer. They put them on with the boot at the top.

I really don't want to have to pay the damn dealer to change it now. Will they be alright with the boot at the top?

 

If they are mono tube they can be mounted either way from what i understand and ive been reading that boot down ppl say looks better and last longer. Now i also have been seeing things about leaving the boot on or off. Half the people think it will last longer without the boot bc dirt and sand wont get trap in there along with water and others says leave it on bc it does have a drainage hole on the bottom of the boot and protects the shaft.

 

Either way will be fine.

It only takes like 5 minutes to take them off and flip them around though...two bolts per shock - extremely simple. You don't need to jack the truck up or anything.

 

I didn't know that. If I can do it without jacking up the truck then I will flip them around.

 

Hope, everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who replied. In the next day or two, I will be flipping my shocks around so the boots will be at the bottom.

 

sounds good and good luck take some pics

 

I would keep them boot up. When Bilstein makes them for vehicles that the shocks can be mounted only one way, they make them so they mount boot up. There are vent holes at both ends of the boot, and if you drive through high water, with boot down, it will suck water and dirt in, whereas with boot up, it would have to be much higher to get in. Yes the water will come out, but may leave dirt behind. The vents are really there for air to go in and out as the the boot expand and contracts.

 

Completely inaccurate post. Gas charged, mono tube shocks are designed to be mounted body up. The ONLY reason that shock will flip either way is because the mount design on both ends is the same...pure coinsidence and not so the shock can be mounted either way. Just take a look around at any truck wit Bilsteins (especially something with 7100's on it) Fox, SAW, Fabtech, or any other top end shock and see how it's mounted!! Also, show me any of those guys running boots on a shock. The holes on the boot are irrelevant cause you don't need them anyways

I also don't know where you got the info for your very first statement but that just down right ain't so!! I have an '02 which can not be mounted either way and I'll let you know now the Bilstein (5100) shocks for my truck mount body up.

The only shocks I know of actually built to mount body down are some lower end twin tube/non-charged shocks. Pro Comp 3000's come to mind. Reason being is unsprung mass. The suspension is designed to move, not the truck. When the suspension moves, moving just the rod in the shock is less mass than moving the entire assembly around the rod.

Also, body down makes the shock much more succeptable to damage. You want the rod down in the dirt, not the body. That chrome hardened rod will take 10X the abuse the body will, so keep the body up high out of the way.

 

I had Bilsteins for my 01, and they mount boot up. These were not 5100s, but the regular OE replacements.

Even Bilsteins brochures show them boot up for the 5100. And the reason the other are shown boot down i8s that they have reservoirs.

http://www.bilstein.com/Bil_OR_shocks_bro.pdf

 

I have a 02 150 with a six inch fabtech and the fabtech shocks were junk so I bought the 5100's. On my truck they only mount boot up here are some pics the rear is hard to see but if you look close you can see the adjusting bolt.
TOP OF FRONT SHOCK
<a href="http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/formuladriver01/?action=view&current=100_0229.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/formuladriver01/100_0229.jpg" border="0" alt="front 1"></a>
BOTTOM OF FRONT SHOCK
<a href="http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/formuladriver01/?action=view&current=100_0228.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/formuladriver01/100_0228.jpg" border="0" alt="front 2"></a>
TOP OF REAR SHOCK
<a href="http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/formuladriver01/?action=view&current=100_0227.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/formuladriver01/100_0227.jpg" border="0" alt="rear 1"></a>
BOTTOM OF REAR SHOCKS
<a href="http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/formuladriver01/?action=view&current=100_0226.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/formuladriver01/100_0226.jpg" border="0" alt="rear two"></a>

 

Well I'll be...I was wrong! Well, I was wrong about the mounting of the 5100's on the '02 that is What the hell was I thinking of then?? Oh well. My apologies. I need to go recheck that then cause I would have sworn the 5100's for our trucks mounted body up!!

Regardless, my other statements are still all correct and if there was a choice, I'll always mount body up.