Bilstein 5100s installed w factory coils, and other stuff; questions for you
Hey all, this forum has been super great. I've read through so much over the past year. Really appreciate the knowledge, so I'm going to give back what I can.
Just had the following installed to my '05 Limited 4.7 X-REAS all-factory (AFAIK) T4R with 97K mi on it (purchased Oct 2015 w/ 75K):
-X-REAS delete
-Bilstein 5100s all the way around, re-used factory coils and springs, set to .85" in front
-Wheeler's stem cushion kit for strut mount
-Wheeler's poly 1/4" top plate spacer Front Drivers side ONLY
-OME 10mm rear trim packer Drivers side ONLY
-Prothane poly sway bar bushings F/R (30mm/21mm in case any one else struggled on this for Ltds)
-Moog stabilizer bar links F/R
-F/R slotted dimpled rotors and metallic brakes from Brake Performance
-Alignment done (don't have printout but I will get it soon)
-Rear passenger axle seal leaking - FIXED
Also recently done was timing belt, water pump, and both front wheel bearings.
I also have the Wheeler's T1/T12 in my possession but did not install them because the T4R is my wife's daily and we have two kids under 2. I'm going to be putting the Continental Terrain Contacts 265/70 (currently stock at 265/65R17) very shortly as my Duelers are dry rotting and tread life is low. That will boost the car .5". I read one too many posts that the gains from Wheeler's were closer to 2", and a net 2.5" would be too much for my wife to hoist a heavy baby in the carrier in/out every day. It actually pains me that I couldn't throw those on there at the same time!
Hopefully within the next 12 months though.
So the quick background is... I read through this forum over the past year or so and my suspension was in need of replacement, especially the rear. Couldn't keep it in alignment. Vehicle bobbed drastically side-to-side over speed bumps and ramps in/out of shopping centers and my driveway. Nose-diving when braking. Every little bump could be felt, and bumps were just harshhhh bro. So I was going to lift it with the Wheeler's, then was on the fence because of baby hoisting, and then finally icing on the cake that stopped me from lifting was I came across the UCA / alignment forum, and thought to myself, jeez, if my wife is saying don't lift it yet, what's she going to say if the caster isn't high enough and it's jumpy, wandering on the highway? Dealbreaker... so until I get the UCAs (prob JBA) I'm not going to lift it any further.
So here's my feedback so far after a full week of driving:
-Car is much more level, nose is higher. Great angle IMO.
-Previously there was no sag from coils/springs wear (except DS lean, see next line): 19" hub to fender front, 21" rear; 33"/35" ground to fender
-Driver's side lean is gone in the front, but is over-compensated for in the rear. So get this: prior was about 3/8" - .5" lower in the front, and 1/4" to 3/8" lower in the rear. Now the front driver's side is 34 1/4" (hair above, not quite 3/8"), passenger side front is 34 1/8". However, the rear DS is 35 7/8" and passenger rear is only 35 1/4". Gonna have to correct that. It could be I measured in correctly, but IDK man!
-No body roll, definitely much better than X-REAS was working for me, even at high speeds
-Little side-to-side bobbing, but only when it's me plus my wife and kids. Riding solo nearly none.
-Rear feels much tighter than before, but still isn't as good as I expected
-This thing drives perfectly straight on the highway, even with my one leaky tire being low according to TPMS. I mean like 10 seconds with no hands and it went dead straight. Amazing.
-Driving feel of steering wheel tightness and cornering is truly an enormous difference. Super pleased.
There are two things that I cannot figure and I've searched around, have some suspicions. So fellow runner buddies -- what do you think about these?
1. All the little tiny gritty bumps in the road - I can still feel those big time. Like a constant stream. Was in my 2012 accord today on the same roads. All those little bumps were so muted, not even close in comparison. Could the culprit be the factory coils/springs? Old, dry rotting tires? Some other component?
2. Difference in the sort of bobbing side-to-side over those parking lot / driveway ramps (up/down) when I'm driving solo vs have like 175-200 lbs more weight in the car, all in the middle. What gives? Wife and two tiny kids. Now this has not changed in essence since before I got the work done. The vehicle always rode a little better with one person in it, but I thought that would be fixed now. It's not like a 300lb load difference.
I'm just praying the answer is tires and coils/springs, or at least someone has the answer. Then I can sleep at night
So again, what do you all think?
Also, I'll get some pics up soon.
