Rear Shock Suggestions

[GoinBoardin]

I’ve had two sets of Bilstein 5100s leak with less than 2 years of use on my 8800 pound Excursion that I use for DD/camping/hunting/exploring...I'm going the Fox route next with external reservoirs. I’ve felt my 5100s get very hot while on rough backroads in the Oregon mountains.

Lots of people have good luck with 5100s, but my experience hasn’t been that way, could be due to my truck weight, I’m not positive.

I've had 4600 and 5100 on my half ton with a camper, no shock issues in 5 years. But then my roommate with a little Tacoma had a complete failure on a 5100 rear with only a few years use. Super light truck, but daily it sees some gravel roads. It dumped all of its oil and locked up. His buddy's (always empty) gen 1 Tundra killed a front Bilstein too. Maybe they pound whoops, idk, but weight alone doesn't explain that. I suspect those if us without issues are just slower (with my camper, makes sense I'd be slow) and that keeps heat in check.

 

[Regcabguy]

I’ve had two sets of Bilstein 5100s leak with less than 2 years of use on my 8800 pound Excursion that I use for DD/camping/hunting/exploring...I'm going the Fox route next with external reservoirs. I’ve felt my 5100s get very hot while on rough backroads in the Oregon mountains.

Lots of people have good luck with 5100s, but my experience hasn’t been that way, could be due to my truck weight, I’m not positive.

I've never had luck with Bilsteins. They rode rough and leaked in maybe 30K. If you're going fast offroad like any non-reservoir they will overheat and fail.
As stated a 2.0 reservoir shock that's rebuildable should do the job. I've had to rebuild three King 2.5's in I guess 70K. Each time it was from shafts that got pitted. It happens. Maybe on the Chevy forums you could find a set of them off a similar sized truck that someone's selling.

 

[D45]

Any have info or reviews on the Pro Comp Pro Runner 2.0s?

They are $320 a pair

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/pro-comp-black-series-2-0-rear-shock-absorber-zx3020/_/R-DFCW-ZX3020

• Pro Comp Suspension | Part Number: EXPZX3020
• 2.0 Black Series w/2 in. Lift
• Shock Series: 2.0 Black Series
• Position: Rear
• Fitment: Direct Fit
• LiftHeight: w/2 in. Lift
• Hydraulic / Gas Charged :Gas Charged
• 2" diameter monotube shock body with Viton O-rings
• 5/8" hardened NitroCarb shock shaft
• Rubber lower mount bushing
• Heavy duty oil seal pack
• Rebuildable design
• Anodized black aluminum end caps
• Hand-assembled to exact specifications
• Zinc plating with clear UV protecting top coat and gloss polyurethane clear coat
• Custom valved for each specific application
• Pro Comp Promise: The True Lifetime Warranty

PRODUCT OVERVIEW
The Pro Runner 2.0 smooth rear shocks are the perfect complement to the Pro Runner 2.0C front coilovers. The Pro Runner 2.0 Smooth Shocks are loaded with premium features to deliver superior performance both on and off-road. Each shock is hand assembled to exact specifications and tuned for specific applications. Viton seals are utilized to guard against leaks. The 2" diameter zinc plated body is capped by black anodized ends for a clean look.

 

[D45]

Non reservoir shocks:
Icon: $320 pair
Fox: $320 pair
Pro Comp: $320 pair
Bilstein: $180 pair

Reservoir shocks:
Icon: $530 pair
Fox: $479 pair
Bilstein: $332 pair

Another thing I need to take in to account is the amount of lift over stock

Some of these shocks are 0-1" lift and some are 0-2" lift

The rear of my truck will have a 1.5" lift over stock...…...so I can narrow down my shock choices

 

[D45]

Bilstein #25-242515 (Reservoir) allows for up to a 2" lift
Icon #76526R (Reservoir) allows for up to a 2" lift
Fox #210-90144 (Reservoir) allows for up to a 1" lift

Pro Comp Pro Runner #EXPZX3020 (non rezzy) allows for up to a 2" lift
Icon #76526 (non rezzy) allows for up to a 2" lift
Fox #980-24-660 (non rezzy) allows for up to a 1" lift
Bilstein #33-238319 (non rezzy) allows for for up to a 1" lift

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So, with all that being said, the Fox shocks are all out and the non-rezzy Bilstein is out.

Bilstein #25-242515 (Reservoir) allows for up to a 2" lift...……………………………….$332
Icon #76526R (Reservoir) allows for up to a 2" lift...……………………...…………………$479

Pro Comp Pro Runner #EXPZX3020 (non rezzy) allows for up to a 2" lift...………$320
Icon #76526 (non rezzy) allows for up to a 2" lift...................................................$320

 

[Metcalf]

Buy something you can revalve, repair, and rebuild.
I would also get something that has a bushing style mounts for NVH reasons.

My suggestion would be to call Accutune Off Road and have them do some of their custom valving which is basically 'free' if you buy something like a Fox 2.0 Performance Resi from them.
They are very good at getting very close to ideal valving if you feed them the right information.