Experiences Wanted - Bilstein vs James Duff

[Kenobi77]

Long story short, I put Monroe Gas-Matics all around on my Ranger two years ago when I got it running and I absolutely HATE them. If there's nothing wrong with the road, they're fine; but if there's even a tiny pothole, prepare for a jolt up the spine and, in the case of a particularly nasty expansion joint around here, flail around like a dying fish. I swear I can hear the truck grunt in pain when this happens.

I've narrowed down the replacement options to either Bilstein 4600s or James Duff 70/30s but am having trouble deciding which ones to purchase. The truck is my daily, and I don't "off-road." When I do leave pavement, it entails state campgrounds, an old fire/mountain road, or gravel. And besides being a daily, the truck will be used for dump runs and towing. What I'm looking for above all else is as smooth and controlled of a ride I can get out of a 40 year old truck with stock height and single shocks. Duals aren't an option.

I'm leaning towards the 4600s as I've heard the Duffs can be a bit harsh, but I want to get a wider sample of how they actually work out for people and if either one would suit my needs. Or recommend a better fit if there is one.

 

[JoshT]

I don't know anything about the Duffs. I've had 4600s on the front of my Ranger for years and have liked them, but that's about all I can say about it. Can't compare the front to Monroe or others because it's been too long since I've had them.

Rear will be getting them soon I think.

 

[rubydist]

The Bilsteins are far better than the Ranchos that I have on the 09 now. The Ranchos are apparently true off-road shocks because they are way too soft for the highway.

 

[maddyn]

the Duffs were ok when I had my 92, it had the dual shocks on the front which I think was a little overkill and a little stiffer than it needed to be. but they seemed to track well on the washboard when they were new

 

[Shran]

I have Bilsteins on my Explorer and my stepside truck. Love them, worth every penny. They still ride like trucks but they are by far the best shocks I've ever used.

My buddy had a Duff lift on his Ranger - dual shock setup in the front. The ride quality in that thing was amazing. Compared to the Skyjacker shocks that came with my lift kit - night and day difference. I don't know if they were just really good shocks, or if the dual shocks helped that much, or if the springs made a big difference too, or all of the above but I was impressed.

 

[gaz]

@Kenobi77
Duff 100%!!

Nothing against Bilsteins, they make a great component but the won't control body roll.

Using a pair of their 70/30 shocks on both front corners as a minimum will blow your mind; on all 4 corners, provides further improved suspension control.

The quality is great but that is not why the end result is better. It is the way the valving affects the chassis while turning or on angled surfaces.

With 50/50 shocks the offer just as much resistance to retract as the do to extend but with the Duff's special valving and using duals the shocks synergy transforms from a single shock feel to dual shock power but only when and where it should.

The outside shock, during a turn is forced to retract, which results in body lean outwards against the turn; with dual Duff''s, the outside has the effect of 3 shocks (70%x2 = 140% retract valving) controlling the retract...so they retract slower and with more control.

The inside pair are being forced to extend, also contributing to body roll, but the pair use 30% each against extending which is a little more than a single 50/50 (30% ×2 =60% extend valving). The results of this is a smooth controlled extension and float. This lets the inside stay put, not choppy.

I've tried many times to describe it but going for a ride in one shows the whole story. I originally chose them because the were in Squim Wa and I like to support local businesses, when possible. I only the Ranger at the time...not did they blow me away!!

Later, setting up the BII as the family grocery getting/camping vehicle I knew exactly what I needed to do to improve it's family carting safety:
• D35/8.8" axles from an Explorer gave a slightly wider stance
• wider rubber further improved the stance
• dual James Duff 70/30s on all four corners...the cherry and the whipped cream

It's like having an auto-adjusting smart suspension without the computer all the extra components required by it.

Three pairs Installed on Ranger in 94, four pairs installed on BII in 98...still going strong!!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I used to have Skyjacker shocks on mine, they didn't have a ton of miles but when I did the axle swap both fronts were completely trash. I checked the rears too and they were also toast. Maybe 10 years old but I doubt they had 10k miles on them. Truck rides immensity better with Bilistiens.

The Skyjackers kinda scarred me, I know Skyjacker didn't make those (or they would have put the stickers on themselves) same goes for Duff and probably Rancho too. Are they the same shocks? So I veered yellow (and silver for the rear) this time around. Happy enough I don't plan on shopping around much next time unless something happens with Billistein.

Truck is a std cab longbed, fiberglass topper, V8, D35, Explorer 8.8 etc and it goes down the road like a dream.

 

[gw33gp]

I don't know much about James Duff shocks, but I know it is very difficult to find better shocks than Bilstein shocks without getting into very expensive shocks like Fox which require being rebuilt about every 50K miles. I have used Bilstein shocks on every vehicle that I own since the early 70s unless they did not have a shock for one of my vehicles. KYB Gas-A-Just is my second choice.