erupert66

i have a 2011 F150 XLT with Auto spring 2.5 leveling lift kit with 18” Procomp rims and Treadwright Axiom 275/70-18’s.

didnt realize how crappy the ride would be on the Stock shocks in this setup. Especially since I have 144k on the truck.

I hear good things about the Bilsteins. I don’t need the “kit” but obviously want a shock that has the proper working range for the lift. What’s the right kit to order? Is there a reputable reseller to call/order from who can get me the right stuff 1st time?

mass-hole

Bilstein 5100's. They are adjustable from stock height up to +2" level with a total of 5 settings. It utilizes the stock springs and spring seats for the front so its a matter of pulling the old ones off and having a shop swap the parts over from the stock shock to the bilstein.

The rears just bolt in in place of the stock shocks

I dont know the actual part numbers for the 2011 but you should be able to find them at the bilstein website or just check someone like stage3motorsports.

M0RRIS

Talk to stage3, they were great. There's two parts, 2wd and 4wd. 2014 is different, it mounts to the LCA differently.

STingray1300

Just so you know, more than 50% of the ride/performance quality is on the springs. Going with Bilsteins means you're stuck with the crappy OEM springs. The only way to rehabilitate your suspension is to upgrade the entire coilover, springs and all.

FYI

M0RRIS

The bilstiens are an improvement over the stock shock tho.

erupert66

Thanks for that input. Honestly, I think my biggest woe is the “shudder” in the rear and how it steps out one rough surface. I know the OEM shocks weren’t designed to handle the inertia of these big, heavy off-road tires. Prob a good chunk of the issue is the Treadwrights. Pretty heavy and 10ply. Prob spent a bit more on the next round.

Honestly, bought the truck to replace my aging ‘95 f150 still with the thought being to use it as a spare that I wouldn’t have to work on as much and a vehicle to ride back/forth to the airport each week ( so my Mercedes AMG doesn’t have to sit outside). However, I found that I enjoy it quite a bit and put a lot more miles on it vs my Mercedes this past year. I wanted lift / tires for look so losing the ride quality is a compromise I am hoping to push back in the other direction. That said, I don’t think I want to dump a lot into suspension but if you have a recommendation for the front, this would be the time for me to look into it.

mass-hole

This was my dilemma. I dont take my truck offroad much but the stock shocks were extremely underdamped with any kind of payload or trailer I hooked up. I either could spend $350 on all 4 bilsteins or ~$1200 on the fox coilovers and rear shocks. While i am sure the Fox's are better, I didnt need em. The bilsteins have been awesome and control the ride far better than stock, loaded and unloaded. They also help a lot when driving down pot-holed dirt roads at speed. Much less likely to bottom them out and they are smoother.

That said, I didnt put mine at the full 2" level, I only went to the 2nd of 5 settings which was supposed to be .8" over stock. If you are gunna go for the full 2-2.5" then maybe coilovers would be better, but its up to you to decide what they are worth to you. $350 vs $1200 is a big difference.

I also wouldnt say the stock springs are crappy, they just were not paired well to the stock shocks, although, with 144k miles yours might be pretty tired and sagging. The stock shocks are heavily underdamped. Getting the stiffer bilsteins would make you think it would ride worse, but they improved both the control and comfort of the ride because they keep the springs in check.

jdunk54nl

I agree, the difference between the bilsteins and something better is substantial being $350 for all 4 or $1200 for all 4. But suspension is something you generally get what you pay for up until a certain point. A big difference in new coil overs with everything internal, piggyback/remote resevoir, adjustable on the fly setups, etc.

But it all goes to what do you plan on doing? If you are going to be spending some time off road on anything bumpy it would be worth it to me to go $1200+. When I replace mine it will be with either Icon or halolift coilovers with everything internal, but that is because I am on forest roads quite often. If I wasn't then the bilsteins would be what I would buy.

I am pretty sure f150lifts gives a forum discount too.

azcoyote

I just bought my second pair of Bilstein 5100 level shocks from Stage3 and they are a great company to work with.

Sell your spacers to someone else and just get the Bilsteins. You will be close in price but have a much better ride. Ran my first set to nearly 100k miles.

I will add this, if I was ready to drop $1200 I would absolutely love to have a set of new coilovers. No doubt they ride better just from getting rid of the old Ford spring with 125k miles.

But for the money, the Bilsteins are the best entry level balance of cost/performance for me to run 35s on my F150.

erupert66

Thanks everyone tor the info. I talked to Stage 3 last night and ordered the Bilsteins. Since I already have the autospring lift on there, their recommendation is to keep it on and run the fronts Stock. Since the rear is lifted, they will be a hare outside the designed working range but only 1/4” so Stage 3 said no worries on that. Looking forward to getting them installed