I have a 2006 FX4 crew I purchased a little over a year ago. The truck already had some type of leveling kit installed (not sure if it's 2.5 or 3 inch but appears to sit just a tad higher than most leveled trucks around here). I can't see where the rear is anything but stock but the truck sits perfectly level. The truck rides like a freaking tank and everyone who has ridden in it notices. At first I thought maybe it was the butt ugly 20's w/ low profile looking tires giving it such a rough ride. I was wrong! Replaced w/ 18 x 9 Eagles & I think 325/60/18 Cooper SST's. Truck looks 10X better but still rides like a tank (maybe a tad better but still). Shocks look to be stock but I can't find any kind of name brand on them. Truck has ~83k miles on it and I'm hoping new shocks will remedy my poor quality ride. I'm thinking maybe Bilstein 5100's but not sure w/ the mystery leving kit. Any suggestions or advice, maybe personal experiences would be greatly appreciated! I love the truck but I can't take the ride much longer!!

 

I have a set of Bilstein 5100 series with a 6inch lift and they ride great.
They are firm, but far better than the stock shocks I think.
With the old shocks I could hit a bump in a curve and the truck would shift or move sideways in the road.
Now when I hit the same bump.. I don't jump into the other lane..

But if you are looking for a smooth car ride.. you might want to go with another brand.

Back in my Dodge days. I had to replace my Bils with Monroe's. The Bils were just too firm for the dodge. And I found that the Monroes were a little more cushy and made it feel more like a car. Maybe it had to do with weight, etc.. since the dodge was a shortbed and 2door.. And I have a Screw now...

I'm sure there are going to be plenty of opinions.

 

Shocks are prolly worn out and need to be replaced. I had bilsteins on my old 05 and loved em

 

Thanks for the info guys, keep the replies coming! I think I'm gonna look into the Monroes as well as the Bilsteins. Leaning towards the Bilsteins right now though. Anyone know if I can install the 5100's w/o having to remove the existing leveling kit? I love the stance on the truck now. I'm concerned that if I remove the kit I will have tire rubbing issues as it may sit a little lower w/ just the 5100's. Then again, will leaving the kit on w/ 5100's lift the front more creating more stress on the front suspension? I'm just not sure what to do here? Yall keep the info coming. Please!! Thanks! I've been doing searches but just seem to get more and more confused.

 

I've pretty much made my mind up to go w/ the Bilstein 5100's leveling kit. The truck will sit a little lower than it does now but I don't mind sacrificing .5 - 1 inch of height for a smoother ride. I know my shocks are shot and after closer inspection I can see where my upper control arms have been bottoming out against the springs. That can't be good!

I was curious if anyone has priced this kit lately and what they found? So far, the cheapest I've come across is $462 shipped. I'm gonna continue to shop around but if anyone has found this kit cheaper I would love to know about it. For all I know $462 might be a good price? I know you generally get what you pay for and I havn't read any negative posts about this kit yet.

Thanks for reading guys, any replies will be appreciated!

 

You can get the Billstiens with o to 3 inches of adjustment. Since you have to pull everything out anyway to put in the new shocks, throw away the leveling kit and have the installer set the shocks to the 2 or 3 inch setting. Search the posts for pics if your wondering how to.

 

Check out the Belltech Street Performance shock. Price is good and the quality is great. The valving is much better than other shocks.