Hey guys, I'm needing new shocks for my 94 Ram 2500. At this point I daily drive it with my ~4k trailer behind me, so I need something that will hold up to towing. I know that's not a lot of weight in comparison to what some of you tow with you 2Gs, but it is every single day... I live about 2 miles up a dirt road, so it get 4 miles of dirt a day. It doesn't need to ride smooth, but it would be great if it didn't bounce around so much on our rual paved county road that it's hard to keep it in one lane at more than 60 (my 01 f250 can aledgedly take that road no problem at speeds up to 75-80 🤣&#128514. Eventually, I'll probably swap a Cummins into this truck, so I am looking for good quality, heavy duty shocks.
I don't anything about shocks, but I've heard good things about Bilstein 5100s. How do they ($350) compare to the multitude $100-200 shocks on rock auto?What do y'all recommend for my application?
Thanks in advance!
Courage

 

There is a thread about shocks in the FAQ/DIY section. I think the bilstein 5100's are the winner of the poll.

And yep. You pay more for the 'big name' shocks. But, on the flip side, you get what you pay for too......

 

I would have to agree! I have Rancho RS5000's and they are Ok but here where i live the the streets are worse than "off road"(my tax dollars NOT at work) and need more rebound resistance.

 

I’m also a Rancho RS5000 user.
Pleased with the performance and longevity.

 

I put my first set of RS5000 on when i first got my truck(20 years ago) The rubber insulators disintegrated and the shock was hitting the bushing/bolt. The rears where still intact. They where 20 years old so time to replace them. Rancho now says they will replace them if they fail if you register them.

 

I’m probably close to 20yrs on mine also.
Bushing are still intact, but the silicone dust boots went by the wayside long ago.

 

Bilstein 5100s. Less than 400USD/set. Bought them in extended version for lifted trucks. Bilstein rep told me they were tuned for the heavier wheel/tire setups the lifted trucks usually carry.
Truck felt a lot more sure footed driving fast on asphalt. OffRoad, Gen II 2500s ride like a stone, hard to tell.

 

Thanks guys! Really appreciate the help. I will check out the sticky.
Also, random kinda related question, how do you tell if your steering stabilizer is worn out?

 

If it's original it's worn, The only thing the stabilizer does is keep the steering linkage from any fast jerky movements. Keeps the steering wheel from being ripped out of your hand when you hit a pot hole. When i took my original off there was hardly any resistance when you moved it by hand compared to the new one.

 

Usually the stabilizers leak badly when they're toasted. You can also disconnect it and check for resistance in both directions.

Unless you're experiencing DW they're not really mandatory on these trucks.