I've been dissatisfied with the shocks on my 2wd '04 Quad Cab 1500 even though none are leaking and they only have 50k on them. They just don't dampen well. I hit a bump and I feel it 3 times. I will probably go with Bilsteins.

Anyway, I see a lot of references on here to changing them on 4WDs and people saying the fronts are pretty difficult but not much on 2WD. I looked around under mine and it looks pretty straight forward and doesn't look like I'd even need spring compressors.

So, how's the job on a 2WD if you have 1/2" drive sockets, an impact wrench and a floor jack?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

It's nothing to change out, a 15min job w air tools

 

No need for an impact wrench. This is a basic-tools project. You don't even need a jack unless you decide to take the wheels off. The last shock change I did I left it on the ground

 

Yeah, just unbolt it, slide it out and put the other in its place. Not hard at all

 

Cool, that's what it looked like but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

Any comments on Bilsteins for a 2wd? I tow a 6,500 lb boat when the weather is warm and do mostly city driving. No offroad. I don't mind paying a little extra for the set if it yields a noticeably better ride vs. your average AutoZone shock.

 

I like mine. They are much better than the stock shocks that would barely extend when manually compressed. The Bilsteins are much stiffer. The truck doesn't ride much stiffer, but the tires stay planted to the ground much better.