I tried searching and couldn't find exactly, but was wondering if someone could list pros and cons of a leveling spacer vs adjustable Bilstein shocks? Mainly want to level out the rake, provide some more clearance and possibly get some slightly bigger tires later on.

I know I can purchase the leveling spacer for about $80-100, and the Bilstein shocks are around $120 each or so. I have a credit at Rock Auto for about $60 so its not a big difference in price after all is said and done.

Mainly curious does the leveling spacer truly level an SR5 premium? Or does it just lessen the rake?

And for a 2WD Sr5 that will rarely see dirt other than campgrounds and sand washes out in Anza Borrego desert, where extra clearance is handy where the tire ruts leave a high hump in the center of the wash, will the Bilsteins be overkill and provide a harsher ride than the stock shocks?

Any other pros/cons of either of these options?

Spacers work, but will affect the ride and make changes to the steering geometry that are often not wanted. IMO get the Bilsteins and get the ride handling improvement without other problems.

I have seen many posts about the negatives of spacer only, but don't know where they are now. Maybe keep searching, then give up and get the Bilsteins.

Go with the Bilsteins set at 0.85. They are great shocks, and helped tremendously with the notorious "nose dive" when braking.

Ok good to know, thanks! I see you have these. How is the ride quality compared to stock on streets/speed bumps? The wife drives it mostly and don't want to hear the complaints if the ride is harsh.

Good to know about the nosedive, I have seen that when I hit the brakes suddenly. This would be a good selling point to the wife as we do tow a travel trailer sometimes.

Just to point out, a leveling kit alone will not give you any additional ground clearance - you say a concern is the center mound on rutted roads and getting some extra clearance to surmount that (I'm paraphrasing). A leveling kit will give you a slightly better front approach angle but the rear diff will still be in exactly the same place it was without the leveling kit.

I hated everything about my setup (see signature below) & ripped it out & replaced it with a 10mm front spacer & Cooper ATP's in factory size after a few months. I really, really don't get it. Rough riding & I couldn't get a good alignment after the Bilsteins & the 10 ply tires were crazy heavy & horrible in wet. I thought they were defective it was soo bad. Most people on this forum have a different opinion than me though. Stick with the leveling kit, stock is the best unless you really go off road a lot.

I'm sure 10 ply tires didn't help the rough ride.

I would the bilsteins and set them at .85 or get dobinsons extended travel struts which have the perch that sits 13mm higher than OEM and they will also net you a little over of inch in the front thus "Leveling" the truck.

I had OEM tires when I added tth 5100s to the front, they reduced the nose dive a lot and the ride changed very little. Slightly firmer, not rough or harsh.

Later I put 5100s on the rear and could feel more overall firmness but still not harsh. After going to Toyo ATs the ride was unchanged. I also added Air Bags and use them when towing.

When off road there was a noticeable improvement in the feeling of control on rough roads.

The tires really didn't affect the ride quality too much, they're just crazy heavy. I'd feel them on acceleration, deceleration. Cruise control doesn't like the larger 275 size either.
I actually did only 1 mod at a time & drove around with it for a month or so, just in case there were any issues (Bilsteins 1st). It would be easier to isolate any problems this way. Suspension was by far the worst for ride comfort. The ride did soften up after a couple thousand miles though.
Back to stock & love it again. These vehicles are really good enough for most reasonable trails with decent tires. But it looked soooo good lifted.

Does the cruise control like any tire size?

IF you are going to do hardcore offroading, I wouldn't do a spacer lift. A lot of people on this forum will probably disagree with me, but on other platforms (tundra forums), people who abused their rigs offroad with spacer lifts, would snap the shock near the LCA. The reasoning for this, spacers changed the geometry just enough to move the stress point of the shock to the weakest part of the shock. I'm not an expert on suspension geometry and shock loads, but It makes sense to me. If you are just going to stick to service/forestry roads, you should be ok with a spacer lift. IMHO

Also, spacer lifts can firm up your ride. How much so will depend on what OEM suspension you have (regular, pro, xreas, or kdss). Xreas or KDSS equipped rigs are already firm from the factory. MY buddies limited with Xreas is borderline tolerable with a spacer lift and E load tires. Regular and TRD pro's suspension ride quality is pretty soft stock, so spacers will probably firm it just enough to where you will like it.

I don't know anything on bilsteins so I won't comment on it.

To further add to your confusion, I must clarify some of the comments made above:

- Only spacers mounted between the front coils and the strut hats will increase the preload on the springs and stiffen the ride of the front suspension. Spacers mounted between the strut tower and the strut hat (like the Cornfed and Toytech 1" front lifts) will have no effect on the apparent spring rate over stock.

- Any mod which raises the front suspension (shocks with higher perches, stiffer springs, or spacers) will cause changes to the suspension geometry. The amount of "undesirable" change is directly proportional to the amount of lift implemented. At some point you will run out of adjustment range to get the correct alignment, and this is why different Upper Control Arms (UCA's) and other changes are sometimes needed.

- The kind of shock damage mentioned is usually the result of the shock bottoming out at full compression instead of the suspension bump stops, which are supposed to stop the suspension before the shocks bottom out. Yes, this situation can result from too much top spacer on a shock that wasn't designed with the correct amount of travel; it can sometimes be mitigated by installing taller bump stops on the suspension. (Too much twist of the stock rubber lower shock bushing could also be a contributing factor for these kinds of failures).

Go with the Bilstein 5100s. You won’t regret it. There’s a reason they’re super popular here and elsewhere. Set the front to .85 and you WILL get lift for extra ground clearance in the front. It is correct that the rear stays the same. Below are some pictures of mine set to .85 compared to a stock runner. I’m running stock size tires so this is basically an apples to apples comparison.

I replaced my setup because I had a leaking rear shock and I couldn’t be happier. The ride over stock has greatly improved and my off roading experience has been awesome. I think you’ll achieve what you want for a great price. Besides, if you do the spacers you’ll always wish you had done your suspension. If you do the Bilsteins, I highly doubt you’ll look back and wish it was the other way around. You get great everyday comfort and off roading abilities that most people are just fine with...myself included.

The last pic is a side shot with my nerf bars still on. Gives you a chance to see the nearly level with a minor front take look.


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Plus you can go higher in the future with the same setup if you choose.


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