2019 F250 KR shocks

[kleake]

I upgraded my shocks to the Bilstein 5100's a while back and they ride good when empty, and medium load, but when pulling a tongue heavy cargo trailer and my 5th wheel I tend to get a lot of up and down bounce in the rear. I used these on my old 2008 f250 and they worked great so I anticipated similar results on this 2019 but i just feel like they aren't controlling the weight very good. I do have airbags and have tried running less pressure (as low as 5psi) and I feel like it's bottoming out then, but still a good amount of bounce. If I go up to 50-60psi I feel like it's harsh so I normally run about 30psi and it seems to be the best for normal roads but if there are dips it just bounces a lot. What is everyone else running that works well for controlling the bounce with a decent load. My 5th wheel has less than 2k pinweight and my cargo trailer likely has about 800-900lbs tongue weight. Definitely not overloaded, but my 2008 seemed to control the weight better than this one.

 

[6.7Bison]

No personal experience beyond Bilstein 5100's on my 2011 that I like way better than my stock shocks. Some guys swear by the Rancho 9000 XL shocks. They have a control knob to adjust the ride between 9 different positions. I didn't want the hassle of crawling under the truck to adjust them to achieve a perfect ride depending on what I was or wasn't towing. Then again I don't run air bags or change tire pressure for that same reason.

 

[J98]

Your '08 had shorter leaf springs then the '19. They changed to a longer leaf spring in '11. The older trucks didn't seem to bag out quite as bad.

 

[ncollins64]

Actually that’s wrong. Anything previous to 08 had the shorter springs. 2008-present have the same length leaf springs. The 08-10s had stiffer springs than the 11-16s. I hate the 11-16 though as they are too soft hence why I put all new take off 450 springs under all my trucks.

 

[kleake]

I think my 08 had more leafs than this 2019 has, which I am sure contributes,,, as well as the airbags. In short, the 2019 has a bouncy ride in the rear when towing. I don't notice when empty, or just gear in the bed. I've heard FOX is good, but definitely more costly. Like 6.7Bison, I don't have any experience beyond the Bilstein 5100's either and I don't want to spend a bunch of cash for a similar ride to what I have now.

 

[ncollins64]

Yea after 2010 all the leaf packs got soft with fewer leafs. I do use fox, and that with new take off 450 springs, I have zero squat and no bounce on all my trucks.

 

[kleake]

Good to know. I'm not really wanting to change packs, I just want a little more control and a good shock should take care of that. I would like to find someone that has ran the 5100 and something like a Fox that can give detailed differences.

 

[Goober]

Kinda wish Edelbrock still made IAS shocks, I got a set on my 08, rides amazing. Not sure if any other companies still make same style.

 

[PDT1081]

Good to know. I'm not really wanting to change packs, I just want a little more control and a good shock should take care of that. I would like to find someone that has ran the 5100 and something like a Fox that can give detailed differences.

I've ran both. Fox first, then the 5100. I had one of the Fox lock up on me, and the other 3 went rather soft fairly quickly. The 5100 were softer when installed, but have held up longer without the ride quality suffering.

 

[Sterling6.7]

Are Carli tuned Fox and Kings still around?

 

[lincolnlocker]

Yeah, these new trucks have the ez ride type springs in them. Way softer ride and more sag when loaded. I have fox 2.0s had a couple sets actually. Blew a couple out and replaced them. Way better than factory for sure. Usually when loaded, and there is a lot of bounce, your load need distributed better.

 

[kleake]

Yeah, these new trucks have the ez ride type springs in them. Way softer ride and more sag when loaded. I have fox 2.0s had a couple sets actually. Blew a couple out and replaced them. Way better than factory for sure. Usually when loaded, and there is a lot of bounce, your load need distributed better.

I'm hearing that the Fox 2.0's are actually a tad softer than the 5100's allowing for smoother off-road driving,,,, but that would allow more bounce on the highway. And yes, you would think the load needs to be distributed better but I can't change the 5th wheel. I can adjust things a little in the cargo trailer and it is better when the side by side is loaded in it, but it still bounces. It does have a good amount of tongue weight, but again, I pulled it with the old truck and it definitely didn't do this. I have a dog tag hanging from my mirror and it's almost constantly swinging and hitting the windshield. I've heard that airbags make the bounce worse, which is possible. I didn't have them on the other truck. There has to be something stiffer than the 5100's. Would a bypass shock allow fast bumps to move the suspension, but the slower bouncy movements be more controlled?

 

[lincolnlocker]

Yeah. Air bag is basically a balloon. Lol

 

[lincolnlocker]

I run Firestone work rites. The are like a timbren. Basically a over sized rubber jounce bumper or over load bump stop. Been running them for years. I wont run bags. No bounce for me.

 

[psduser1]

Yeah. Air bag is basically a balloon. Lol

Ehhh, I like bags. They work well to add weight capacity . Definitely not a replacement for good shocks, though.
Another thing to look at is the tires. Same load ranges can have way different weight capacities.
Personally, I think you should reconsider changing the spring packs to something with a higher spring rate. That may or may not raised the weight rating, depending on where you get the springs.
Maybe go back to the 08-10 springs....

 

[kleake]

I agree, the feeling is like riding on a balloon. These bags was on the truck when i got it, and I like how they work otherwise, so preferably I will keep them. Changing the springs is an option, but that seems pretty excessive when a good shock should do the trick,,,, but that may be the right solution. I know I can't be the only one that has noticed this and tried to remedy it?