militarybuilt

Where is currently the best place for get a set? Also currently I have a 2" leveling kit up front, how close will these get me to replicating that without the blocks? Is there a 2" setting?


As for everyone that is running them do they really help with higher speed bumps? By that I just mean very terrible roads and dirt roads at 20-30mph? I'm not running in the desert but some of the roads here in WI are crap and they are even worse when I get up north in MI.


I already have brand new OEM rear leafs as mine gave up after hauling a lot after 280k miles and actually broke the right side pack.


Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.

STingray1300

Hi, please pardon my directness in this matter, as I've been down this road a couple of times.

If you are interested I spending your money ONCE, then pay heed:

1- Bilstein 5100s are entry-level suspension components. I had (read: HAD) them. It took me almost a year to figure out that my truck drove like a bus. Dumping them in favor of some BOSS (Halo/F150Lifts) coilovers was like getting a better-than-brand-new truck again. I literally squirm when I read that someone is eager to get their Bilsteins for their truck. -to each his own... The Bilsteins' top adjustment is about 2". If you're interested in real good (great) handling, on or off road, consider a better shock/coilover option like the BOSS.

As far as rear suspension goes, the OEM 2-leaf springs don't take very long to sag out, do they... Your new ones will suffer the same fate. In about 10-15K miles, they will be riding on the helper leaf. My recommendation? Deaver. Deaver makes a rear spring (0 or +1" ride height) for the F150 (listed as for a Raptor - but guess what? Regular F150s use the same exact springs). Not cheap, but you'll never have to replace them again. They come as an 11-leaf pack. And, they ride really nice.

So that's my story, and I'm sticking with it

militarybuilt

I appreciate your feedback for sure. So the Bilsteins really aren't that much better than stock? All I'm looking for is 2" in the front and stay stock height in the rear. This isn't my daily driver so ride quality isn't that big of a deal until I get the trashed roads as currently I really take a beating.

And with that I don't really want to drop $1500 in suspension as the rig does have 288k miles now and I'm just waiting for the trans or engine t give up the ghost, so thats what the savings will go for.

Thanks again for the input, I'll look at the boss components for sure.

PawPaw

The Bilstein 5100's on my truck so far have been great. Almost 30K miles on them with no problems. They ride a little firmer then the stock shocks but control the ride a lot better. I've got mine set at 1.5 inches of lift so they're not maxed out which is a little over 2 inches. I'm running P rated tires so that probably softens up the ride a bit. For everyday use and some towing mixed in they fill my needs perfectly. If I did more offroading I'd look at the coilovers or better yet a full suspension lift.






The boat with 300 gallons of fuel and weighing 9K pounds had the truck squatting but the Ecoboost handled it easily. No problem with the atv's!

militarybuilt

Those pictures make me miss living in Gulfport.. man I miss the south..

Thanks for te feedback. I think they will fit my needs as I am about the same as you, a lot of highway, light (3-5k) towing and mild to medium off road, and most of that will be mud or sand in the backwoods.

PawPaw

Gulfport and Biloxi is a nice area..I'm about 60 miles SW of New Orleans and 55 miles North of Grand Isle where I'm headed shortly. 80 degrees expected later today so I'm going to take advantage of it. Check with other Bilstein users and get their opinions.

PawPaw

Nice looking truck you have also...looks great for that many miles!

militarybuilt

Yea I really liked it down there. I have roots down in Sulphur, LA as well so I somewhat know that area. Being in Wisconsin is depressing, as I type this we are getting 3-5 inches of snow.....

I'm hoping to get a little more feedback before I place an order. I just need something to soak up the road more than the stockers.

Thanks.

mass-hole

I am looking into getting the bilsteins as well. Everything I have read is that they are substantially better than the factory shocks in terms of dampening and control, particularly loaded.

That said, I think the higher you set them the stiffer they will ride. when you set them to the top position they put a-arm at a steeper angle which means it gunna be harder to swing upward and feel stiffer, but i doubt it would be any worse than a 2" spacer level. As far as I can tell you can go 0", .75", 1.5" of 2.25" of level so you should be able to get them exactly where you want.

I would agree if you were going to be doing some decent off-roading then a set of coilovers would be a better option.

militarybuilt

So I wonder how the ride will be if I keep the Bilsteins at 0" and leave the 2" level kit in there, it shouldn't be as stiff right? I just hate hopping around on these terrible roads, it will throw you right off the road..