Bilstein 4600 shock upgrade worth it ?

[brroberts]

4x2 for mostly towing. Did 4600’s and blue Sumo’s on the rear the day I got the truck. No regrets.

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[ctechbob]

Also the 4600's in the rear can not accept higher ride height in the rear. The 5100 can take up to a 1inch lift in the rear. But on their own will be stock height.

Correct. From what I gather, that is the only difference.

Only reason I put 5100's on the front of mine is I got tired of waiting for 4600's to come back in stock when I was ready to do them, else I would have 4600's.

 

[Burnt Money]

Definitely worth the upgrade. I’m running the 5100 rears. I tow my boat a decent amount. Probably 20-30 times a year. Plus 1-2 1k plus mile round trips a year. I notice the increased stability hitting potholes on the interstate and with crosswind & side draft from a semi. When not towing there is less nosedive when hitting the brakes. Stock FX4 suspension was like a slinky. Hopefully this helps you spend more money lol.

 

[Frenchy]

Save your money and just change the rear shocks. I did that and was very pleasantly impressed. I used the B8 5100 rear shocks. Stock height was retained.

Regardless what you think if you have the front and rear shocks matched on a vehicle instead of mixed I can promise it will provide the best comfort and control. Does not matter on the vehicle or brand of shock. Best results are from matched front and rears

 

[JCMAC]

Regardless what you think if you have the front and rear shocks matched on a vehicle instead of mixed I can promise it will provide the best comfort and control. Does not matter on the vehicle or brand of shock. Best results are from matched front and rears

It’s not my opinion it is my experience that I reported on. Your opinion is a kinda Captain Obvious type reply that does not really advance the discussion.

 

[Frenchy]

It’s not my opinion it is my experience that I reported on. Your opinion is a kinda Captain Obvious type reply that does not really advance the discussion.

Except that I have experience as well. Once again if you have matched shocks front and vs mixed shocks front and rear the ride quality and handling will be better

 

[JCMAC]

Except that I have experience as well. Once again if you have matched shocks front and vs mixed shocks front and rear the ride quality and handling will be better

You are just repeating yourself, do you have anything new to offer?

 

[Aphron]

Regardless what you think if you have the front and rear shocks matched on a vehicle instead of mixed I can promise it will provide the best comfort and control. Does not matter on the vehicle or brand of shock. Best results are from matched front and rears

I’ll agree what was said here as well. I installed 5100 rears because it took like 30 minutes. There was a pretty big difference immediately! So I contemplated not even installing the fronts but glad I did, the truck rides so nice now, smooth and stable. If I had to do it all again I’d replace all 4 again, even with the pain in the but fronts (were rusted).

Edit: Overall if it was a 100% upgrade I’d say the rears were 60% improvement with fronts at 40%. Not as drastic but still a big difference and worth price to take all floaty and crash feeling out of suspension!

 

[Newtomeranger2021]

Short answer…yes! My first highway trip with my 23 FX4 just about made me sick from the bobbing up and down, like the shocks were blown…with 500 miles. I installed the 4600s on all four corners, and it feels like a night and day difference! It is more “firm” I would say around town, but on the highway it is so much more stable and controlled.

Did you just do shocks all around or did you upgrade anything else in the suspension?

I had read people's thoughts on the bouncing but hadn't really noticed anything through 5k Mike's until the other day on a bad stretch of highway. Felt like a roller coaster.

 

[Andrew27]

Did you just do shocks all around or did you upgrade anything else in the suspension?

I had read people's thoughts on the bouncing but hadn't really noticed anything through 5k Mike's until the other day on a bad stretch of highway. Felt like a roller coaster.

I had the same roller coaster feeling you did. I just did shocks all the way around, the rest of the suspension is stock. I work in a shop and did them myself.

 

[LoneRNGR]

Apparently you have not towed a trailer with the same vehicle and different shocks. Two different shocks for the same vehicle will feel different enough that you can feel.

Sorry. I was responding to the question about the shocks affecting the ride height of the truck when towing. All the height and tow ratings should remain the same. Different shocks will affect the ride quality.

 

[Rod B]

Was it a pita to do the fronts? I have done nearly everything to a vehicle myself over the years but have never had the need to swap front coil over struts.

 

[Frenchy]

Was it a pita to do the fronts? I have done nearly everything to a vehicle myself over the years but have never had the need to swap front coil over struts.

Assuming you need to swap the coils then I can say it is a pain without the correct tools. If you don't have the right tools feel free to take it to a local shop

 

[ctechbob]

Was it a pita to do the fronts? I have done nearly everything to a vehicle myself over the years but have never had the need to swap front coil over struts.

The only specialized tool you really need to do the fronts is a spring compressor.

You also need to be comfortable with separating the upper ball joint, other than that it is all nuts and bolts.

Regarding the spring compressor.

Yes, they can be dangerous.

But.

Pay attention to what you're doing, and even the 'death sticks' are not that big of a deal to work with. I personally don't use compressors for disassembly, just for putting them back together.

Alternatively, pull the assemblies off and pay a shop to swap the shocks out of them and then reinstall them.

 

[Hickesy]

Had them a week on the Mazda B2300 and it's like night and day. So smooth and controlled. Would love to get them or the 5100 on the Ranger

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