Well the Bilstein's, Edelbrock's, and Rancho's are all in the mix then. Rancho's are quite a bit more expensive than the other two, i assume it has to do with the adjustability they offer. Have you heard anything on the Edelbrock's and whether or not they have any suspension travel issues? Oh, and have you ever been around Bilstein's yourself? For comparison's sake?

 

No issues with the Edelbrocks...like I said, I had them on my truck pre-lift. Would buy again. No issues. I've had Bilsteins on quite a few vehicles over the years and they are stellar. Currently have them on my Lexus. I however have not had them on this truck and didn't get the 5100's because I don't like the way they mount. It's a personal preference thing, but I don't like a shock that mounts body down/shaft up. My only experience with Bilsteins on a truck are with the HD's on my dads '07. They drastically improved the ride and handling but I (once again, all personal) found them a tad bit soft for my personal taste. Can't say you'd have the same result or that they'd be soft on our body trucks...just don't know. That's the thing I like about the 9000's, it's like getting a set of custom valved shocks...adjust to your liking and driving style.

 

Ordered the BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A 285/70-17's and Bilstein HD's today. I am going to get quotes from a few places i trust to see what it will cost to mount the tires, install the shocks, crank the torsion keys to level it out, and align it. I was just going to install the shocks myself but since i need the tires mounted and an alignment anyway i might as well get it all done at one place.

I was just wondering if anyone else has run 285's and if they will rub without adjusting the torsion bars? I know raising it just 1.5"-2" probably won't cause premature wear but if i don't need to do it, i might not as I am a little leery about it.

 

I got the shocks and tires put on Saturday and cleaned it up. Here's a few photos:













...Dent in hood is getting fixed and front bumper and grille surround are getting replaced in 2 weeks(thanks to some pheasants) as well as the rear driver side bumper pad(thanks to a friend who doesn't know how to direct someone backing up).

 

Looks REALLY good!

 

nice! those bfg's look great. they aint cheap though.

 

awesome truck!!

 

I would stick with the 285/70R17 tire size. More selection and you will not have any fitment issues.

As for the shocks. The 5100 series are for lifted vehicles only. Not a good idea to run them on a stock truck. Bilstein does have the standard HD shock which will work great with the stock set up. That would be the way to go.

http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=BZ1&...model=HD+Shock

Derrick

 

Info is irrelevant, i ordered that stuff from you guys 2 weeks ago. Thanks anyway?

 

Thanks for all the comments guys, I'm really happy with everything. The tires were filled to 40psi when i left the shop, but i bumped them up to the max of 80 and it rides quite a bit stiffer but i gained 2-3mpg's. I might drop them down to somewhere around 60 for a little softer ride. The Bilsteins are awesome, my stock shocks were completely shot.

The only thing I'm a little pissed about is that the shop told me they were going to balance my tires on the inside of the rims, but they did not so I have those stupid wheel weights in plain sight...

Oh, and yes, you're eyes do not deceive you, I missed a spot with the tires shine on my tires...I fixed it though lol.

 

80PSI???? Even 60??? Why on earth are you running around with that much pressure? Unless the mpg is worht it...if it's even consistent. That's the MAX allowed...not required!

 

@Galaxy...because running at the maximum recommended psi increases tread life and fuel mileage.

 

Sorry about the wrong info on your shocks..I had the wrong year. Just wanted to alert you to a problem, you should not run your tires at the MAX pressure listed on the tire, you might get a few MPG's BUT you will have very high wear in the center of the tread. Also on a hot day the tire could explode due to heat and pressure build-up being way over the tires MAX designed limits to start with. Stick with recommended pressures and add 5 or so lbs (cold) and rotate on a regular basis for maximum tire life, the 40lbs they put in should be about perfect for those.

 

Yeah, thanks sam, i dropped them back down to 40psi earlier today, as i couldn't stand the harsh ride and I had got to looking and noticed the sides of the tread were not making any contact with the ground confirming your center tread wear statement(which i should have known, i feel like an idiot). It would also explain why the handling of my truck was comparable to standing on your tip toes and sprinting on the drive home yesterday in the wind on the interstate. It was pretty bad, I would move the steering wheel just a little and you could feel the back end slowly "wobble" over. It was really responsive but hard to control.

 

I think 40psi will serve you very well...you have a very nice looking truck there !!!