A little advice on a "1 inch" Lift

[RidgeRunnin]

Hey All,

Was looking for a little advice from some of the suspension scientists here. I'm looking at the following setup to give my daily driver a little more height and give my 275 tires some more room inside the wheel well. My truck is at 50k miles on stock suspension, and i'm looking to replace it before it gets too squishy. We take it off-road occasionally(20-25 times a year), but i'm not looking to build a rock crawler. Unless i'm missing a big ticket item here, i'd say i would get about one inch of lift total on the truck and barely reduce the factory rake.

Front: Bilstein 6112 set at the 1.2" clip position
Rear Shock: Bilstein 5100
Rear Spring: Eibach 1.0" Pro Lift Springs

The requirements of the lift are:
-Replace worn stock suspension
-Give enough room for 275 tire to not rub ever.

The desirements of the lift are:
-Some more off-road capability
-reduce nose dive
-better ride quality
-when the components fail after 100k miles i don't have to spend big bucks to replace it.

in summery, if i strictly look at the numbers, this combo should give me what i want. What i don't know is...
-are there any incompatibilities with the components that i don't know of?
-are the eibach springs a bad deal?
-are there any other components out, or coming out that are a similar market range with better performance?
-Has anyone else done this before?
-are UCAs a requirement for something this low of a lift?

Thanks in advanced for any pro tips!

 

[fkheath]

Both Bilstein and Eibach are quality products. I've used Eibach springs in various cars for years.

The only thing that "wears" is the shocks, so you have that covered.

275s should fit even without a lift. It is 285s that give problems.

You don't need UCAs with only a 1 or 2" lift. Just be sure to get a quality wheel alignment after you install the lift. But do check the ball joints and bushing, although at 50K they should still be good.

Might consider good skid plates; the factory skids are pretty thin. Keep in mind that any lift does not raise the rear differential, so you may want a skid for that.

 

[Rack]

I Did this 2 years ago, but went with Dobinson Shocks and springs
Ask Mike at Dobinson. he helped me decide on my set up and I still very pleased.
I also did a write up on the dobinson thread "lots of choices " page 84, on 12-9-2018
check it out

 

[hero1234]

I did this exact thing with dobinsons. I think I wound up at an 1” in the back and 3/4” in the front. Way better driving experience with there springs. Reach out to Mike. He did try to tell me I’d regret not going higher but I was mainly doing it to get rid of nose dive and get rid of body roll which it did take care of both. I still don’t have a desire to go higher. Personal preference.

 

[gjcarving]

I did this exact thing with dobinsons. I think I wound up at an 1” in the back and 3/4” in the front. Way better driving experience with there springs. Reach out to Mike. He did try to tell me I’d regret not going higher but I was mainly doing it to get rid of nose dive and get rid of body roll which it did take care of both. I still don’t have a desire to go higher. Personal preference.

Do you remember which springs you got? I’m looking at the 238 fronts and 599 rears. Would like it 1/1 to keep the same take. Wonder why you only got 3/4 in the front.

 

[2021nightshade4x4]

Both Bilstein and Eibach are quality products. I've used Eibach springs in various cars for years.

The only thing that "wears" is the shocks, so you have that covered.

275s should fit even without a lift. It is 285s that give problems.

You don't need UCAs with only a 1 or 2" lift. Just be sure to get a quality wheel alignment after you install the lift. But do check the ball joints and bushing, although at 50K they should still be good.

Might consider good skid plates; the factory skids are pretty thin. Keep in mind that any lift does not raise the rear differential, so you may want a skid for that.

275/55R20?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fkheath]

275/55R20?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He has a TRD Pro, so stay with the stock 17" wheels (265/70R17 tires). Thus 275/60R17 tires. 55 series tire, like on the Limited, are too thin for serious off road.

 

[DougR]

Do you remember which springs you got? I’m looking at the 238 fronts and 599 rears. Would like it 1/1 to keep the same take. Wonder why you only got 3/4 in the front.

After 114,000 miles, the front OEM springs on my 2011 Trail with KDSS had sagged almost an inch. I installed Dobinson 238s in the front with Bilstein 5100s set to the lowest perch (zero lift). The rear shocks are Bilstein 4600, at stock height (I rarely carry any cargo). Over the next 1000 miles, front suspension height settled from 21.00 to 20.75 ins as measured from wheel hub center to bottom edge of fender (with 1/4 tank of fuel). I'll be happy if height stays at or above 20.50 ins for the next 99,000 miles. If lift height ever reaches 20 ins, I'll adjust Bilstein 5100 perch to add 0.80 inches. I do not go off road.

 

[Rado4Runner]

I did a similar upgrade for many of the same reasons. 6112 up front, 5160 rear, no springs, no front UCA. I ended up with about a 1 inch rake, 1.25" inch lift in front, about .25" in the rear. Definitely an upgrade to the stock suspension.

 

[Harrisnc]

Hey All,

Was looking for a little advice from some of the suspension scientists here. I'm looking at the following setup to give my daily driver a little more height and give my 275 tires some more room inside the wheel well. My truck is at 50k miles on stock suspension, and i'm looking to replace it before it gets too squishy. We take it off-road occasionally(20-25 times a year), but i'm not looking to build a rock crawler. Unless i'm missing a big ticket item here, i'd say i would get about one inch of lift total on the truck and barely reduce the factory rake.

Front: Bilstein 6112 set at the 1.2" clip position
Rear Shock: Bilstein 5100
Rear Spring: Eibach 1.0" Pro Lift Springs

The requirements of the lift are:
-Replace worn stock suspension
-Give enough room for 275 tire to not rub ever.

The desirements of the lift are:
-Some more off-road capability
-reduce nose dive
-better ride quality
-when the components fail after 100k miles i don't have to spend big bucks to replace it.

in summery, if i strictly look at the numbers, this combo should give me what i want. What i don't know is...
-are there any incompatibilities with the components that i don't know of?
-are the eibach springs a bad deal?
-are there any other components out, or coming out that are a similar market range with better performance?
-Has anyone else done this before?
-are UCAs a requirement for something this low of a lift?

Thanks in advanced for any pro tips!

I would look at the Eibach adjustable rear spring. I have the 3/4” spring in the rear with 1.75 upfront. I wish my rear spring was shorter.

 

[hero1234]

Let me see if i can find my receipt. I do have slimline bumper and winch up front so probably that extra weight.

 

[hero1234]

So it looks like i used the C59-296 springs for the front i cant find what I did on the back. Lookin back at email Mike said these spring would normally give 1.5” lift but with bumper and winch he said approximately 1” but mine was just a little under that.

 

[Deuxdiesel]

I have been very happy with 5100's, ToyTec 1.6" front springs and Eibach 1" rear springs.

 

[Jivewalker]

Check out wheelers also, I believe eibach makes their springs.

Wheeler's 2010-Present Toyota 4Runner Suspension Lift Kit | Low Range Off-Road

 

[Dzldust]

I’m looking for this height as well but I pull a 3200lb camper occasionally and need a little more rear coil load carrying capacity ,don’t mind it being a little high in the rear In Between camping trips though,seems I can find pieces I think I need but not all from one supplier and I really don’t want a mismatched setup.
I wonder if I “level” the suspension, will I still need airbags to level when the camper is hooked up? Dobinson makes a 2” lift rear coil with constant load increase of 200-400 lb (c59-327) but they are back ordered ,I have been hearing it lifts 2.5” when unloaded and after break in ,listed as a 2” lift coil,really like to buy everything at one place,I already have a set of Bilstein 5100’s sitting here waiting for me to find proper coils

 

[meltdown]

I’m looking for this height as well but I pull a 3200lb camper occasionally and need a little more rear coil load carrying capacity ,don’t mind it being a little high in the rear In Between camping trips though,seems I can find pieces I think I need but not all from one supplier and I really don’t want a mismatched setup.
I wonder if I “level” the suspension, will I still need airbags to level when the camper is hooked up? Dobinson makes a 2” lift rear coil with constant load increase of 200-400 lb (c59-327) but they are back ordered ,I have been hearing it lifts 2.5” when unloaded and after break in ,listed as a 2” lift coil,really like to buy everything at one place,I already have a set of Bilstein 5100’s sitting here waiting for me to find proper coils

I recommend choosing a spring rate for your normal load and using air bags for when you tow. Airbags are pretty much invisible when not needed. A heavier spring may work great when towing, but will make your unloaded ride very stiff.

 

[Dzldust]

This looks like an option as well,totally adjustable from 0.5”-2.5”
LOAD-LEVELING SYSTEM (Rear) (For +400lbs of Added Weight)

 

[MAST4R]

Hey All,

about one inch of lift total on the truck and barely reduce the factory rake.

Front: Bilstein 6112 set at the 1.2" clip position
Rear Shock: Bilstein 5100
Rear Spring: Eibach 1.0" Pro Lift Springs

The requirements of the lift are:
-Replace worn stock suspension
-Give enough room for 275 tire to not rub ever.

The desirements of the lift are:
-Some more off-road capability
-reduce nose dive
-better ride quality
-when the components fail after 100k miles i don't have to spend big bucks to replace it.

in summery, if i strictly look at the numbers, this combo should give me what i want. What i don't know is...
-are there any incompatibilities with the components that i don't know of?
-are the eibach springs a bad deal?
-are there any other components out, or coming out that are a similar market range with better performance?
-Has anyone else done this before?
-are UCAs a requirement for something this low of a lift?

Thanks in advanced for any pro tips!

Well, I happen to be currently running a setup close to what you want:

6112 front but on 650lb springs (1.3" lift)
Eibach rear shocks on Eibach 1" rear spring.

The Eibach shocks are temporary till I finally get my Bilstein 8100s.

What I bolded in your original post is a set of unrealistic expectations.

If you want to have performance+comfort+longevity, you have to pay up for a Bilstein 8000 level suspension or a tuned Fox setup. That's about 4,000 and you won't really make it to 100k if you actually push the suspension offroad.

So you need to choose what you actually need/want the most.

Bilstein 6112 on standard springs (which are 550 or less, not 600 as vendors tell you) are fantastic in the ride quality department and should last 70-80,000 miles. However, their offroad performance and front dive is nothing to write home about (too much bounce and hits). So you can do 650lb springs, but then expect to pay for the massive offroad improvement with a reduction in road comfort from plush to fine.

There is no more cost-effective option than 6112 for the front but the issue is the rear.

The Eibach rear shock is a fine shock. It is also a 100$ shock so it is unrealistic to expect it to match the performance of the 6112 especially on 650lb springs. Its down travel is mediocre as well. On the other hand, it is a better overall fit for a 1" lift than something like the small Icon 2.0 IFP. But the Icon is better in rock crawling (more down travel at 1" lift). My Icons lasted 10,000 miles--I did use them though. On a couple of occasions I used them too much which is what had them give up.

So the rear is a real issue. You can do 5160 but it has poor reputation for ride and longevity alike. You can do 5100 or Eibach but desert driving and long washboard driving will need to be planned for/reduced in length and/or speed. Your rear seat pax will hate the ride on any 2.0 or smaller shocks on any higher speed rough off pavement section after a few miles. They will all be fine in low range.

Considering the questions you are asking, you will probably do fine to start with 6112 and a simple rear monotube shock.

Since you are in Colorado, it will pay off to trade the plush ride of the 550 springs ("600" nominal in vendor talk) for the much better rock clearance ability of the 650lb springs, CO trails are getting too much use and abuse, becoming harder by the year.

For the rear, I would definitely look to compare the downtravel between 5160, 5100, and Eibach and take the one that offers the most on a 1" lift. Eibach shock only gives you 4" with the 1" spring while Icon 2.0 gives 5+ (but less uptravel because it has a longer body).

In any case, you can forget about the 100,000 mile life on anything that is put to good offroad use though crawling in CO should be a lot more forgiving for the suspension than driving in the AZ desert

EDIT: with all of the above in mind, maybe actually Dobinsons is indeed the best option for the specific CO use. I have had Dobinsons 586lb springs and they were great. Expect a massive initial lift till the springs settle in 70-80 miles or so. Their twin tube setup should be perfectly fine for CO. Just don't expect those shocks to keep up with 6112s on 650lb springs at higher speeds/longer time.

 

[Daikon]

Where are you located?

I’m selling those eibach rear springs for 5th gen 30K miles on them (I mistakenly listed that they have 40k but when I check my maintenance log, it’s actually 30k.

Asking $100. Located in so cal.

Hey All,

Was looking for a little advice from some of the suspension scientists here. I'm looking at the following setup to give my daily driver a little more height and give my 275 tires some more room inside the wheel well. My truck is at 50k miles on stock suspension, and i'm looking to replace it before it gets too squishy. We take it off-road occasionally(20-25 times a year), but i'm not looking to build a rock crawler. Unless i'm missing a big ticket item here, i'd say i would get about one inch of lift total on the truck and barely reduce the factory rake.

Front: Bilstein 6112 set at the 1.2" clip position
Rear Shock: Bilstein 5100
Rear Spring: Eibach 1.0" Pro Lift Springs

The requirements of the lift are:
-Replace worn stock suspension
-Give enough room for 275 tire to not rub ever.

The desirements of the lift are:
-Some more off-road capability
-reduce nose dive
-better ride quality
-when the components fail after 100k miles i don't have to spend big bucks to replace it.

in summery, if i strictly look at the numbers, this combo should give me what i want. What i don't know is...
-are there any incompatibilities with the components that i don't know of?
-are the eibach springs a bad deal?
-are there any other components out, or coming out that are a similar market range with better performance?
-Has anyone else done this before?
-are UCAs a requirement for something this low of a lift?

Thanks in advanced for any pro tips!

 

[Dzldust]

I recommend choosing a spring rate for your normal load and using air bags for when you tow. Airbags are pretty much invisible when not needed. A heavier spring may work great when towing, but will make your unloaded ride very stiff.

I do love the nice ride the stock coils give .Plans at first were to do the 1.75” adjustment with the Bilstein 5100’s and factory coils up front and the 1” cornfed with rear factory coils in the rear ,adding an airbag for the towing occasions,may have to rethink this .