I recently swapped out the stock shocks and struts of my 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab for a set of Bilstein 4600 Series. My stock dampers hit 107,000 miles with lots of towing and hauling without any issue and really, I didn’t have any complaints about the stock components. Considering that I tow and haul so much, I wanted something a little heavier duty than the OEM replacements, so I went with the Bilstein 4600 shocks and struts.



Having driven the truck for a couple of days with the Bilstein dampers, I wish that I hadn’t waited so long to upgrade from the stock units. Mind you, I have owned my truck since 2007, so I got to experience it with the OEM units in good shape and not-so-good shape as time went on.

First and foremost, the ride quality with the Bilstein components is far improved over the stock parts. Around town, my Ram is more stable when cornering and this is true on the highway, at higher speeds as well. When driving with the stock dampers over the past 10 years, I had gotten accustomed to the choppiness when taking turns at higher speeds, but the truck is far more stable on the turns with the new shocks. The ride is still as rigid as you would expect from a tough half ton truck, but the ride quality and the handling are improved by a significant margin. Granted, it still “rides like a truck” and it’s not going to dominate the local autocross scene – but after spending the last few years testing new trucks from around the industry, my Ram feels more like a new truck than a 10 year old machine with 107k. Also, when hitting bumps while going through turns, the new dampers do a far better job of absorbing the impact and keeping the wheels on the ground, so while my Ram has maintained the feel that I want – it handles and rides a great deal better.




My area is riddled with rough unpaved roads with serious washboard surfaces, and with the old shocks and struts, driving my 2006 Ram 1500 along those roads at higher speeds would overwhelm the suspension – leading to the truck bouncing around and becoming harder to control. With the Bilstein units, the truck is more stable along those rough dirt roads, making the ride more comfortable and making the truck easier to control.

Next up, during hard braking with the stock dampers, the truck would nose down a bit and if you were stopping on road with a rough finish, the front wheels would get to hopping under hard braking. With the Bilstein shocks up front, that dive is gone and even when stopping hard on a very rough road, the new suspension components do a far better job of keeping the front wheels down when getting the truck stopped in a hurry. Slamming on the brakes on a rough dirt road will still get the truck bouncing around, but under normal - or even during extreme and sudden braking exercises – my truck stops much more smoothly with the Bilstein shocks and struts.




Finally, and most importantly to me, is how my 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 handles our horse trailer. With the stock rear struts, my 5,000lb horse trailer would tug down on the back end a bit. Specifically, I found that on certain highways while towing, the rear of the truck would get to “floating” a bit in the back end, but with the Bilstein struts, the rear end of the truck seems much more stable when I’m pulling the horses around. With the stronger struts out back, my Ram feels more stable when towing the trailer and the ride quality is improved on every surface that I’ve experienced thus far. Also, when I would load a thousand pounds of horse feed into the bed of my Ram with the stock parts, the back end would sag a bit and on the road, the back end of the truck would pull a bit when going around turns as the stock dampers were stressed under the extra weight. However, as is the case in every other situation, the addition of the Bilstein dampers has stiffened up the truck under trailer load and heavy payload.

Although I have only been working with my Ram for a few days with the Bilstein 4600 shocks and struts, I can say without a doubt that the truck rides and handles better now than it did when it was new. Most notably, the highway handing, the braking and the rear-end control under load are all improved by a significant margin and to make – that makes the Bilstein components well worth the extra cost over an OEM replacement.

I would recommend these shocks and struts to anyone with a comparable Ram without a second though and honestly, I wish that I hadn’t waited so long to upgrade. Really, my truck rides and drives better in pretty much every circumstance and while I don’t often tow something heavier than my 2-horse trailer, I look forward to seeing how my 2006 Ram handles even more weight out back.

 

Thanks for the in depth review BadStraRT... been thinking of putting Bilsteins on my '05 QC. Got a question for you though, how do you get the old shocks out and the new ones in on the front in the coil springs? I looked at it the other night and could not see an easy way to do it unless there is a trick to it.

 

Great review. Only bad thing I can say is that I don't understand the color combination Bilstein chose for their non-5100 series shocks. :P

 

I agree on the color choice... not my thing, but would like the best shocks I can get. Bilstein's seem to get a top rating on this forum.

 

Bilstein are good ones, Rancho is another good option.

 

I'm not knocking your shocks. I agree that they are a high quality upgrade.

 

Good choice, factory SRT-10's come with these shocks, as well as most of the modern upgraded trucks, including the Rebel and Power Wagon.


Can't see the color, but they're there!

 

Nice review. Currently have Bilstein shocks also and I'm very pleased with their performance. Ride is kind a stiff but still comfortable.