2018 Limited Shock Replacement

Hello,
Newbie and I need to replace my shocks due to X-REAS leaking and my mechanic is recommending the Bilstein 5100s and removal of the X-REAS. I was planning ordering from Shock Surplus however when selecting my vehicle they have option of 4WD or AWD. The limited is full time 4WD and trying to determine if this is considered AWD which they don't have a product for. If selecting 4WD the part numbers are.
33-313146
24-328258
Any input is appreciated.

 

welcome

 

I believe the awd and 4wd are the same geometry with respect to shocks. Btw, what region are you in?

 

I am in Arizona.

 

1) Me personally prefer the installer to supply both parts and labor. So if anything goes wrong they will do the warranty part.

2) I had Bilstien5100 on my Limited and I wasn't a big fan of it. (But not too bad as OME Nitro shocks). Then I changed to Ironman Foam Cell Pro stage 1 kit with 1.5in rear springs(vs 2in comes default). I'm happy for the sale price.

 

Technically nobody is going to make replacement shocks for the Limited because it comes with the X-REAS shock system. If you go directly to Bilsteins site, they dont list anything. However, if you just search for replacing the X-REAS on various forums, they all say the same thing. The actual suspension design of the truck is exactly the same as a non Limited and you can install the Bilstein part numbers designated for the 4WD models.
Hope that makes sense. I just got my 2019 Limited and have been researching this myself.

 

I keep hearing the 5100 or stiff. I would not go that route for the xreas replacement. However, I'm still really surprised that I have not found the best most comfortable replacement that resembles the x-reas in my search as well. I hear the Dobbinson stage 1s with the oem springs are okay. I even saw a YouTube video of a limited that replaced his shocks with the iron Man pro and he said they were not as comfortable as the xreas..

 

I have tried a few different things and rode in a bunch of other things and i dont personally think anything feels as good as the stock Xreas.
If you want nice soft cushy comfy feel you should run the Xreas as long as you can and enjoy it while you can.
Once its blown, you gotta replace it and replacing it with the OEM stuff is typically 10x what it costs to replace it with normal stuff. Its usually easy to find a set of take-off Bilsteins off someone running a Offroad or other models. You can bolt the shocks up from an SR5, a base model, a PRO, anything from any of the other 4R will physically fit it but you gotta replace all 4 shocks due to the OEM system on the Limited being all connected together. If you decide to replace it, you gotta replace all 4. There are tons of options, if you want soft just get some OEM replacement shocks for an SR5.

 

I've had 5100s my Jeep Wrangler and they were far too firm. I recently replaced the OE shocks on my 2020 ORP with Bilstein 4600s and they ride well. I can't really compare my ride to how XREAS feels but the 4600s are just slightly firmer than my OE shocks.

Below is a video or XREAS delete.

https://youtu.be/ZZDCxH0s_bc?si=sr2cKg7kCJhx1Zck

 

Being that the OEM shocks are. Twin tube. Do you think something like the dobbinson twin tube with OEM springs would be a better option than the sr5s OEM shocks (Tokico).....

 

I think it’s tricky to mimic the XREAS ride with standard shocks. The physical components of the shocks are less important than the tuning (valving) So mono vs twin vs reservoir, one or the other might be easier to tune for a certain outcome, but again, it would be tricky to get the dynamics of XREAS in any design.

 

Or, just get some OEM takeoffs from one of your fellow forum members. Mine have been great on and off road.