Bilstein - Crazy Expensive?

Spydus43 · 10-17-2012, 11:57 AM

My jaw dropped when I heard from my mechanic that Bilstein quoted him approximately $400 per shock for my 99 E350. Is that crazy or are they really that expensive for our vans?

I've got a call in to Quigley to get the part number so I can research prices on my own.

Rancho is doing a buy 3 get one free deal currently, but from what I've read on the forum Bilstein is the way to go for a smooth ride. If I can't afford Bilstein, is Rancho 9000XL shocks a better choice than stock Ford shocks?

I've got a girlfriend who gets motion sickness easily and I want to keep her happy, of course.

I'm looking for a smooth road ride an hopefully some control of body roll.

Thanks.

SheepShagger · 10-17-2012, 12:13 PM

$400 per shock, so $1600 for all 4?
Not a chance in hell. ~$120 for HD front's and ~$100 for RV rear, so $440 for all 4. Installing the fronts in a quigley is a real pain, so maybe 2 hours labor ontop for install.

dparkwy · 10-17-2012, 12:26 PM

I recently got some nice Bilstein 5160's from Chris at U Joint Offroad. I spent about $900 for all 4 delivered to my door. I think about $100 of that was for some fancy billet reservoir brackets which aren't necessary (but hey they look nice!). You certainly don't need to spend that much, even on Bilstein's. I replaced some Rancho 9000xl's and I like the Bilstein ride much better. Chris at U Joint is a great resource for 4x4 vans, which is why I got his help in spec'ing and ordering them.

Ultrasport12 · 10-17-2012, 02:18 PM

I just did a short search and I did not see any Bilsteins that were over $200 each for trucks and vans.
Some start at $60 each so $400 each is really high even if thats the installed price.
They are not that hard to install so two hours for all four should be about the time a shop would charge.
I did a set of four in my driveway in about an hour and a half.

Quigley vans tend to ride a bit hard in the front and shocks can only help so much, don't expect it to ride like a car on bumps with just new shocks. I am not sure what you have now or how many miles you have on the current shocks, but you could always do just the front shocks to save some money.

You might need to do some research about the part numbers for the Quigley as the are not going to be a standard size. Also there are a few different models of Bilsteins as well some will do more than others it depends on your needs.

http://www.performance4trucks.com/parts ... hocks.aspx

I too would strongly suggest calling Chris at U Joint Off Road, he can help you get a good price and the right shocks as well.

http://www.ujointoffroad.com/contact.html

...Jamie

Spydus43 · 10-17-2012, 02:30 PM

I got a hold of Quigley. They have some in stock and are quoting me $165 per shock. Still kind of spendy, but within sanity.

In case anyone else has a '99 E-350 converted by Quigley in 1999, I've listed the part numbers they gave me below:

Front Bilstein Shock: B464614 or 33176840
Rear Bilstein Shock: B461720 or 33017204

I'm going to give a call to Chris at U Joint ow. Thanks fellas.

witoke · 10-17-2012, 04:45 PM

Hey Spydus,

thanks for posting this info. I have a '95 Quigley that needs new shocks. I tried checking the numbers for Quigleys others had posted here and had no luck connecting them to the part numbers on the Bilstein site. Please let us know what Chris tells you too, no point in 2 of us bugging him for the same thing.

Spydus43 · 10-17-2012, 05:37 PM

Glad to be helpful. Will do.

Are Bilstein 5100s really worth an extra $400 more than OEM Ford shocks?

BTW - I got no love from Bilstein's online parts search using those numbers ...

REF · 10-17-2012, 09:41 PM

I had put Rancho shocks on when I bought the van, never liked them, replaced after 2 years with Bilstein 5100, much better. I also did the swap for Deaver rear leafs, which also made a huge improvement in ride. Yellow body RV for the rears. They were certainly not $400/ea.

VintageSMB · 10-18-2012, 08:21 AM

100 to 120 dollars each is what I would expect to pay at a typical autoparts store, but I suggest you pay a bit more and follow the earlier suggestion to buy from a supplier that is familiar with your specialized application, ie someone like Chris @ U-Joint, or the manufacturer of your suspension. Bilsteins are valved to be very application specific and that is what you are paying the higher price for, so it is worth buying from a source that can take that into account and match valving as well as physical dimensions to your specific vehicle.

Perhaps the higher quote from your mechanic included Bilstiens with Reservoirs. Reservoir on Bilsteins look nice but are usually not necessary unless you drive a lot at higher speeds on washboard roads or you have an application where the shock is very short as the reservoir can give the shock more travel as well as more oil volume to dissipate heat.

BajaSportsmobile · 10-18-2012, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spydus43

I got a hold of Quigley. They have some in stock and are quoting me $165 per shock. Still kind of spendy, but within sanity.

In case anyone else has a '99 E-350 converted by Quigley in 1999, I've listed the part numbers they gave me below:

Front Bilstein Shock: B464614 or 33176840
Rear Bilstein Shock: B461720 or 33017204

I'm going to give a call to Chris at U Joint ow. Thanks fellas.

I can get you those:

Front Bilstein Shock: B464614 or 33176840 (My cost $83.08)
Rear Bilstein Shock: B461720 or 33017204 (My cost $83.08)

I'm using FOX Shox on our builds and really like them also.