Time For New Shocks - HD Bilsteins Or Koni-FSD?

ron.dittmer wrote:
OP Here,

I should be getting the 4 HD Bilsteins in the next day or two.

I am building up a list of projects for our rig before our first trip out this year.
1) Install the 4 new HD-B shocks.
2) Install one additional roof vent cover bought from Walmart, for the bathroom ceiling vent.
3) Cut the double-size HoMedic 6" memory foam mattress bought at Walmart, to fit in the odd-shape cover for our rear corner bed.

1. Excellent
2. Yep, just installed one over ours.
3. I'm sure you know this but just in case an electric knife works great for cutting foam. Can pick one up cheap at most Thrift stores ;)

FunTwoDrv wrote:
24-187435 Front
24-221948 Rear
At the time, Tire Rack had the best price and had them in stock...

Gary

Yep these are the ones,picked up mine at E shocks most times they have the best price,they have been selling Bilsteins for a loong time,over 40 years.
Their staff is very knowledgeable and can answer all your questions,what ever it may be.

OP Here,

I should be getting the 4 HD Bilsteins in the next day or two.

I am building up a list of projects for our rig before our first trip out this year.
1) Install the 4 new HD-B shocks.
2) Install one additional roof vent cover bought from Walmart, for the bathroom ceiling vent.
3) Cut the double-size HoMedic 6" memory foam mattress bought at Walmart, to fit in the odd-shape cover for our rear corner bed.

24-187435 Front
24-221948 Rear
At the time, Tire Rack had the best price and had them in stock...

Gary

FunTwoDrv and IAMICHABOD:

From researching it looks like the front on the Chevy 4500 is the Bilstein HD 4600 series "B6," product number 24-187435. Look like what you both have?

Could not find any listings for '17 chassis. Only '16 and older.

Thanks

I installed HD Bilsteins all around and love them.

Brian, no worries buddy... we agree on most of this stuff. Still puzzles me why anyone would buy a new rig and accept the lack of decent ride and handling. Buying used it is what it is and whatever folks have to do to make it right is just what it costs. Doesn't keep me awake nights... :B

Jeanne and I are off to the Laughlin River Run in the morning with a stop in Mesa to visit friends followed by a long weekend visting other buds down in Borrego Springs. Should be a great ride. I just got back from a 1,000 mile run over to southern California yesterday, have 2,500 miles on the new beast {an awesome ride BTW} after 3 weeks and will add another thousand on this trip. Yee Haaa!

:C

Desert Captain wrote:

OFDPOS wrote:

Desert Captain wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:
What concerns me with our rig, the front end goes up and down a lot, for the slightest of reasons. I want to eliminate as much front end up/down motion as possible. It sounds like the HD Bilsteins will cancel that motion the fastest.

Ron, as I have posted before I too have an E-350 {that I love}. Trust me, just buy the HD Bilstein's and be done with this discussion. The performance improvement in ride and handling will blow your mind {and at a reasonable price though the fronts are a PITA to install}.

Most rigs should NOT need anything but the right shocks {that would be HD Bilstein's}, proper tire pressure and maybe an alignment with a tad mnore caster. The rest of the magical after market garbage is just that... expensive and unneeded.

As always... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

DC
Think you would be whistling another tune IF you had a 30 ft E450 with the weight right at or maxed out !
The E150 E250 E350 and E450 comes with the same puny undersized front Anti Sway Bar. Same IF it came with a rear Anti Sway Bar.
It may work for the E150 delivery van running around town.
Now stretch the frame put on a long hugh top heavy square box loaded with """"".
And now its a whole new animal... lol

Truth be told I honestly wish I could have found a 26Q No slides with the rear bead that sits across the rear and is open on one side.
With my lower back being fused, I cannot slide in and out of a corner bed.

We are not full timers nor camping every weekend in ours so I feel a 26ft or less is the perfect size.
When we were first started looking ,,, your model the 23P fit that bill perfect except for the bed.


So yes those added /upgraded aftermarket parts do help.

Brian, you may be right about the larger C's {since you have BTDT}. Never was my thing and my 24 has had good {and now great handling with the Bilstein's} and ride from day one. The larger the C the larger the engineering issues getting it right. I am sure the better mods do help but that help should never have been needed in the first place or it is the wrong coach. What never fails to amaze me are all of the folks who either do not do a thorough test drive or do one, ignore the results and buy a pig on skates anyway. :h

If someone is going to drop well north of $100K on a new vehicle I think they are entitled to have it drive well right off of the showroom floor without further modificiation {Oh well, silly me}.

:S

Steve
I could be wrong here , but most don't buy a Brand new MH.
They buy used like you did and I like did the last 3 I bought.

So we wind up with what we have, I negotiated really good on the first two, did the upgrades and sold them for allot more than what I paid for them even with including all the upgrades I did on them.
Each time taking the money and upgrading to a newer MH.

Now had I bought new after my first used one and doing the upgrades that I did , I would definitely know or what to expect a decent driving MH should be like.
Then yes I 100% agree with your statement.

Then there are the ones that don't have a clue go out and buy a MH then load it up get out on the road and its all white knuckle I can't control this thing.
Lurk on these talk forums, join ,, ask questions and well here we are talking about shocks, bigger Anti Sway Bars , Steering stabilizer , Trac Bars etc... ;)

I've noticed that a lot of the people over on Expedition Portal like Fox shocks, but nobody has mentioned them here. Any opinions?

S1njin wrote:
...advised me to keep the Ford stock ones on as they are brand new (900 miles)...

I got a similar suggestion from a knowledgeable OP here: OEM Ford Front Shocks work well. So, when I installed a zero-miles 2012 axle in our 2002, I used the new Ford shocks that came in the crate with Axle, Brakes, Radius Arms and a few other things. I don't know how long they'll last, but we have no complaints about how it handles curves and bumps.

EDIT: We're pretty heavy: 4600 Front, 9350 Rear