AEV Bilstein Shock Upgrade

[James Pierce]

If I have missed a tread on this topic please point me in that direction...

Backstory: I received one of the first 2.5" AEV lifts with Bilstein shocks when they became available in 2012. At first it performed extremely well but after about a year and 15k miles I had 2 shocks begin leaking. Now after 2 years and 30k I am experiencing bottoming out regularly in the rear. Needless to say I am very disappointed. Several thousand miles have been off road where the problem really presents itself. In town it's more of a swaying side to side or bucking if you cross a bump just right. I didn't realize how bad it had gotten until a few weeks ago when I had the opportunity to drive BJ's (WestOK) sweet AEV JKUR. Although he has the 3.5" suspension it was made apparent that I have serious problem. His ride was much like I remember when our lift was new. I don't expect products to last forever but would expect more than 30k out of a higher end shock which leads me to the...

Question: For any of you running the AEV lift have you experienced similar longevity from the Bilsteins? I am very hesitant to purchase their remote reservoir upgrade if the life expectancy will be the same. It is not uncommon for cheap factory shocks last 100k. Have any of you upgraded to Fox or King etc? If so what valving did you get to match the AEV springs?

Thanks for the input.

James

and a pic just for looking

 

[Yosh_Lopez]

James -

Another option to consider would be the OME Nitrocharger shocks. I ran them when I had the OME HD lift on my JKU for almost 100,000 miles with no issues...awesome ride both on and off road, loaded and unloaded.

On my current set up, I ended up pairing the AEV 3.5" coils with the OME shocks and the valving pairs well with the AEV springs. On a recent 3000 mile road trip, the set up provided a smooth and controlled ride even when the jeep was loaded down with two adults, camping gear, and beer. Around town when performing daily driver duties, it handles DC area potholes and road conditions without drama or fuss.

I highly recommend this set up.

Cheers!

Josh

 

[Weeds]

My OME shocks failed just when the warranty ended. Two of the four gave it up. I would estimate they lasted 25,000 miles. I have switched to the Rancho 9000 adjustable shock. They have I lifetime warranty. We will see how they last.

 

[wADVr]

Same boat here except with a 3.5" AEV kit. I will be swapping to Fox shox. There was a thread on the AEV forum that made this swap and seemed very happy with the result.

 

[kojackJKU]

I have approx. 60k miles on my Monroe reflex and they are still like new. No wear, leaks, funny handling etc. with the 2.5" lift you would need shock spacers but that's not a big deal. In the end you will have an awesome handling, riding jeep if you don't flex to the max etc, the monroes are the perfect shock. Plus the BOGO on them at most retailers make them very cost effective. Lifetime warranty helps too. Wear one out, bring it back and its replaced. I liked them so much that I installed them on my lifted suburban as well. again I had to use shock spacers but the shocks are worth it. they are getting installed on my 10 avalanche this spring

 

[shogun]

Very poor service from 5150s. 7100s in rear are still functional, but probably not well after maybe 4yrs/20k.

All passenger car type shocks are weak and similar, spindly little shafts and generic valving, unrebuildable.

Switch to something stronger and completely customizable and rebuildable;

http://www.adsshocks.com/

 

[kojackJKU]

I beg to differ, Rebuildable is awesome. However, I have 60k on my monroes in a year and a half and they are going strong, no rust or anything on them. They are solid shocks for little outlay.

 

[Yuccahead]

I have around 23,000 on my Blisteins with 3.5 AEV lift and no issues so far (fingers crossed).

 

[shogun]

I beg to differ, Rebuildable is awesome. However, I have 60k on my monroes in a year and a half and they are going strong, no rust or anything on them. They are solid shocks for little outlay.

Are you oem weight? What valving do you find works best? Which valving options does monroe offer in your shock?

I have had many passenger cars get big miles on oem shocks. No problem. Of course passenger cars stay pretty well within thier oem performance limits. All bets are off when you add a few hundred pounds of weight, maybe trailer regularly, off-road in mud, snow, rocks, sand, high-speed or low-speed. Add a load to the roof rack, disconnect sway bars, add air bags, change springs or lift it a few inches. Those oem shocks may no longer be the best choice.

 

[kojackJKU]

I am pretty much OEM weight, which springs have more to do with than shocks. I do off road regularly, high speeds and low. Depending where we go we could be traveling 60 mph on dirt or 10. I am 2 inches above stock, and carry weight in the back in the form of camping gear, loaded coolers, etc, a 10ft pop up camper etc. These shocks are NOT OEM. They are the monotubes offered by Monroe. I had my jeep loaded with 4 people, 2 sets of full hockey gear, 4 sets of living gear/clothes and full gas. I probably squat my jeep 1/2 inch at most which is hardly noticeable. We drove 4 hrs at 70mph on our crappy highways and the Jeep was composed the whole time. No odd handling or crappy ride. People see monroes and automatically think basic OEM shocks. They are NOT. Like I said, rebuildables are awesome, if I was going with something like that, KING would be my only choice. Go past the rest, and buy KINGs. But if I am at 2.5" of lift, and are not disco'ed anytime, The monroes with shock spacers are an awesome cost effective choice. Plus, lifetime warranty, easy availability, and quality build. I think bilstiens are stiff, and very overpriced considering the failures that are happening with them.

 

[1stDeuce]

AEV has a forum, you might inquire there if others are having similar experience. I can tell you that Bilstein is quickly destroying their good reputation with spotty availability and lots of backorders. If their quality is suffering too, that would be the icing on the cake to put Fox in line as the next big supplier! Fox is a US company making shocks in the US too, and I heard a rumor that they are looking into OE style shocks as their next line of replacements.

My experience with OME has not been so good either lately. Firstly, they have completely discontinued the old nitrocharger in favor of a "sport" version. On a JK, the sport version might be ok, but on my TJ, they're quite a bit too stiff for me. They've also had seal problems in the past, though my shocks are holding up fine with perhaps 10k miles on them so far. Might be related to how much mud/dirt/rust they see. ??

Good luck!!

 

[kojackJKU]

Fox products are top notch as well. I use and rebuild fox shocks for snowmobiles and motorcycles and have no failures other than oil having to be replaced, which is regular matinenence anyways.

 

[RubiconGeoff]

I hated the ride from my AEV 3.5" Bilstein shocks so I sold them and replaced them with a set of Rancho 9000XLs. Now I can adjust the ride to exactly what kind of terrain I'll be driving on; I can have it cushy when I want, very firm when needed, and everything in between. They have a lifetime warranty.

 

[BillTex]

If I have missed a tread on this topic please point me in that direction...

Backstory: I received one of the first 2.5" AEV lifts with Bilstein shocks when they became available in 2012. At first it performed extremely well but after about a year and 15k miles I had 2 shocks begin leaking. Now after 2 years and 30k I am experiencing bottoming out regularly in the rear. Needless to say I am very disappointed. Several thousand miles have been off road where the problem really presents itself. In town it's more of a swaying side to side or bucking if you cross a bump just right. I didn't realize how bad it had gotten until a few weeks ago when I had the opportunity to drive BJ's (WestOK) sweet AEV JKUR. Although he has the 3.5" suspension it was made apparent that I have serious problem. His ride was much like I remember when our lift was new. I don't expect products to last forever but would expect more than 30k out of a higher end shock which leads me to the...

Question: For any of you running the AEV lift have you experienced similar longevity from the Bilsteins? I am very hesitant to purchase their remote reservoir upgrade if the life expectancy will be the same. It is not uncommon for cheap factory shocks last 100k. Have any of you upgraded to Fox or King etc? If so what valving did you get to match the AEV springs?

Thanks for the input.

James

and a pic just for looking

Which Bilstein's are you running?

 

[kojackJKU]

I would say the 5100 series. Stiff and unreliable and I would be unhappy with them as well. I hope that AEV switches to fox. A much better product. I have yet to hear of a fox shock failing prematurely or have structural issues from normal useage. Mine took a beating on sno x, and not once have a failure.