tuckr2

Have a 2018 F150 157 wb 4x4 Screw FX4 with max trailer tow. Looking for rear shocks for towing my 25 foot travel trailer? Had Monroe load adjusting shock absorbers on rear of my 2011 F150. This really stabilized the ride of the truck pulling trailer without sacrificing ride quality. Sway and tail wagging greatly diminished running these.
Haven’t pulled the trailer yet and may not need with newer truck and max tow package but also went shopping online and not seeing much in the way of shocks for this year truck. The Monroe’s added an inch of lift and springs to assist when loaded with my trailer.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Ken

Sweetlou

I installed bilstein 5100 on the rear of my 16 CREW 6.5 FX4. Towing is night and day... though they did nothing for sway. Sway is a set up issue. The bilstein took the squish out and absorbs bumps much smoother. No more bounces. Handles my 6000lb 25ft Kodiak hybrid just fine!

Pugga

iTrader: (1)

I like Bilstein 5100s. This is the second truck I've had them on and I've been happy with them for towing.

tuckr2

Thanks, ya I have looked at the bilstein’s and was curious as they were designed more for slight lift, aggressive stance, or bigger tires. Good to hear some specifics on towing with them. The Monroe’s did this as well. The bulk of the shock took the load of my trailer and the spring assisted when the shock collapsed during bumps, etc. the Monroe actually rides with characteristics similar to stock shocks. Fairly smooth.

Pugga

iTrader: (1)

5100s just have better valving than stock shocks, they work just fine at stock height. They'll top out if you use them with a lift over a couple inches (if you regularly flex out the truck). Up front, they can be used for a quick, inexpensive lift but do just fine at stock height also. If you want a lifted application, there are better options out there besides 5100s in my opinion. I like 5100s as a stock replacement and especially for towing. Just my opinion on them, I've had good luck with them.

smokeywren

The Bilstein B8 5100 is for lifted trucks.
https://www.bilstein.com/en/product/bilstein-b8-5100/


The Bilstein B6 4600 is for trucks with stock suspension. I don't mess with the suspension on my trucks, so I use the 4600.


https://www.bilstein.com/en/product/bilstein-b6-4600/


Note that on an F-150 with front coil springs, the front shocks fit inside the coils, so in effect they are struts and not just shocks. I ordered mine from Shock Warehouse doc com, then had them installed by my local Midas Man. The front shocks required the front coil springs to be depressed, so Midas charged me a lot more to install the front shocks than the rears. Installing the front shocks is not something you want to DIY, unless you are experienced in depressing and removing front coil springs.

Here's my 4 shocks for my 2012 4x2. About $362. Yours may be a bit different.
http://www.shockwarehouse.com/index....12&mode=result


Way back when, I had Monroe Gas Magnum shocks on my 1999.5 F-250. At about 50,000 miles they still performed like new, but I had heard all the hype about the Bilstein shocks so I replaced the Monroes with Bilstein 4600s. There was a slight increase in road comfort with the Bilsteins, but not enough difference to write home about. But enough difference that when it came time to replace the OEM shocks on my F-150, I went with the Bilstein 4600s.

Pugga

iTrader: (1)

You need to read more on the 5100s, there's a lot of fine print with them when it comes to lifted applications. They only accommodate 0 (stock height) to 1" of lift in the rear. That's hardly a lifted application in my opinion. Lots of people run them on taller lifts but there are plenty who have topped out the shock and blown them out as a result (I'm talking truck's with suspension lifts, not just a taller block in the rear).
The fronts are a strut and can lift the truck, trading down travel for up travel. But, they still operate within the stock limits of the truck and, at the 0 setting, are perfectly suited for stock height trucks and stock springs.
The 4600s only for stock height trucks and a great option. I went with the 5100s over the 4600s in large part because of the aluminum body. They won't rust out and look like hell in a year or two.

tuflehundon

Just an FYI. Autoplicity has a Bilstein sale for forum member going on. I got mine through them way cheaper than I could find anywhere else.

https://www.f150forum.com/f37/bilste...licity-227493/

acdii

Running 5100 on all four corners on mine. Ride is mucho better than stock, and towing they are good too.

Apples

Addressing a point made in each of smokeywren's and Pugga's posts...

The front shock and spring arrangement on our F150s is simply a coil-over-shock, it is not a strut. Sure, it is like a MacPherson strut, but only in the coaxial design of damper and spring. Unlike a strut, our trucks' coil-over shocks are not a suspension link per se, in that they are not necessary to maintain suspension design geometry throughout any range of travel. Our trucks have unequal-length control arms and a steering knuckle/hub. Again, these coil-over shocks are simply spring and damper, they are not suspension locating links.

The 5100s' shock body is zinc-coated steel.