Yeah my stock ones were shot pretty much all around. Anytime I hit a bump or pothole it felt like I lost a wheel or something and the truck bounced all over the place. The only reason I'm asking if they"ll settle in is because I still hear a lot of noise being transferred from the road surfaces into the cabin.
The bilsteins are great. Will really keep your truck in line. But I think the noise will get reduced a little. But check your sway bars and upper mounts. I replaced my upper shock mounts as they were pretty well worn.
Definitely a compromise to those seeking uber-smoothness. Switching to bilsteins at 116k for me uncovered a few little buzzes and rattles in the dash and center console. I am so much happier with the way the jeep feels overall though. They took about 500 miles to settle in fully. Not sure if my front shocks were worse off to begin with but it leveled the truck up nicely from the nose-down stance it had before.
Well I've had them on for about 2 weeks now and easily 500 miles on them and they still seem really stiff. I love the way they handle and help the steering feel really responsive (awesome when braking too, no nose dive) but hit the smallest pothole and the whole Jeep feels it. The noise inside the cabin lets you know you just hit a pothole, like a jolt. I'm not looking for a caddy type ride but really hope they will soften up a little and make the ride smoother or I may sell them and go Monroe or KYB. I mainly got them off recommendations from this forum and a few others but fail to have a great experience so far.
Would changing my front diff bushings help some? I've already been under there and they are pretty damn shot, 2 are torn (mainly the top one). It can't be the front LCA's because they have both been replaced due to the clevis bolt being seized in each one when replacing the front struts with the Bilsteins, so I replaced them both with Omix-Ada LCA's for $146 each.
Believe the street Bilsteins ride much less stiff, and are more compliant than the SRT setup. SRT Jeeps tend to ride pretty rough. The new 2012's are much smoother.
I'm not a fan of high pressure gas shocks (Bilstein) for the reasons mentioned above. This is the low tech way of improving handling, at the expense of ride and comfort. I have also never been a fan of the WK SRT8, as the ride is much too stiff, rough and unforgiving. I wish Koni US would get their act together and offer the WK FSD here in the US; far superior to Bilsteins, and makes the ride smoother than stock.
I finally installed my RC 2" lift and I upgraded to Bilstein HD's. I am having the same issue of increased noise and a "harsher" ride. Anybody get anywhere with this issue?
Anything besides the stock setup will be harsher. I've had my lift in now for about a year and the ride to me is smoother than compared to the first month or so. Maybe its just me being used to it, but either way i have no extra sounds or harshness to report. Then again i only have 48k on my rig.
How many miles are on your WK now? I am thinking you may have some bad bushings or something of the sort going bad on you due to higher mileage (if thats the case). I'm just throwing that out there as a possible culprit.
Could anybody recommend an aftermarket set of shocks and struts that will accommodate the 2" lift on my truck while having as similar smooth ride as stock. These Bilsteins are just not cutting it.
vinpaa, what Bilstiens do you have?? if the are the WK HD versions, I would be interested in buying them for the right price. I will send you a PM, but I need 5 posts first.
My bilsteins deff softened up but do not ride nearly as 'smooth' as my stock shocks did. And there are many potholes where i drive and the stiffer shocks are no fun.