2005 F350 V10, 4x4, crew, sb, FX4

So after 60K miles living with the stock Rancho branded shocks that came with the FX4 package, I finally bit the bullet and decided a new set of shocks were in order for the V10. Truck is my do-it-all daily driver, hunting, camping, fishing, towing rig. I tow a 8000lb camper regularly and occasionally pull a 10K skid steer. I decided on Bilstein HD’s and got a great deal on them thru eshocks.com. They even price matched a Bilstein steering stabilizer that I found advertised cheaper with a competitor. Good service and fast delivery – I had them within 3 days of ordering.

I changed all 4 shocks and the steering stabilizer this past weekend. Installation was straightforward – two bolts per shock, one top and one bottom. I took my time and got the job done in about 2.5 hours. Overall, a pretty easy job, and I’m no mechanic. The stock shocks were completely shot. I could compress them easily with one hand. No kidding, they each took over a minute to completely rebound. The Bilsteins on the other hand took two hands pushing down with all my weight to compress and would rebound immediately upon releasing downward pressure. Huge difference.

I took the truck for a test drive and immediately headed towards a rough patch of road in town where I frequently have experienced the “death wobble” that folks talk about. On my way there, I hit hit the usual bumps and pot holes in the road. The difference between the Bilsteins and the stock shocks was very noticeable. The best way to describe this difference is that the truck now feels more planted to the ground. No more bounce, no more vibrations, no shake or rattle thru the steering wheel. Pretty much uneventful, which I guess is a good thing. I got to the road where I have experienced the “death wobble” in the past and the truck handled it like a champ. Again, the tires felt more planted to the ground than before, no steering wheel shake or wobble. Felt completely under control. Not sure if this is a function of the shocks or the sterring stabilizer, or probably both, but I was very pleased how the truck handled this road now as compared to the old shocks.

I have only had the Bilsteins on for about 4 days now but the ride is much better, much more enjoyable than before. I have read posts where folks have complained that the Bilsteins are too firm or stiff or have too harsh of ride. I have not gotten that impression at all. The ride is smooth and controlled, truck feels like it sticks to the ground, where it belongs and corners feel planted. In contrast, the old shocks felt like the were bouncing all over the place and had much more roll around turns. Also, I didn’t really realize how much wobble and shake I was experiencing with the old Ranchos until I replaced them.

Thus far, all of my driving has been on road, in town and some highway. I’m heading up into the mountains this weekend and will be off on some forest service roads. I will be able to report back on how the Bilsteins handle some light offroading after this weekend. Very pleased with the Bilsteins so far. My only regret is that I didn't buy them much sooner.

 

2000 E250, 5.4 gasser, 7800# as a daily driver

I also bit the bullet for the Bilsteins but apparently found a great site---paid $324 set of four delivered to my front door. With a lifetime guarantee and the anticipated I didn't think that price was bad at all. I could have gone cheaper but in the case of a van any additional money spent on any component that extends service life is well worth it. Installation is a complete bear on that truck but the difference was amazing during that first test drive after installation.

I'd previously fitted Hellwig front and rear sway bars, renewed ball joints and most other steering parts as well as replaced radius arm and axle pivot bushings with urethane parts. Bilstein's were the absolute last improvement so I had a side-by-side comparison. With just over 17K miles on these shocks I have absolutely no regrets.

There is possibly another new-to-me van on the way and I'm sure once it arrives I'll bite another bullet and add Bilsteins to it too!

RAGaz if I can be petty just a bit---what font you're using is a bit difficult to read, at least for me. The default Verdana font and size seems to be easier on the eye, at least as displaying here in the forums. Sorry if that seems just a bit too specific and a complaint about almost nothing!

 

I'm of the opinion that anything is better than the stock shocks. My Rancho 9000xls front and 9000xs rear make the truck completely controllable over the roughest road known - New York metro roads

Not to say anything bad about the Bilsteins, I have zero experience with them so I can't compare them at all.

But to anyone thinking of upgrading their shocks and they still have the stockers - DO IT!

 

I've never paid top dollar for shocks, always went mid grade Gabriels or Monroe and they always seem to do the job. Just replaced the orginal oems at 184,000 miles the fronts where toast and the back seemed to have a little pressure left in them.

 

Holy smokes! 184k miles on stock shocks? I say you got your money out of those! I put Monroes on the wife's Expedition and have been happy with them. Thought I'd try the Bilsteins for the truck cuz I've heard a lot of good things about them.

I agree with Krewat, anything is probably better than those stockers - especially with 50k miles on them.

 

I actually noticed my ride has gotten noticably smoother the past few weeks. I just blew past 36k miles on my 2010, so I'll probably be looking to replace then in anothet year or two.

Thanks for the report. I've always preferred Bilstein and will definitely be putting them on in the future.

 

Here's a link to the guys I used for mine: eshocks.com: Bilstein Shocks and Struts: E-200, E-250, E-300, E-350 Van

Maybe changing shocks on an F-Series is easier than my E-Series but with the difficulty this is I'll spend the minor extra bucks in order to extend my miles before replacement.