Bilsteins are awesome
With the internal design of the Bilstein monotube gas shocks, it does not matter whether the shocks are mounted with the shock rod side up or down. There are some minor advantages in longevity and overall suspension effectiveness with the shock rod pointed down, and there are many instances where Bilstein has changed the orientation to take advantage of these minor improvements where there are no clearance problems. If there is an option, we recommend mounting the shock with the shock rod and boot pointing down, but in the grand scheme of things, there is no noticeable difference.
i went and installed my fronts (i don't even recall which way now,id have to look lol) and then went to install the rear to match the way i did the fronts but couldn't.i had to mount them the other way cus they didn't fit when i tried the same way as i had just installed the fronts and i dunno if i could have swapped the fronts around or not.since i had checked first and saw the instructions posted above,i knew it didn't matter so i left 'em.
anyway,really nice shocks.they handle washboard dirt roads excellent.so not sure what the story there was.this is how i checked them out upon install.compared to my still good shocks,they made washboard dirt roads smoothed out.the difference was hard to believe.this is where these things shine and you can see what your $ got you.
i went and installed my fronts (i don't even recall which way now,id have to look lol) and then went to install the rear to match the way i did the fronts but couldn't.i had to mount them the other way cus they didn't fit when i tried the same way as i had just installed the fronts and i dunno if i could have swapped the fronts around or not.
anyway - nice to hear the good results with your shocks. i'm looking forward to some more testing of mine.
now that I have 4 new shocks and have rebuilt my driver's seat, I swear this truck rides as good, if not better, than the day it rolled off the assembly line. I just took it for a 1 drive this morning with my son to pick up my venison sausage and kielbasa and I was amazed at the ride. its definitely a stiff suspension, but you barely feel the bumps and they don't resonate at all.
thanks again for the advice FTE!



