Shock Boots- Like a wrinkled sock....??

I just installed Billy 5100's in the rear, pretty simple. They did come with the boots already "installed" with the tie rap. Trouble is, in the neutral position it looks like a wrinkled sock. I'm inclined to cut the tie rap and either leave it hang loose or just reposition it. In the past with similar shocks, I've cut it a bit shorter and it hung loose. My thinking was that water and crud won't collect just above the tie rap and below the drain holes.... Any thoughts on this?

 

I run mine without the boot entirely. Cut it off a few months after installing them because of the "wrinkled sock" look you mentioned. I've heard some people say leaving it on traps dirt/debris back there whereas without them nothing gets trapped and you can clean it off after wheeling. Its worked fine for over a year for me.

 

happened on my new dirt bike back in 91 after going through lots of thickets, I just ignored it and been fine since

 

The boots do nothing. It looks better with them off too.

 

My sense of it is if they are removed, road debris could "sandblast" the shaft and create minute defects in it's finish. As the rod cycles through the seal(s), it could lead to premature failure of the seals.

On the other hand, if water and debris breach the boot and can't evacuate, this could lead to developing rust and thus compromise the seal(s).

I think I'm going to cut the tie rap and see if I can get the boot to hang like a skirt. It might require some trimming and additional drain holes. A leather punch makes dandy drain holes.....

 

Wrinkled sock?

Are you implying you iron your socks? If so, do you starch them? If you use starch, what brand and how much?

PS I don't care what shock boots look like.

 

LOL! I couldn't come up with a better visual than wrinkled socks (saggy).......

 

Unrelated to the saggy sock boots, being that a 5mm allen wrench is required to hold the shaft while the nut is torqued down, I thought it was prudent to use a vinyl cap on the end to keep crud from filling it up......

 

Good call.

When I changed out my 5100s a couple years ago, the end of the shaft where the allen wrench goes in was full of crap. While it wasn't a ginormous pain in the dick, it was enough of a pain to slow me down a bit.

 

I cut mine off. Looks funny. I think it may be to accommodate some lift, but I don’t have any lift in the rear.

 

You simply put dish soap on the bottom of the shock,just below the boot and pull it down ,easy.

 

Yep that's easy but still doesn't address water and crud not being able to completely evacuate......

 

Silcone the top of the boot

 

Shocks are a wear item. Even if the debris had enough velocity to cause an issue. your shocks will need replacing before this becomes an issue.

 

I guess we'll never know if it's really an issue that shortens the service life of the shocks. I cut mine so it just hangs loosely. Can't hurt and no more saggy, wrinkled socks....

 

Guess your whole thread was just for fun and games.

 

No, not for sh!ts and giggles. I was serious. I'll probably never have our Tacos built like many have (I do drool over them), but the few things I can do, I want them to be as spot on as possible. My mantra is "Set your goals high, then try to surpass them. If you set your goals low, you'll hit them with amazing accuracy."

 

Does your boot look like this:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bilstein-5100-rear-shock-question.473747/

 

I suppose you're right.... This after I cut the boot so it just hangs. No more saggy socks....