bilstein shocks

[shawn's 68]

Purchased a WH suspension kit with Bilstein shocks. Question is boots down or up? The front is specific where the boots are up, but what about the rear?

 

[TorchRedTulsan]

I would assume it's the same, boots up, but I'm not sure on this specific setup. All the regular shocks I've put in have been boots up, but maybe there are other applications I haven't run across yet. You could also just give WH a quick call for the fastest answer.

Mainly joining in because I'm going to be doing the same upgrade this spring and would like to know the difficulty level when you're done.

 

[shawn's 68]

Well, I spoke to Cory at WH who said the rear should be boot up. Also, went to various websites who say go with lettering up which would mean boot down. Mixed reviews here and a lot of head scratching.

 

[BR549]

Went boots down on rear. Just seemed correct due to the lettering and logos.

 

[shawn's 68]

Talked directly to Bilstein. My rear shocks (bil88116) according to Bilstein are boot down in the rear and boot up in the front (bil88115).

 

[TorchRedTulsan]

Can you post a picture of the shocks before/after you install them? I'm curious what the lettering, logos, etc look like

 

[broncodriver99]

boot down in the rear and boot up in the front

That's the way I run them too.

 

[tmbonnett]

I'm considering the same setup for mine. When do you anticipate having everything installed and ready for a road test?

 

[bronco loco]

I installed the rear shocks boots down. Front and rear shocks have no boots now.

 

[shawn's 68]

I'm considering the same setup for mine. When do you anticipate having everything installed and ready for a road test?

It will realistically be within the next two years.

 

[bronconut73]

Monotube shocks can be mounted in any position. Twin tube should be boots up.

 

[eaglenest66]

Mine are boots down. Seems that they will only fit one way as the eyelets on the shocks are sized accordingly to the studs vs. bolts. The ride quality is very nice!!

 

[motoman]

Source: http://www.allshocks.com/t-faq.aspx#10

More info

Do I mount the shocks with the boot pointing up or down?

With the internal design of the Bilstein monotube gas shocks, it does not matter whether the shocks are mounted with the shock rod side up or down. There are some minor advantages in longevity and overall suspension effectiveness with the shock rod pointed down, and there are many instances where Bilstein has changed the orientation to take advantage of these minor improvements where there are no clearance problems. If there is an option, we recommend mounting the shock with the shock rod and boot pointing down, but in the grand scheme of things, there is no noticeable difference.

 

[DirtDonk]

Just thought I'd add to this, that other than a shock not fitting one way, when in doubt I go by the decal. Like BR549 mentioned in his post too.
Bilistein tends to orient their decals in the direction they want, or expect you might want to mount them. So if the name reads correctly with the body up, that's a good way to mount it. Same for the rod/boot up orientation.
If for no other reason than they look better that way. ;D

I've seen them either way, with different model shocks. So that seems to be a good way to judge when you're not able to get ahold of someone before installing them.
I've told customers either way over the phone, but sometimes forget to mention the label orientation.

Paul