We're getting ready to head to Baja for a few weeks this winter and are making some upgrades to the truck to get it ready. Next up is our shocks. I want to keep the build as simple and close to stock as possible. I'm leaning towards the Bilstein 5100's. Reviews on them seem to be good and they're about $40 cheaper than the 2.0's from Fox. What's you opinion on one over the other and why? What advantage would the Fox 2.5's give me? Would they be overkill? Typically we do some beach driving and the FR's, and we're hoping to run the WABDR before winter comes and we head to Baja. We do 0 rock crawling or hard wheeling. I had a YJ for that and fixing it got old.
Which shocks for 16' Screw F150?
- Thread starter Pilotamis
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LeftCoastKiteboarding
Active member
I suggest the Rancho 9000XLs. For the price they are great. The adjustability is nice. Run them real soft on rough roads to smooth out the ride and firmer on the pavement. A complete set can be had for well under $400 and there’s a $70 rebate available right now. Also have lifetime warranty. I’m running them on my F350 and they are pretty decent! Lots of Rancho haters out there but bang for buck they take the cake.
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alphaecho4386
New member
I went with a set of Fox 2.0 for my Colorado.
Solid performance for a bit more than Bilstein or Eibach, without going overkill on bypass shocks. For a competent weekend warrior these fit the bill perfectly.
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Solid performance for a bit more than Bilstein or Eibach, without going overkill on bypass shocks. For a competent weekend warrior these fit the bill perfectly.
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ttengineer
Adventurer
Shocks are designed to control your coils, so recommendations will be based on the rest of your suspension. It’s all about valving for your intended use.
But, right out the gate, Kings are the best, for many reasons, mostly because you can rebuild them at home.
There is also no such thing as an overkill shock. Like mentioned above, it’s all about the valving. And a larger shock body will hold more fluid letting the shock run cooler for longer therefore improving its dampening and rebound ability under longer periods of use.
BUT you can buy an undersized shock. Especially if you’re on dirt going fast. An undersized shock will quickly be outpaced by heat and driving conditions if you’re not careful.
I’ll need more information before I can give you a quality recommendation, but I can tell you this: Do not buy Ranchos, they are trash and will not hold up to a trip in Baja or the WABDR.
There are a lot of misinformed people out there that only buy off marketing ads and really don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to shocks and valving. Do some research, lots of it, so you can make an informed decision.
Having said all that, an F150 riding what you are describing above would do great with a set of Fox 2.5 coil overs or a set of Kings. Head over to filthy motor sports and buy a set that is sized appropriately for your suspension travel and valved for the type of terrain it sees most often. You won’t be disappointed with either as long as you’re honest about your driving capabilities and terrain.
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But, right out the gate, Kings are the best, for many reasons, mostly because you can rebuild them at home.
There is also no such thing as an overkill shock. Like mentioned above, it’s all about the valving. And a larger shock body will hold more fluid letting the shock run cooler for longer therefore improving its dampening and rebound ability under longer periods of use.
BUT you can buy an undersized shock. Especially if you’re on dirt going fast. An undersized shock will quickly be outpaced by heat and driving conditions if you’re not careful.
I’ll need more information before I can give you a quality recommendation, but I can tell you this: Do not buy Ranchos, they are trash and will not hold up to a trip in Baja or the WABDR.
There are a lot of misinformed people out there that only buy off marketing ads and really don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to shocks and valving. Do some research, lots of it, so you can make an informed decision.
Having said all that, an F150 riding what you are describing above would do great with a set of Fox 2.5 coil overs or a set of Kings. Head over to filthy motor sports and buy a set that is sized appropriately for your suspension travel and valved for the type of terrain it sees most often. You won’t be disappointed with either as long as you’re honest about your driving capabilities and terrain.
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Truck is 2016 F-150 Super Crew, 5.0 4WD. I'm looking just for the rears. Right now the back end has a tendency to pop out when going over tracks, washboard, or even hitting a small pot hole. We'll be traveling with a RTT and 2 kayaks on top, plus some camping and fishing gear in the back.
I went with a set of Fox 2.0 for my Colorado.
Solid performance for a bit more than Bilstein or Eibach, without going overkill on bypass shocks. For a competent weekend warrior these fit the bill perfectly.
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How was it installing the fronts? I'm a bit nervous to do the fronts and not sure I even need them.
ttengineer
Adventurer
You’ll want your front and rear to match for a mor comfortable drive.
The rear is rough due to poor shocks, and partly because of the leaf springs. Swapping shocks in the rear will definitely help, but if you’re looking for wild ride improvement you’ll need new leaf springs out back.
Essentially your current rear shocks have valving that is intended for a work rig and not an off road rig. The shocks can not control the leafs and are quickly outpaced by the leaf springs. A new shock will solve this, but only if it’s the correct choice.
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The rear is rough due to poor shocks, and partly because of the leaf springs. Swapping shocks in the rear will definitely help, but if you’re looking for wild ride improvement you’ll need new leaf springs out back.
Essentially your current rear shocks have valving that is intended for a work rig and not an off road rig. The shocks can not control the leafs and are quickly outpaced by the leaf springs. A new shock will solve this, but only if it’s the correct choice.
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ttengineer
Adventurer
Get these and you’ll be very happy.
http://www.filthymotorsports.com/King_OEM_F_150_Shocks_p/king-25001-367.htm
Yes they are expensive. Buy once cry once.
http://www.filthymotorsports.com/King_OEM_F_150_Shocks_p/king-25001-367.htm
Yes they are expensive. Buy once cry once.
Last edited:
alphaecho4386
New member
Very easy. It's total pop in, pop out. They come pre adjusted for 2" front lift. No need to take apart the coils or anything. The 2.0 series is really designed to be the most shock you can have on an otherwise factory suspension.I went with a set of Fox 2.0 for my Colorado.
Solid performance for a bit more than Bilstein or Eibach, without going overkill on bypass shocks. For a competent weekend warrior these fit the bill perfectly.
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How was it installing the fronts? I'm a bit nervous to do the fronts and not sure I even need them.
Kings are great, but they are quite expensive, and to take advantage of them you will need new control arms and a bunch of other little parts. And it does not seem like you will be doing anything that extreme. Not knocking them, but for what you are saying your use will be, you don't need to spend 4x the money.
I ran the gravel Backcountry or Oregon about 150miles or so at quite a fast clip and had no issues on my stock suspension. So the Fox 2.0 was a solid upgrade that won't be overkill. I took them out on some small whoops and it is poised and composed and soaks up the bumps happily. Totally solid for trails like WABDR without breaking the bank, or needing more fabrication to install.
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Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
King 2.5 with remote res.
http://www.filthymotorsports.com/King_OEM_F_150_Shocks_p/king-25001-367.htm
http://www.filthymotorsports.com/King_OEM_F_150_Shocks_p/king-25001-367.htm
alphaecho4386
New member
The Fox kit is about a grand for all 4's.
Kings will set you back 2k for just the shocks. But they are a good shock so you might as well aslo go all in and get the long travel kit, otherwise your travel will be near to what the Fox 2.0's will give you. So add another couple grand for the new hardware and bits, and resivoirs, and adjusters.
That's a big upfront spend if you've not tried coilovers before. The Fox kit is affordable, and if you don't like em, or they don't perform to the level you want, they can be sold for half or 3/4 the cost to you, getting most of your money back and then go all out on a proper long travel suspension.
That's my plan, and why I went with what I did.
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Kings will set you back 2k for just the shocks. But they are a good shock so you might as well aslo go all in and get the long travel kit, otherwise your travel will be near to what the Fox 2.0's will give you. So add another couple grand for the new hardware and bits, and resivoirs, and adjusters.
That's a big upfront spend if you've not tried coilovers before. The Fox kit is affordable, and if you don't like em, or they don't perform to the level you want, they can be sold for half or 3/4 the cost to you, getting most of your money back and then go all out on a proper long travel suspension.
That's my plan, and why I went with what I did.
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ttengineer
Adventurer
I went with a set of Fox 2.0 for my Colorado.
Solid performance for a bit more than Bilstein or Eibach, without going overkill on bypass shocks. For a competent weekend warrior these fit the bill perfectly.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
How was it installing the fronts? I'm a bit nervous to do the fronts and not sure I even need them.
Kings are great, but they are quite expensive, and to take advantage of them you will need new control arms and a bunch of other little parts.
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This is just plain false and a perfect example of what I mentioned above.
The Kings posted above from filthy are direct OEM replacements and require no additional components.
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