I really can't decide to keep on the boots or take it off. What do u all think and why?

i dont use them. they are a bitch to put on, and either way water WILL get in eventually and this way it wont stay inside the boot.

Originally posted by BoatsRcool
i dont use them. they are a bitch to put on, and either way water WILL get in eventually and this way it wont stay inside the boot.

A local 4x4 shop said that if you don't have the boot dirt can get inside the shock as the piston moves up and down.

I dont use them on my trucks! I had them on my 92 for about a year, when I finally cut them off they were full of water! This is why I cant see using them! All that water had been in there just destroying alot faster than the dirt will. Take them off! It actually looks better to.

everybodyat the local 4x4 shop here DOES NOT use boots. and take a look in a 4x4 mag, you will see on most of the trucks in there not one runs boots

Originally posted by SCEXPLORER


A local 4x4 shop said that if you don't have the boot dirt can get inside the shock as the piston moves up and down.

I call bullshit. I have run them and they just hold dirt. Dirt can get in the boot therefore it can get in the shock, yeah right! No way!

So far they are getting cut off. Where are all the boot users at? Lets hear your stuff.

I have boots on my shocks. I think it best to preserve the piston rod. It's not so much the dirt, that is mostly cleared by the first wiper seal, but the potential for rocks, gravel, etc. to fly up and scar the piston rod.
The trick is to make sure you seal the boots well and locate a small drain hole at the bottom of the boot.

Originally posted by wabbit
I have boots on my shocks. I think it best to preserve the piston rod. It's not so much the dirt, that is mostly cleared by the first wiper seal, but the potential for rocks, gravel, etc. to fly up and scar the piston rod.
The trick is to make sure you seal the boots well and locate a small drain hole at the bottom of the boot.

Hmm thats true. Anyone got a rebuttal for that? I just went out and looked at the boot and saw two holes in the boot which look like it drains out the water.

hate to tell you but if you got rocks coming to hit the piston hard enough to break it, its gonna break wheather or not the boot is on

likei said look in those magazines at all the awesome rock crawlers and see if they run boots they dont.

The boots will collect dirt. Meaning fine dust that collets enough in there to turn to dirt. At least mine did. So your piston is not rubbing up against the dust all the time. Mine did have holes in them too. I think either way you have a risk. You risk leaving them on letting water, dust, dirt gather in there and sit. Or you take em off and risk a rock flying up at the right moment and smacking into one hard enough to nick it.

Originally posted by BoatsRcool
hate to tell you but if you got rocks coming to hit the piston hard enough to break it, its gonna break wheather or not the boot is on

I don't think he was meaning rocks to break the piston rod. Like wabbit, I would worry about small rocks getting flung around and striking the piston rod and dinging, scarring, or chipping it's chrome finish. If the scarred part of the rod rides through the seals in the top of the shock enough, those seals won't last long.

I installed a set of Skyjacker Nitro shocks on my best friend's Ranger when we lifted it and I did notice that there were some holes in the bottom of the boots to allow for water to escape.

I say run the boots. Personally, I think they look good on the shocks and the manufacturer supplied them for piston rod protection.

Man, you guys are providing really good arguments. It's getting tough now and its even close on the polls. Keep them votes coming.

I don't use them on my RS5000s due to a friend with a 95 Wrangler removing his to find that the trapped water and dirt caused premature wear on the rod (yes, his had drainage holes, but they can become clogged just as any drain can). They *look* good, but at least on my Explorer, would be impossible to see due to its stock stance.

An amazing outcome. The amount of people that use boots have surpassed the people that do not.

Originally posted by AdamCKach
I don't use them on my RS5000s due to a friend with a 95 Wrangler removing his to find that the trapped water and dirt caused premature wear on the rod (yes, his had drainage holes, but they can become clogged just as any drain can). They *look* good, but at least on my Explorer, would be impossible to see due to its stock stance.

Thats what happened on mine! :) Dirt and other crap was caught up in there. I still have the ones in the rear on however. BTW the shock boots are not required. The shop that sold me my supercrap shocks told me not to run them. They are for looks only. He also said they hold water and other debries in them. The shock boots had to be bought seperate too. In fact a large amount of shocks have to boots seperate.

mine are coming off this weekend.

Originally posted by mattadams
mine are coming off this weekend.

I think with this you would have to weigh the likeliness(sp?) . Is it more likely to get water and crap trapped in the boot or a rock fly and dent the piston? What do u think? I say it's more likely to get water and crap stuck.

here's my observation:

serious offroaders usually dont use the boots.
show trucks are more likely to have the boots on.

Well I just removed the rear ones. Man what a mess! Even with two drain holes they had at least 1/4-1/2" of silty dirt type stuff. Now you tell me why?! :)

I think lenjen said it. Rockcrawlers don't run em, show-en-shines do. Hmmm....

I use my shock boots on my RS 5000's, but i did not wire tie them to the shock. They really just 'sit' on the shock and whenever I'm looking around under my truck I'll usually pull it up and tap it to get any dust out. I like the looks of them, which is why I put them on in the first place.

Dirt's not so much the problem, dings and nicks on the piston rod is what will kill your shocks in a hurry.
I'd say if you pulled your shock boots and they were loaded with dirt or water, they must not have been sealed very well when they were installed. A tiny bit of dirt may enter through the drain hole, but that should be of no concern. The first wiper seal will take care of it.
It's the dents and dings on the piston rod that will waste your shocks. Even tiny ones. Small gravel and pebbles can damage the rod surface.
I suppose the super mod rock crawlers that are trailered to the trails wouldn't be subjected to the spray of rocks thrown up under the rig at 40 mph on a gravel road. That's where shock boots do their job, not creeping over an obstacle.
So maybe if I WANNABE like the super mod rock crawlers and go bootless, pretending like I don't tear a** down a gravel road from time to time, that's cool. It is optional...

Originally posted by wabbit
Dirt's not so much the problem, dings and nicks on the piston rod is what will kill your shocks in a hurry.
I'd say if you pulled your shock boots and they were loaded with dirt or water, they must not have been sealed very well when they were installed. A tiny bit of dirt may enter through the drain hole, but that should be of no concern. The first wiper seal will take care of it.
It's the dents and dings on the piston rod that will waste your shocks. Even tiny ones. Small gravel and pebbles can damage the rod surface.
I suppose the super mod rock crawlers that are trailered to the trails wouldn't be subjected to the spray of rocks thrown up under the rig at 40 mph on a gravel road. That's where shock boots do their job, not creeping over an obstacle.
So maybe if I WANNABE like the super mod rock crawlers and go bootless, pretending like I don't tear a** down a gravel road from time to time, that's cool. It is optional...


My rancho's were sealed from the factory. :D So I don't know where to place that blame. :) Heck they were sealed really well too but all that crap still got in there. You have a good point but I am just going to run without the boots. :) I will see what happens. :)

FYI, when I removed my shock boots, they were also full of crap and mud. They had also been factory sealed and were still held on by the red rancho zip ties even :). I kind of like the ability to get rid of the crap when I need to, so I'm going to keep running the fronts without boots. The rears I've left on, but may remove them as some point too.

I don't run them. I have seen water and silt collect in them and rust the heck out of the shock bodies.

But my instinct says if the manufacturer recommended them to be installed, they probably should be. If the manufacturer thought it was an option (which they could charge more for the boots separately), don't you think they would take the opportunity to sell them to you like that? Besides, how often are you buried in mud or water? If its a lot, I might be inclined to say take them off. It all seems to be contingent of your personal habits/uses. If you are worried about damage or length of life, don't go fourwheelin ;) Just my opinion :p

I would say it has more to do with the climate you live it rather than whether or not you go wheelin' offroad. If you live in an area where it rains a lot they will collect water, if you live in an area that uses salt on the roads they will collect corrosive salt water.

Stock shocks don't use boots and they last upwards of 30,000 miles.

We use them on our rs9000's.. We drive on a dirt road every day.. (I think it is 6-8 miles each day).. at speeds from 30mph to 65mph (depending where on the dirt road I am.. and if there is any other traffic and all kinds of other factors..

I'm more worried about rocks/pebbles hitting the shock tubes than anything else.. I'm under the truck enough to notice if anything is trapped in there.. and on top of that I have enough rear flex to keep pulling the bottom of the boot off the shock.. nothing is ever in there.. As for the front. I check the tire pressure every weekend and I pick up the bottom of the boot to make sure nothing is in there.. so far I haven't noticed anything coming out..

~Mark

Think of the possiblity of a small rock or stone hitting a rod 1/2 inch thick under your truck which is usually shielded by the frame or suspension hard enough to dent it. It is very small. Now think of the possibility of dirt collecting in the boot and rusting the crap out of the rod and body. The boot will trap moisture which we all know is BAD for metal.

I don't use the boots because it's just bad for the shock.

For us, the possiblility of rocks hitting the shock tube is actually pretty high.. this dirt road isn't smooth dirt.. it is actually rocks and hard packed dirt.. and it isn't a straig line.. I find dirt/rocks stick in the "grooves" of the shock boot which tells me I must be getting a lot of dirt/rocks up there.. I even get rocks to hit the winshield (kicked up from my own tires).. it is amazing how rocks move..

I do agree that is really depends what you drive on and where you drive.. If we lived in the east where we had rain more than a few times a year I would most likely not use them as there would be a higher chance of getting stuff in it..

~Mark

If you have Edelbrocks as I do, you should use the boots. SInce the edelbrocks are mounted upside down compared to the other manufactures, water and dirt do not get in there. the piston rod comes out the bottom and has drainage holes on the metal plate the boots connects to. i have had mine in use for 1.5 years and they are still fine with no dirt or water in the boots

ill have to vote no on shock boot . im pretty much an onroad trk air shocks in the rear an fronts are stocks with a metal coverany how
so many things to consider to make a choice but just replace them every two yrs depending milage ect. ect. shocks are like spark plugs just change them
an one other thought for you ive run heavy eqwip for yrs an how many boots have i seen on the hydro pistons ?? zero an dont you thk that big dozer or loader piston see's alot of dirt an dust !!
all shocks or hydro pistons have a seal to wipe away the dirt on each cycle . stocker or high end rebuildable type :)

You sir, have a very big point. (That sounded perverted.. Hm.. Maybe I'm just perverted...) Anyways.. yeah, you have a point with the construction vehicles.

I have been thinking about ditching mine as well since they haven't stay in place since I put my new pro-comps on anyways. And now they getting all torned up from flopping around in there.

It seems to my that my Bilstein shocks 5100s, have a plastic guard around them that does not seal on the bottom but cover the rod for protection from flying objects.

much like the metal shield that comes on monroe's

I use 'em because they look pretty. See reg. :D