Foy
Resident Geologist
Ladies and gentlemen,
Some will recall my WTW vehicle is a venerable F350 Crew Cab longbed diesel. She's got 266,000 miles and from what Blackstone Labs tell me from their engine oil and ATF analysis, she's good as new under the hood and as far back as the transmisson output shaft. With the specter of + or - $60,000 to replace her with a new model, and with but an average of 10,000 miles/year now that I've got "Pop's wittle twuck" (quote from my grandson) as a DD, I'm planning on keeping her for at least 5-7 more years, dings, scratches, and minor dents and all.
But, the springs are tired and noticeably flattened out. I made a poor decision nearly 7 years ago and installed a low-priced "leveling kit" from Four Wheel Parts which consisted primarily of replacement front leaf springs to provide a 2.5" lift and thus eliminate the down-in-front rake which the OEM front leafs provided. I say it was a poor decision since I now don't think the replacement springs, now having been on the truck for 80,000 miles, were load-rated to carry a 1,200 lb engine. They're badly flattened out.
So, a local spring shop within a Fleet Pride company store location gave her a good look-over yesterday and the rep and I then perused a thick catalog of replacement options. As of the moment, he's working up a quote to replace the front springs (2,200 lb rating according to the spring code in the VIN) with a pair of 2,600 lb springs which will have about a 7/8th inch greater arch. He'll fabricate a 1" spacer block and run the center bolt through it in proper fashion to provide a shade under 2" of lift up front. On the rears, he's suggesting leaf packs which were OEM for a dually but which will fit my SRW truck. They're rated at 3,000 lbs just as the originals are (and only the front leafs were changed in early 2010--the rears are the originals), but they've got about 3/4" more arch and another 1/8th or so spring pack thickness for nearly an inch of lift rearward.
With all of that as the backstory, I need to choose the new shocks which Fleet Pride will install along with the new springs. I'm pretty much settled on Bilsteins and am leaning towards the 5100s. From some reading on Bilstein's website and from a lengthy series of AutoAnything reviews, I have the understanding that the Bilstein 4600 HD and the 5100s are the same shock internally: 46mm cylinder bore and identical valving. The differences being that the 5100s are the recommended application for lifted trucks having longer installed height and that the 5100s finish is a brushed stainless steel tube rather than the bright yellow painted finish on the 4600s. The 4 Pro Comp MX6 Adjustables installed in 2010 had a painted finish which chipped and rusted away within a couple of years, and we're not even in real "salted roads" country.
I'm planning a call to Four Wheel Parts today (likely vendor of whatever Bilsteins I ultimately decide upon) and am hoping to get connected with someone familiar with the 5100s in order to find out more of the fitment parameters given what my new figures will be. I should have 19.5-20.0" installed height up front and 24.5" rear. I prefer the 5100s over the 4600s due to the longer-lived finish alone, but I need to make sure they're going to fit properly with the mild lift as opposed to a more normal 3 to 6" lift encountered when the discussion is about "lifted trucks".
So, any experience with Bilsteins, either 5100s or 4600s on a full-sized truck, particularly a 3/4 ton or 1-ton? Thoughts or advice as to any fitment issues with the minimal lift I'm looking at?
Thanks!
Foy
Some will recall my WTW vehicle is a venerable F350 Crew Cab longbed diesel. She's got 266,000 miles and from what Blackstone Labs tell me from their engine oil and ATF analysis, she's good as new under the hood and as far back as the transmisson output shaft. With the specter of + or - $60,000 to replace her with a new model, and with but an average of 10,000 miles/year now that I've got "Pop's wittle twuck" (quote from my grandson) as a DD, I'm planning on keeping her for at least 5-7 more years, dings, scratches, and minor dents and all.
But, the springs are tired and noticeably flattened out. I made a poor decision nearly 7 years ago and installed a low-priced "leveling kit" from Four Wheel Parts which consisted primarily of replacement front leaf springs to provide a 2.5" lift and thus eliminate the down-in-front rake which the OEM front leafs provided. I say it was a poor decision since I now don't think the replacement springs, now having been on the truck for 80,000 miles, were load-rated to carry a 1,200 lb engine. They're badly flattened out.
So, a local spring shop within a Fleet Pride company store location gave her a good look-over yesterday and the rep and I then perused a thick catalog of replacement options. As of the moment, he's working up a quote to replace the front springs (2,200 lb rating according to the spring code in the VIN) with a pair of 2,600 lb springs which will have about a 7/8th inch greater arch. He'll fabricate a 1" spacer block and run the center bolt through it in proper fashion to provide a shade under 2" of lift up front. On the rears, he's suggesting leaf packs which were OEM for a dually but which will fit my SRW truck. They're rated at 3,000 lbs just as the originals are (and only the front leafs were changed in early 2010--the rears are the originals), but they've got about 3/4" more arch and another 1/8th or so spring pack thickness for nearly an inch of lift rearward.
With all of that as the backstory, I need to choose the new shocks which Fleet Pride will install along with the new springs. I'm pretty much settled on Bilsteins and am leaning towards the 5100s. From some reading on Bilstein's website and from a lengthy series of AutoAnything reviews, I have the understanding that the Bilstein 4600 HD and the 5100s are the same shock internally: 46mm cylinder bore and identical valving. The differences being that the 5100s are the recommended application for lifted trucks having longer installed height and that the 5100s finish is a brushed stainless steel tube rather than the bright yellow painted finish on the 4600s. The 4 Pro Comp MX6 Adjustables installed in 2010 had a painted finish which chipped and rusted away within a couple of years, and we're not even in real "salted roads" country.
I'm planning a call to Four Wheel Parts today (likely vendor of whatever Bilsteins I ultimately decide upon) and am hoping to get connected with someone familiar with the 5100s in order to find out more of the fitment parameters given what my new figures will be. I should have 19.5-20.0" installed height up front and 24.5" rear. I prefer the 5100s over the 4600s due to the longer-lived finish alone, but I need to make sure they're going to fit properly with the mild lift as opposed to a more normal 3 to 6" lift encountered when the discussion is about "lifted trucks".
So, any experience with Bilsteins, either 5100s or 4600s on a full-sized truck, particularly a 3/4 ton or 1-ton? Thoughts or advice as to any fitment issues with the minimal lift I'm looking at?
Thanks!
Foy
