Replacement shock absorbers on a 4-corner air-suspension Ram.

[CHeYeNNe71]

I'm interested in this
I have 2019 1500 that I need to.rewplace the shock. Now, what is the difference between the shock for air suspension and coil over.. only thing I can see is the mount for the spring.?

Shock is same, strut is different

 

[Werdna87]

This may be a little off topic. I just got a 21 big horn and was thinking of swapping for the rebel suspension that I found on marketplace. Anyone have any experience with it? Worth it? This is my first full size truck so I’m a newby. Ive got the Ecodiesel and will eventually want to tow and pumper pull TT. Besides that its just gonna be used as a regular truck. Have been looking at the aftermarket airbags as well so not sure if its even worth the swap. I appreciate any useful input.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Bilstein B6 4600 shock for coil spring, Part Number 24-329132 = Widely available from several retailers for $113 each.

Bilstein B6 4600 shock for air bag, Part Number 68323489AD = Only available from the dealerships for $360 - $500 EACH!

I'm at 122k miles and experiencing a shimmy that I believe is wheel hop due to worn out shocks. I've got 4600's ordered for the rear but all the Mopar suppliers are showing the fronts as backordered. I'm tempted to order a pair of the 24-329132's just to find out if I can make them work.

But, I've done a ton of searching and can't find where anyone has made anything other than OEM work.

 

[E.Hands]

I'm at 122k miles and experiencing a shimmy that I believe is wheel hop due to worn out shocks. I've got 4600's ordered for the rear but all the Mopar suppliers are showing the fronts as backordered. I'm tempted to order a pair of the 24-329132's just to find out if I can make them work.

But, I've done a ton of searching and can't find where anyone has made anything other than OEM work.

I would be interested to see if you can make the 24-329132's work. The main difference I could see is the position of the ring groove on the shock body. On the 24-329132 it appears to be approximately one third the total shock body's length up from the bottom mount. Where as on the 68323489AD it more like one quarter?

 

[OCD Solutions]

Yeah, that could be a problem.

 

[OCD Solutions]

National backorder on the front shocks, no estimated shipping date and they aren't even taking orders to get in line for when they are available.
MoparPartsOnline is the only site I've found that would let you actually place an order and they are $369.34/each.

As for that groove, I'd love to have one in my hands to see if it's just machined in and if the structure allows for it to be added in the correct location. It would take me minutes to chuck it up in the lathe and cut that groove in.

 

[ThatAirRideThough]

I completed the swap, new Rebel/Bilstein dampers installed INSIDE the original factory airbags. It went much better than I pessimistically feared. View attachment 180391View attachment 180390
It appears that the Rebel shock extends another half inch in rebound.

Airbag disassembly requires patients and finesse. But it can be done without any beating and banging.
View attachment 180392View attachment 180393View attachment 180394
Many more insights to share if anyone is interested.

Yes please, all the insights would be greatly appreciated!

 

[E.Hands]

National backorder on the front shocks, no estimated shipping date and they aren't even taking orders to get in line for when they are available.
MoparPartsOnline is the only site I've found that would let you actually place an order and they are $369.34/each.

As for that groove, I'd love to have one in my hands to see if it's just machined in and if the structure allows for it to be added in the correct location. It would take me minutes to chuck it up in the lathe and cut that groove in.

Which part# rear shock are you looking for? The ones that I used seem to be readily available. At Summit Racing and else where.

 

[E.Hands]

Yes please, all the insights would be greatly appreciated!

Just give me a specific question and I'll see how much I can remember

As for that groove, I'd love to have one in my hands to see if it's just machined in and if the structure allows for it to be added in the correct location. It would take me minutes to chuck it up in the lathe and cut that groove in.

That's all the groove is. Just machined in. I don't have a lathe but I was considering finding a sleeve (pipe?) that would slide over the shock body and rest on the lower mount... and just cut it to the proper length.

 

[OCD Solutions]

The rears are readily available from multiple sources and I got them installed last night. I went with the same Bilstein 24-228848's that you did.
I would have had them installed last weekend but one showed up without the hardware and I had to order a replacement.

The ride to work was much better this morning so now I want to get the fronts done even more. I still can't believe there aren't more options available for these trucks.

I spoke to my local dealer last week about ordering a set of the front shocks and their system only shows the entire strut/airbag as an assembly, not the individual replacement strut like all the online sites do. I'm having a hard time swallowing the $375/each price tag so there's no way I'm spending $1050 per side for the whole assembly, especially when I only need the strut. Ridiculous that these aren't priced in the $100-$150 range like all the other shocks.

 

[E.Hands]

It would be awesome to see someone fit a pair of these:

 

[OCD Solutions]

It seems straight forward but I just don't know if it's worth the risk to modify something that seems so precarious in the first place. What happens if that clip shears off?

Most sites are allowing me to order the OEM shocks today but once I get to the payment portion, they still say backordered. Estimated shipping date is Aug 21-23.
Best price I can find today is $359.95 each plus $39.26 for shipping. $759.16 for two shocks is just outrageous to me but if I get another 120,000 + miles out of them....

 

[CHeYeNNe71]

It seems straight forward but I just don't know if it's worth the risk to modify something that seems so precarious in the first place. What happens if that clip shears off?

Most sites are allowing me to order the OEM shocks today but once I get to the payment portion, they still say backordered. Estimated shipping date is Aug 21-23.
Best price I can find today is $359.95 each plus $39.26 for shipping. $759.16 for two shocks is just outrageous to me but if I get another 120,000 + miles out of them....

Clip is the only thing Bilstein 5100's use and the bottom cup goes over it.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Factory installed though, I'm speculating on it's reliability if modified to work...on my daily driver, that sees 25-40K miles a year at almost 90% highway speeds...

Just saying, maybe not the ideal test platform...

 

[E.Hands]

Common sense makes me think that the design doesn't look robust at all. But engineers designed it to be abused by the public using modified 4x4 set ups with much higher loads than I will ever put on them.
I tend to think that the air bag doesn't rely solely on the ring groove. Actually I think it supports itself on the top of the shocks upper body.
I wish I had examined it more closely while disassembled.
At $114 I may purchase one just for experimentation purposes...

 

[OCD Solutions]

I'll do some playing once I have mine changed out and one of the OEM shocks in my hands for comparison. The two biggest concerns I have is if the body of the shock is the same thickness the full length, or at least in the area where we would machine in the second groove and if the ring is spring loaded or press fit and if removal deforms it and risks it popping out.

EDIT: I ordered one of the Bilstein 24-329132's so I'll have it here at the same time as the OEM replacements for a direct comparison.

 

[E.Hands]

I'll do some playing once I have mine changed out and one of the OEM shocks in my hands for comparison. The two biggest concerns I have is if the body of the shock is the same thickness the full length, or at least in the area where we would machine in the second groove and if the ring is spring loaded or press fit and if removal deforms it and risks it popping out.

As you will see upon removal, it's a very rudimentary design: shallow groove and a simple snap ring. I easily removed the ring with snap ring pliers.
And I highly doubt that the shocks body changes wall thickness throughout the length of the shocks body as a change in the inner diameter would add unnecessary complexity and cost to the manufacturing process. As well as greatly complicate the function of the hydraulics.

 

[OCD Solutions]

So, basically a $300 upcharge to machine the groove in a different spot.

 

[E.Hands]

That Sir, is the deal that they have worked out.

 

[GSD222]

I completed the swap, new Rebel/Bilstein dampers installed INSIDE the original factory airbags. It went much better than I pessimistically feared. View attachment 180391

Many more insights to share if anyone is interested.

Thanks for posting all this. Do you have the part number from the original front Mopar shock you pulled out of the airbag? I'm contemplating going with the Bilstein vs the factory Mopar shocks and trying to identify the part number I would need for the front on the Mopars is a bit of a pain.

Any update on how the ride is compared to stock with the Bilsteins?