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Thoughts on the stock Bilsteins?

Discussion in 'Suspension' started by kekoa12, Mar 5, 2020.

  1. Mar 5, 2020 at 3:47 PM
    #1
    kekoa12

    kekoa12 [OP] New Member

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    Greetings folks (long-winded intro coming up...skip to next paragraph to go right to my questions). A couple of days ago I signed the papers on my first Toyota...a 2015 TRD pro crewmax. I'm on Kauai in Hawaii and the Tundra is coming from San Antonio so it will be a month or so before I get my hands on it. It's got 90k miles but looks to be in good shape. My family enjoys car camping and having the Tundra will open up some camping spots on the island I couldn't get to before. I have been shopping for quite a while and comparing features across brands. I like the reputation and after-market support Toyota has in the overlanding community and reliability in general. If I hadn't needed a truck so bad I probably would have gone for an 80 series land cruiser. The reliability factor is really what clinched it for me to go with the Tundra. I looked at the Power Wagon, F-150 FX4, Silverado Z71, and Titan Pro-4x pretty seriously. A 2017 Ram Rebel with 26k miles even popped up on island right as I was ready to pull the trigger on the Tundra and I love the look of the Rebel and would have saved $3k in shipping by going with it. However, after looking at the reliability of Ram (#26 on the list vs #2 for Toyota) and reading about all the issues people were having with the Rebel I crossed it off the list.

    Anyway, being a 2015 my Tundra has the Bilstein shocks on it. I wanted to see what the experience with those shocks has been for you all. Do they perform well for light to moderate off road use? I will be driving primarily in soft beach sand and rough rocky rutted dirt roads. Do they hold up? Being 5 years old with 90k miles any estimates as far as how much life is left in them? How do they compare with the TRD Fox shocks? If you were going to replace the Bilsteins with a budget of $3 to $4k what would you do...TRD Fox or some other after-market brand? I'm a noob to 4wd vehicles and off roading but I think I have a pretty good grasp on suspensions and the various parts and what they do but I'm sure I will be asking some noob questions along the way. Thanks for the help.
     
  2. Mar 5, 2020 at 3:56 PM
    #2
    Danman34

    Danman34 New Member

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    Any shock with 90k miles on them is due for replacement.
     
    kekoa12[OP] and Hbjeff like this.
  3. Mar 5, 2020 at 4:56 PM
    #3
    kekoa12

    kekoa12 [OP] New Member

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    Oh wow, didn't realize their life span was that short. I guess replacement will be happening sooner rather than later.
     
  4. Mar 6, 2020 at 3:46 AM
    #4
    Bad Cow

    Bad Cow GOD Bless The USA

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    Nothing wrong with being a NOOB, we weren't born with knowledge, it comes from experience, making good and bad choices. To your question I would say go with the TRD Fox Shocks as replacement for your Bilsteins. You will be amazed at the ride quality they offer. Not exactly a HUGE difference, but notable. Seeing is you own a PRO, you should have no trouble ordering the TRD Fox replacements from your dealership. They won't be cheap mind you, but you get what you pay for.
     
    kekoa12[OP] likes this.
  5. Mar 6, 2020 at 3:55 AM
    #5
    Jim LE 1301

    Jim LE 1301 Camaro Lover, SSEM # 11,TTC#179

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    Welcome from NY.
     
    kekoa12[OP] likes this.
  6. Mar 6, 2020 at 10:30 AM
    #6
    kekoa12

    kekoa12 [OP] New Member

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    Thanks for info Bad Cow. Where are you in Georgia? I grew up in Augusta and lived in the south Atlanta suburbs before moving to Hawaii a few years ago.
     
    Bad Cow[QUOTED] likes this.
  7. Mar 6, 2020 at 10:54 AM
    #7
    Bad Cow

    Bad Cow GOD Bless The USA

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    I grew up in Atlanta Metro area. Moved south 30+ years ago, away from that madness. We live in Pine Mountain now, near Callaway Gardens. Peace and quiet, country living at it's finest.
     
    kekoa12[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  8. Mar 6, 2020 at 11:27 AM
    #8
    kekoa12

    kekoa12 [OP] New Member

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    We lived in Palmetto an hour or so north of there. I've been to Callaway Gardens a couple of times and we took our kids to that drive through safari which they loved. Our radiator hose broke as soon as we entered the gate to the loop road that goes through the safari. There were a pile of cars behind us, no cell phone reception to call the park for help, and I wasn't getting out of the car with all of those animals aggressively looking for food so we limped through the park pulling over every 5 minutes to let the engine cool. I'll always remember that day!
     
    Bad Cow[QUOTED] likes this.
  9. Mar 6, 2020 at 11:45 AM
    #9
    Nick T

    Nick T New Member

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    The trd bilstein pro shocks will not ride different then the fox pro shocks. Both are tuned digressive with bypass zones. If your bilstein pro are not leaking they should still be ok, even with 90k miles on them. Take your truck out on the trails and see how they perform, there are better ways to spend $3k to improve performance then spend it on OEM Fox pro shocks.
     
    BTBAKER likes this.
  10. Mar 6, 2020 at 12:01 PM
    #10
    Bad Cow

    Bad Cow GOD Bless The USA

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    di·gres·sive
    /dīˈɡresiv/
    adjective
    adjective: digressive
    1. characterized by digression; tending to depart from the subject.

     
    Green Thunder likes this.

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