slepley

Not wanting to create anything controversial, I was wondering if I could get some advice on whether Bilstein Shocks would be a good upgrade for my 2003 1500 with 133,000 miles on them.
I will be attempting to upgrade my suspension to something a little beefier similar to the HD 2500 but don't want to start with Bilsteins only to find out I should have sought more advice....Also since $$ and budget demands,
what sequence of suspension upgrades should I do...in order??
First shocks...then ? struts?, coils, etc. If Icould afford to do them all at once that would be fine but if I know in advance then I could do something every few months on the suspension.
I do NOT at this time have any plans to "lift".
Thanks in advance for any experienced recommendations.
S

nj85z28

There are no struts on the truck, just shocks. and yes Bilsteins are the greatest shock ever in my opinion. I at one time had them on all 3 of my vehicles. My 2005 Silverado, a 98 Camaro SS and an 86 Monte Carlo SS both have since been sold. I have run bilsteins on my truck for the last 50 or 60 thousand miles and the ride quality is like night and day from before. I would suggest them to anyone who isnt going to lift or drop their car. If you look around alot of times places like JEGS or SUMMIT RACING or even Bilstein themselves have a promotion where you buy 3 and get the 4th free.

Do a little shopping around for that deal and pricing. I believe I got mine from either jegs or summit and they were shipped fast and I installed them in an hour or two in the driveway.

Of course there may be people who have other opinions on which brand to go with but I think most will agree on the Bilsteins. Keep us updated!!

JK23112

I put four new Monroe shocks on my truck last spring. They were a definite improvement over the OEM ones, but they're probably nothing like Bilsteins.

Then again, my '04 Silverado is two-wheel-drive and I don't carry much with it; nor do I tow anything.

Get whatever makes you happy and suits your needs, wants and budget.

country_09

Bilsteins over every other shock out there. The 5100 series is the best made

slepley

Administrator,
Thank you very much for your informed and experienced recommendation.
Should I just ask which Bilsteins are best for my 2003 1500 4X4 or do you also know the specific Bilstein product...I read something about "5100"s..
Should I ask my Chevy dealer which ones or should I do more research..
Thanks again and Happy New Year

country_09

They have a set of the 5100s that are made for a truck with 0-2.5" lift up front and 0-1" of lift out back

nj85z28

the ones I use are Bilstein Heavy Duty..I dont recall if those are the 5100 series as mentioned

slepley

Thanks...I 'll lean toward the Heavy Duty 5100's

slepley

thanks again..I'll put going with the Bilstein 5100 based on your fabulous knowledge based experience.