Shocks blown... really??

Thanks again for all the replies. This is exactly why I lurk on the forums everyday reading and learning.

I am going to keep the truck forever and will never sell it. I will continue to drive rough forest roads with the truck every week as well. Driving those rough washboarded roads consists of lots of miles, sometimes at decent speed (25 or so).

I also daily drive the truck and also put in tons of miles on paved mountain roads and highways.

I like the stiffness of the stock bilsteins on paved roads (no body roll at all), but disliked the stiffness on rough dirt roads (especially washboards).

Unsure if I should lean towards progressive or digressive shocks?? Hope I got those terms right.
What are the 5100s??
I have a lot of reading to do on bilstein, ikon, fox, king.

Totally unsure what all this will cost but I will definetly pay for a quality product. Quality and reliability are more important than cost in this case for me.
Any estimate on what 5100s all around will cost??

Also, if I ever wanna lift the truck, is there any benefit in lifting it now when buying new shocks verse later after having purchased them already??

Thanks again and apologies for being kinda new at this.

 

If you're willing to spend about $1200, Bilstein 6112 in front and 5160 in the rears would be best for you, beefy, with a reservoir for the rears.

5100s will run about $300-400 for a set of all four. They're not as thick or heavy duty but they'll get the job done, it would be best to let them cool periodically while driving on those roads.

Thats just for the shocks, obviously more if you have someone install it for you.

Check Headstrong Offroad, contact Marie, @HeadStrong Off-Road there, or Wheeler's Off Road, josh@wheelersoffroad, either of them will be happy to help you with set-up and putting a package together for you.

If you want to lift the truck this is an excellent time to do it, since the shocks will have settings for how much lift you want, in the front. If you want to lift the rear, you'll have to get something for the rear, Add-A-Leaf would the cheapest/easiest option.

As a sidenote, it would be a great idea to air down your tires when you're on these roads. It will help a lot in the life of the shocks, and comfort while you're driving them.

 

Went to 4 wheel parts tonight to do some in person research. I explained the situation to the sales tech and he said let's go take a look at your truck. He examined the residue on the shocks and proclaimed it to just be a lot of dirt, but no shock oil. Then he pushed down on the tailgate and stood on the tailgate to test the suspension and it came out just fine. No excess bouncing or anything. It basically matched the front. He examined the shocks visually as best as he could since the dust boots are still on. In the end he declared the shocks good to go and not blown at all. Good news to hear. I cleaned the shocks tonight and will watch for any oil leaks.

Really appreciate the honesty and great service of the sales tech at 4 wheel parts. Even with my existing shocks good to go for now, I am still thinking of upgrading to one of the two bilstein options. After the great experience tonight, 4 wheel parts on 82nd ave in portland, oregon has earned my money.

 

O/P, you may have been the victim of a very old scam. In auto shop class in 1978 my shop teacher told of the mechanics that would squirt oil from a can onto shocks while the car was on the lift. Between that oil and normal road dirt the customer would be told that he needed shocks and some would fall for it. I'm glad you didn't.

 

Thank you so much for your recommendation @DarthPow we really truly appreciate it!

 

Yes, just replace em. Or you can buy my ICON