Shoe press unit and method for treatment of a fibrous pulp web. The shoe press unit includes at least one press shoe, an opposing surface, a flexible press belt guided over the press shoe, and at least one force element composed of a cylinder /
piston unit supported on a carrier. The at least one force element presses the press belt against the opposing surface to form a press zone elongated in a web run direction, and the cylinder /
piston unit include a pressure chamber having at least one pair of cylinder /
piston subunits successively positioned in the web run direction. Pressure fluid lines are coupled to respective ones of the at least one pair of cylinder / piston subunits to separately supply pressure fluid to each cylinder / pressure
subunit to impart a tilting moment long a tilt axis substantially perpendicular to the web run direction. The method includes supplying a pressure fluid to a first and second pressure fluid line from a common pressure fluid source at a source pressure, supplying pressure fluid through the first pressure fluid line at a first
fluid pressure to a first
subunit of the at least one pair of cylinder piston subunits, supplying pressure fluid through the second pressure fluid at a second
fluid pressure to a second
subunit of the at least one pair of cylinder piston subunits, and maintaining a sum of the first and second fluid pressures to be substantially equal to the source pressure.