i have a 2011 f150. im gonna get some bilstein 5100s for it (adjustables)

they don't come with boots.

should i pick up some boots to go with it?

are boots necessary?

i didn't see a boot on the stock shocks when I checked

thanks

 

You don't need them, some people love them just because of the look and because they say they'll make the shock last longer because they seal them from the elements. But in the end all they do is end up trapping water and other things inside the boot doing more corrosion damage to them than without them.

 

pizzaman said it! unless you live in the desert...no boots.

 

I think shocks look better without them.

 

Here's my opinion on boots!!



They are 100% cosmetic...and that's not an entirely accurate statement becuase saying something is cosmetic implies (or at least most people assume it to mean) that it's a positive thing...boots are not!

 

What's the desert got to do with it??? Show me a picture of a baha truck or anyone in SoCal running around the desert with boots!

 

The boots are most destructive when water and grime gets trapped in them. It hardly rains in the desert hence no ill fate.

 

Yea, that's wha I'm saying. You're other post reads like you were saying you should use boots in the desert.

 

boots in desert would be a very good idea to keep the dust out. But galaxy what fine shocks those are

 

some people say they are great and others say they trap water inside. while i have them on mine for looks, when i pull them off the shock shaft and the shock tube that's underneath them is spotless. i've been through tons of mud too.

 

Thus my question in a previous post...show me a Baha truck, or any of these SoCal trucks running boots in the desert! Show me boots on anything with Fox or King shocks! Dust is not a problem to a shock rod.

Rancho RS9000XL's

Agreed also. I've ran them both ways over the years. I have found signs of dirt and water on a shock after removing a bood, but never ever any damage.

Thus my original statement that they are purley, 110% cosmetic...it's up to the individual to decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. They provide absolutely nothing in the way of protection or harm.

 

I haven't been to the desert in 20 years but back then some people would run boots...I'm sure the trend now is to run without.

 

Boots in the desert especially on prerunners would end up just trapping more heat in the shock and causing it to fail.

 

Dont be ridiculous pizza. boots in a high dust environment is essential. There called dust boots for a reason. all that dust will wreck your seals.

 

I hope your joking^. You'll be hard pressed to find one desert truck running them. All they do is trap heat in the desert causing them to no longer function properly and seriously soften up.