Strange Engineering 10 way adjustable shocks!

 

i am tempted to send my bilsteins to bilstein to be revalved for my 1000#/in springs. they will do it for $65 per shock

 

scv8 i have emailed back and forth with some guys who have the hellwigs and really like them. the only thing is some people mount them to the frame in the rear and some use mounting hardware. the good thing about the hellwigs is they can be used with trucks lowered more than 3" and are stiffer. my buddy has the hotchkis sways on his and i am really just coping his suspension. some of you know him as svtky ha ha. his truck preforms really well and i have driven it before. so the fit/finish/easy install/ and my truck is only 2.5-3" lower than stock are my reasons for going with the hotchkis sways. i dont know if you can buy the hotchkis sway sep. alot of guys do the hotchkis front bar and hellwig rear bar. just seems crazy to spend twice the money if you can not buy the sways sep.

 

double post

 

I would buy Hellwig front and rear. According to my calcs, both are stiffer than their Hotchkis counterparts.

I just spoke with Hellwig today. I am getting a new rear bar and brackets to see the difference in the new fit and finish.

I will probably also eventually replace the Hotckis up front with a Hellwig. A little heavier, but also a little stiffer.

BTW, from what I've seen, Hellwigs are available individually, but Hotchkis bars are always sold as a set. The front Hotchkis is easy to resell, as drag guys like them because they are signficantly lighter than stock, but hard to get alone.

 

Thank you for all of the input. Hellwigs it is. Another day of commuting with the Bilsteins fore and aft and I couldn't be happier. These roads are horrible.

I think I just wore out your website, Tim. What an awesome resource.

 

i will be waiting to see your info on the hellwigs tim

 

Thanks, SCV8. It's all about sharing. I will be stealing some of your observations for my site.

Silverback, it will be some time before I get around the installing the new bar. I need to first replace my tranny pan (during which time I'm going to swap out all of my rubber tranny lines for stainless), so that I can install the X-Factor and do some more baseline driving with a stiffened chassis before I do any more suspension work.

I will post photos of the new kit when it arrives, though. Hellwig is embarrassed by the photos on my site now. It's pretty cool that they care.

 

yea it is cool that they care about customer thoughts. any info on how the hellwig front sway bar fits and performs? do you know how much diff. the new bar is from the old one? just curious if they gave you any info on the new setup. i think i will wait on my sway bars until i see how the new setup turns out. do you think hellwig would give up any info to the rest of us on what they are changing? thanks buddy and like scv8 said your webpage is my best friend now that i like to turn left and right ha ha.

 

man i am ordering my hotchkis / bilstein shocks fri. it is good to know i can send the fronts to bilstein to have revalved. when i start going to some more auto-x and o.t. events i may have to seen my shocks to them to be revalved for my 1200 coils.

 

OH Tim I can't wait till you get that x-factor in.......your gonna re-read the label on your vicodin bottle after you drive the truck with the x-factor on.

Guys also dont forget the Billstein shocks from Billstein....they are inbetween the factory and Hotchkis valving.

 

Talk to me. Where is some more info?

We actually have many more choices. It's just a matter of finding the right mounting arrangement and piston travel. The shock may not be spec'ed for an F150, but it will still fit. I just don't think that people want to take the time to figure it out and then spend several hundred dollars to be a lab rabbit.

 

here ya go Tim,

According to Bilstein Tech support they are FIRMER than factory and specifically for the lightning......nobody seems to buy these because of the hooplah surrounding the Hotchkis jobs, which in reality are NOT custom at all, but are in fact spec'ed for VAN duty.

However they are best suited to a drop spindle or a-arm setup as they are for stock height lightnings....extenders would be required in the back for sure as well.

2WD Pickups F150 Front (BE5-2478-H1) $64.95

2WD Pickups F150 Rear (BE5-2479-H1) $64.95

the H1 in the number is the SPORT designation.

 

Just to add a bit.

Bilstein HEAVY DUTY shocks are the standard oem equipment on our trucks.

Bilstein SPORT shocks designated by the H1 are 30% stiffer than the heavy duty which are designated H0.

 

Great tech, Ian! Thanks