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Lower rear of 2500

After doing the install that isn’t much of a worry. They are only 1.5 inches shorter. To get the axle low enough to get the old out and new in we disconnected the bottom shock bolts and the sway bar end links. Put 6 ton jack stands raised all the way up on the frame in front of the rear tires. Then lowered the axle down with the jack. I was surprised how far the axle had to drop to get them out. I’m 6 foot tall and with the spare tire out was sitting in a baseball catchers squat under truck behind the axle.

But again like Finn I have the airbags to help compensate the drop when I tow heavy.
 
woody284 said:
After doing the install that isn’t much of a worry. They are only 1.5 inches shorter. To get the axle low enough to get the old out and new in we disconnected the bottom shock bolts and the sway bar end links. Put 6 ton jack stands raised all the way up on the frame in front of the rear tires. Then lowered the axle down with the jack. I was surprised how far the axle had to drop to get them out. I’m 6 foot tall and with the spare tire out was sitting in a baseball catchers squat under truck behind the axle.

But again like Finn I have the airbags to help compensate the drop when I tow heavy.
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One reason I was asking, I recently installed the Carli King 2.5" shocks on my Ram, I got the kit for stock rear coils. I was told if I got the rear shocks for the 3.25" (which raises the rear ~ 1") the shock would be too long and allow the coil to fall out under full droop. Not too far-fetched; I was recently rear-ended by three cars, one went under my Ram and hit the driver rear tire, which ripped the shock apart and the driver side rear coil did indeed fall out. Does anyone know the extended/compressed length of the rear Carli King 2.5 shock for the 3.25 kit?
 
I agree it might be possible for the right circumstance. I feel like normal on road driving it’s less to worry about. I do not do any off-road but I could see maybe a full droop like off-roading be an issue. When I need shocks I’ll probably adjust for the difference.
 
Finn5033 said:
I have airlift loadlifter 5000 airbags on with the drop springs so there is no way they are falling out. If I didn’t have the bags I would have replaced my shocks with appropriate ones to make up for the drop.

But honestly even if you didn’t have airbags or shorter shocks I don’t think they could fall out. If everything else was hooked up and you jacked the rear up until the tires were off the ground you’d still have to compress the drop springs to get them in.
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won't lie...that question was rattling around in my head as well...I figured there's some sort of retainer up there, or that the spring still had compression holding it in the mount.
 
Y’all have me thinking as I have been in bed for three days with pneumonia about this shock sizing. I have the bags that will act as retainers but how would I go about knowing the right size shock to replace? I’ve looked to see what the compressed and extended length of the 4600s are but their site for Bilstein doesn’t show it like it does for the 5100. Am I just looking for a shock that is 1.5 inches shorter of extension and compression??
 
woody284 said:
Y’all have me thinking as I have been in bed for three days with pneumonia about this shock sizing. I have the bags that will act as retainers but how would I go about knowing the right size shock to replace? I’ve looked to see what the compressed and extended length of the 4600s are but their site for Bilstein doesn’t show it like it does for the 5100. Am I just looking for a shock that is 1.5 inches shorter of extension and compression??
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well Woody recently my truck was on a lift for tire rotation and the rear springs did come unseated. Funny thing is I didn't notice any ride difference but when I got home I could see the rear was sitting higher than normal. I looked underneath and saw the issue. So I will be looking for shorter shocks so this doesn't happen again. My guess is the springs have broken in and compressed a little. I have my tires rotated every 3-4 months and it's never happened before.

I spoke with somebody at shock surplus. He recommended these shocks for the rear. He said they extend 1-1/2” less than the stock ones. I’ll put them on and let everybody know if it does the trick.

www.shocksurplus.com

Bilstein B8 5125 Monotube Shocks 33-230450

Bilstein B8 5125 Monotube Gas 33-230450. New parts, expert support, free shipping.
www.shocksurplus.com www.shocksurplus.com
 
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Yes please let me know. I have not had the issue either after rotation but is a concern when driving off-road to our hunting spot. It’s not crazy off-roading just a few crossing where I feel the rear drops one side and compresses the other.
 
Finn5033 said:
well Woody recently my truck was on a lift for tire rotation and the rear springs did come unseated. Funny thing is I didn't notice any ride difference but when I got home I could see the rear was sitting higher than normal. I looked underneath and saw the issue. So I will be looking for shorter shocks so this doesn't happen again. My guess is the springs have broken in and compressed a little. I have my tires rotated every 3-4 months and it's never happened before.

I spoke with somebody at shock surplus. He recommended these shocks for the rear. He said they extend 1-1/2” less than the stock ones. I’ll put them on and let everybody know if it does the trick.

www.shocksurplus.com

Bilstein B8 5125 Monotube Shocks 33-230450

Bilstein B8 5125 Monotube Gas 33-230450. New parts, expert support, free shipping.
www.shocksurplus.com www.shocksurplus.com
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I’m curious as well. I have the CSS 2” drop springs. I wish I’d gone with 1.5”, as with my typical tool load, my truck is about 1/4” lower in the rear than the front and I’d rather have a little rake than a little negative rake. The lower open tailgate height sure is nice. Although my truck is rarely on a lift, when it does happen, the springs do come out of place. They don’t totally fall out of the pocket, but at least one of them fails to reseat properly on its own. I’m at about 85k miles, so likely not too far from needing to replace shocks and figure if these are valved right and solve the droop problem, perfect. (:
 
GRam said:
I’m curious as well. I have the CSS 2” drop springs. I wish I’d gone with 1.5”, as with my typical tool load, my truck is about 1/4” lower in the rear than the front and I’d rather have a little rake than a little negative rake. The lower open tailgate height sure is nice. Although my truck is rarely on a lift, when it does happen, the springs do come out of place. They don’t totally fall out of the pocket, but at least one of them fails to reseat properly on its own. I’m at about 85k miles, so likely not too far from needing to replace shocks and figure if these are valved right and solve the droop problem, perfect. (:
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I put them in and so far so good. It actually rides a little better. Handled rough bumps smoother
 
I did the timber grove 3" reverse level and love it. Easy to install. On everyday use I run around 38 psi. If I load the truck up I just push a button and air it up to level.
I kept the factory shocks for now. I did fab up shorter sway bar links.
 
Lowered suspension requires shorter shocks. Just like raised suspension needs longer shocks. Easy peasy.
 
Ritchie_Rich said:
Lowered suspension requires shorter shocks. Just like raised suspension needs longer shocks. Easy peasy.
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Only if the springs come unseated at full droop. The shocks won't bottom out if the factory bumpstops are retained. Being I have Timber Grove air bags in place of coil springs at full droop they stay in place as they are bolted in top and bottom. But, I will get shorter shocks someday. Just trying to figure out the specs is difficult. I'll figure it out eventually.
 
I have never seen shorter shocks for the 2500. I'll need to pull a shock off and get some measurements and go from there. Anyone have a link to shock measurements?
 
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BigBob said:
I have never seen shorter shocks for the 2500. I'll need to pull a shock off and get some measurements and go from there. Anyone have a link to shock measurements?
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Look at post #47, I put the link there
 
I ended up ordering the Bilstein 4600 model 24-302111 which is the shock for the trucks with air ride rear suspension. Hopefully my inferences were correct, and the air ride trucks have a shock with a shorter extended length. It appears to me that the air ride spec shocks have the same extended length as Finn5033 linked and also have an advertised eye diameter that matches our trucks. But, I was unable to find an extended length for the 4600 shocks. I should receive them soon, but likely wont install them for a week or so.
 
Shocks have arrived and they are indeed 2” shorter when extended than the factory shocks. About 22-3/4” versus 24-3/4”.
 
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