Give Shocks the Boot?

[Gdeyarmond]

I have Bilstein 5160/6112s on my Tacoma, they came with no boots. Their shafts are exposed for everyone to see. The Kings on my old Ranger were without boots too. My wife's Jeep came with the stock Rubicon shocks and we found out quickly, that the only thing worse than the OEM TRD Offroad "Bilsteins" are the OEM Jeep Rubicon "Shocks"....

I ordered Bilstein 5100s for all 4 corners, but they come with some disco truck-looking black boots. Bilstein is dragging to answer me, so, for those of you who have run either 5100's or 4600's, did you run them without boots? If you did run them without boots, did you notice any pitting or corrosion that seemed premature?

I won't even ask on the JL Wrangler forums, because someone from South Florida is undoubtedly going to show me a picture of their body color-matched boots on their dual shock setup.

 

[Gdeyarmond]

Maybe someone from Bilstein is on here, but I just got a response, in case anyone who buys lower-end Bilsteins is wondering

"If one of our shocks comes with a boot, you should leave it on. Shocks that come w/out boots have a different seal pack that includes a wiper seal to keep debris out of the seals."

 

[Motiracer38]

I should kick my teenage self for always pulling them off to look more race and wondering why they didn't last long.

 

[smokeysevin]

I always pulled them because they always got holes in them and would pack up with mud and salt water but that was also 18 years ago so I was a bigger idiot than I am now (allegedly)

Sean

 

[Gdeyarmond]

Bilstein ended up emailing me too, I tried to contact via email and via Instagram (they answered on Instagram last week)...here is what they said about my 5160's showing off their shafts via email, which is a longer and more detailed version of what they said via Instagram....

"The B8 5160 series shocks do not have a boot as this is the way they are designed and tested. They are designed with a hardened chrome shaft that uses a 3-lip wiper seal. The shocks are designed to handle dirt, mud, and other off-road debris without the need for additional protection that boots provide. In fact, adding a boot can trap moisture which then can lead to corrosion on the shaft of this series shock.



I hope this clears up any questions you may have, and if you need any further assistance, please feel free to reach back out. Thank you."