So I'm going on my first long road trip in my 88 runner and the sagging rear and old shocks need an upgrade.
I am pretty sure I will be going with 2" OME rear leafs and I was thinking of bilstein HD shocks all around, I carry between 300-500lbs of gear with me when I travel, anyone have anything good or bad to say about the bilsteins?

 

I love them on my 95. The ride is a little more jarring than compared to OE shocks, but that doesn't bother me at all.

 

I don't have anything bad to say about the bilsteins because I have never owned or been in a vehicle with those shocks.

I can tell you that when I did my OME suspension kit, the shocks were matched to the new springs so well that it was unbelievable. Only difference is I have rear coil springs. I put OME 901 heavy duty coils in the back and light duty OME shocks back there. Then I did BJ spacers and heavy duty shocks up front. My ride improved 100X better! It's fine on the highway and great in town. Even better offroad! I'll be putting OME t-bars and steering stabilizer up there next month.

I did a LOT of research before upgrading my suspension - and Bilstein seems to be an excellent option. I am strange when it comes to certain things. I don't know if it's true or not but I usually go with the idea of "if I have OME suspension - the OME shocks will be engineered to work perfectly with their springs." I'm sure the bills will work just fine, but OME is awesome!

 

I just installed a set of Bilsteins on a 1988 4Runner. The on-road ride is great. There is plenty of cushioning. With about 300 lbs it seems to ride just as nice. These replaced a set of Rancho 9000's, which were either too soft, or too hard. I find the handling to be good as well. I have yet to take them off-road, but others here have been very happy with their Bilsteins.

 

I'm pretty sure this is true. OME springs are stiff and the shocks are very soft. Bilstein has stiff shocks. The combination of OME springs and Bilstein shocks would be bone jarring I think. OME springs and Pro Comp was unbearable. I now have OME shocks to complement My rear coils. Works great.

 

Do a search on here, and you will find enough information to read for days.

I have heard Bilsteins are a little rougher than the Old Man Emu shocks. Still excellent, and if you are going to carry a load, get the Bilstein HD's (Heavy Duty). I would recommend eshocks.com, they have excellent prices on them.

 

One thing of note. Shocks don't support the load, the springs do. The shocks dampen the rebound of the suspension. You'll want to select a medium duty spring if you plan on running light most of the time.

My suggestion is to price out the Old Man Emu stuff. I put the shock and spring setup in the back of the 4Runner. Brought ride height up to where it looks proper (don't forget to re-aim your headlights), plus with 4 people on board and all our gear, the height stays within reason. Ride on the medium duty springs is quite tolerable when it's empty.

My 3 cents.

 

One thing I've noticed about my Bils....the faster you go the smoother they are....... can take washboard roads at 30 mph and it feels like glass!

 

The Bilsteins do an extremely good job of helping the truck control the load. They will make handling safer when you are loaded up as they reduce the influence the load has on your handling.

I am speaking from experience as I've had them on my truck for the past 40,000-ish miles or so.