hmmmmmm... to lift, or not to lift... that is the question

 

StuartV now that you have had the Bilstein's for some time now how would you rate them, 10 being the best. I've been throwing different leveling kits thru my head and after reading the bilstein thread i think it would be the safest way to go. In return i've heard problems as well just need some info from someone who has the setup.. thanks

 

Back to the top with this subject. Any new issues for the ones that installed the shocks? Wonder if the '10's have the same problem

 

i had the bilstein struts installed back in feb or mar but hadn't used the 4x4 up until the other day.. i was on a snow/ice covered road and i didn't notice any shudder or vibration..

 

What height setting do you have them set at. It seems to me that we should be able to go to the trx setting on these struts with no problems and im thinking we could even use the 1.4" setting but from what I have seen in several posts is that anything 2.5" or over will cause problems down the road.

 

I have them at max height with 1 1/2" spacers in the rear.. next time the roads have a little snow on them i will see if it shudders at higher speeds.. i was only going around 25-30 on a resid road..

 

First off, I haven't read many of the more recent posts about the bilstein shocks or the vibration problems that people have been having, but I do have an update on my situation with my shocks. My bilsteins are set at max height and I have about 14K on them now and I still love them. I recently decided to have my 4x4 front end vibration checked out at the dealership to see if I would get the same load of crap that every other ram owner has been getting over the issue. Well, they found that my transfer case had a bad seal from the factory and was almost completely dry. They fixed it at no cost. They looked over the front drivetrain and decided the front driveshaft had excess slack in it. They replaced it at no cost. So they decided it was time to order new front half shafts and CVs. Here is where it got interesting. When the tech tried to order the parts for the stated problem, the mopar ordering system denied him and gave a print out that read something like "a front end shudder is common in late model 4x4 trucks at launch and does not require the replacement of front axles. Instruct the customer on proper use of the 4wheel drive system." WTF, the service manager was just as stunned as I was. So, I decided to do my own trouble shooting. I found that in 4 low the there is now vibration at all. even when cornering. I know I couldn't do but 35 but that was plenty fast to test for no vibs. So I figure that the ESP would be the only difference between 4 low vs 4 high from the front diff to the wheels. I put the truck in 4 High, the proceeded to remove the fuse for the ESP and take her for a spin. Guess what, didn't shake a bit. Even up to 75 80. So, I am now led to believe that the programing of the traction control is a bit off in a certain number of trucks because some trucks shake, and some don't... Some have no mods, and others do without having problems. I am currently having the ESP route looked into by my dealership now and will update as soon as I can. Hope I didn't bore anyone...

 

you dont have to pull the fuse to shut off the esp. just put it in 4wd and stop and hold the esp button for like 5 to 8 seconds and it shuts off completely.

 

I have the Bilsteins at the 2.1" setting and do not have the shudder although the truck did have what felt like a clutch pack chatter the very first time I tried 4WD Hi on paved roads. Did it for a few secs and then hasn't done it since. I have 6K mi on my Bilsteins now and just spent a few days in decent(9") snow with no problems whatsoever. I don't have another truck here to play with but I don't think the lifts are responsible for this shuttering. There is still ample room for the half shafts to stay within a decent geometry, so much so that I'm probably going to go to the 2.7" setting. I do wish these Bilsteins were a little more stiff like on my 2500 setup but they seem to do well.

 

does anyone have the bilsteins set at the 1.5 setting and if so is there still the shutter issue( pics would be good too) I have a set on backorder and cant decide wether to go with that setting or the 2.1. I know most of you guys are goin with the 2.1 or 2.8, but was interested bout the 1.5 setting, If it causes less headaches. Thanks