So on December 16th 2009 i ordered the 5100 leveling shocks from Bilstein. They said in 6 days i would have the product. A few days later they said they were back ordered till Jan 1st. So in the mean time i ordered new tires and rims. Then January became end of January, then Feb 1st. So a few day ago they told me maybe end of February. So today i called to see what the deal was, and the sales REP from bilstien didn't have a clue. He was like uhhhhhhh i dont even know what the problem is. He said there is such a long list of people. He is like it will be months till you even get yours, and could be anywhere from 3 to 6 months!!!! So i am gonna cancel my order and go with The Rancho Quick Lift!! The Rancho is in stock and could be to my house in less than 5 days!!!!

 

Buy a Hellbent steel leveling kit. $70,and its their in 2 days.

 

Would the ride quality be better with the new shocks? or is the ride the same either way?

 

I didnt have a HBS kit, but had a similar where you ad the spacer on top. the ride was nice. i then upgraded to the rancho's that you are considering because it was time for my shocks to get changed out. I got the QuickLift in the front, and the standard RS9000xl's in the rear, for a matching set. I love the way the truck rides now. There is a difference, atleast between the kit I had and the Rancho now. I love it so much I am putting Rancho on all my vehicles from now on. Again, this is IMO since I didnt have the HBS kit. I would recommend getting the onboard system. Its so nice to shift shock firmness on the fly (the other day the freeway got clogged, so i switched from city to off-road cuz i cut through a ditch to get onto the feeder, never skipping a beat either).

 

Yeah i mean the HBS seems like a great deal and a flawless product, but i think the enhanced ride from the new shocks would be a great benefit. and it also gives me that 2 inch lift

 

I agree I tried to get Bilstein 5100's for 8 months from 4 wheel parts wholesalers. No one I called could get them. Finaly I called suspension connection and they had none in stock either. They called me back the next day saying they just got a pair in, so I swiped them up. Bilstein has some serious production problems, I cant believe it. I will say Im glad I got em. Truck rides great now. Give suspension connection a call, great service and friendly.

 

X2

 

I got my ranchos about 2 months ago, got my 35 inch tires installed and my rims, and I love it! It rides great and looks amazing too!! I'm so happy I
made the switch from bilstein to rancho! Becuse with the bilsteins, I'd still
be waiting for them lol

 

FWIW, I was able to find some at eshocks.com when everyone else was backordered months ago.

 

Huh, I ordered my Bilstien 5125's from shockwarehouse.com about a month ago and had them in my hands 5 days later.
Glad I didn't have the same problem.

Best of luck

))--SLIVER-->