Another Bilstein 5100 question

[Erbing]

Just finished installing 5100's all around, and swapped Dobinson's 302's up front and 325's in the rear. Fronts are on first (stock) setting. Initially gained 3" in the front and 2.5" in the rear. A bit more than I initially wanted, but I'm sure it will settle a bit. Big thanks to Mike at Dobinson's for his help in picking the springs based on my current and future needs.

Love the stance, and will try and get a pic up soon.

Just the info I needed, Thanks

 

[SwayzeExpress]

My buddy just installed some 5100's and NO spacers or other lifts. He set the front to the max height setting (2.2 I think) & he has a nearly perfect level truck. He's on 275 KO2's and stock wheels and it looks amazing. I thought for sure he'd have some reverse rake with the 2.2 setting up front but he doesn't, not even with his hitch bike rack and mountain bikes sitting on them (which would pitch the nose up additionally).


Because of this, I'm sold on doing the max height setting for the 5100's up front and not doing any spacer in the rear. It looks really good on his truck and as I said... level.

You are looking at the body being level, not the frame. 2.25 up front with no help in the back will have negative take. Dont forget alignment after 2.25 you will be fighting for decent castor. 5100s are perfect at 1.75 / 1" CF for level frame. 2.25 / 1.5 or 2" is for tire fitment in my opinion. If you are looking for wheel travel you will need lcas anyway and can just jump straight to a 3" kit. Either way it is important to drive your truck in the woods

 

[CoolMax]

have had mine for about 40k and they've gotten the job done.
but since my rig has turned into a pig i'll probably be exploring larger diameter shocks soon.
overall they're a great value.

 

[yardsale]

When you look at older 4Runners, often the OEM springs appear to have sagged. When they are preloaded on a 5100, how badly do OEm springs sag after a few years? Or do they hold up?

 

[Toyojay]

[MENTION=134477]Toyojay[/MENTION], did you put the 2" Ironman coils on all fours? Also, were the new UCAs were needed or did you add any spacers? It sounds like you went for pure shocks, struts and coils solution. I just ordered KO2's and a set of 5100's but I'm still debating on the coil vs spacer solution. Among the hundreds of threads I've read, your setup seems to be a good balance of ride quality, street-ability and of road. I'm trying to reduce the nose dive, go for more aggressive, level-look but don't want to sacrifice ride quality. The wifey drives this rig on road trips, too. I'm also not ready for a full-on $1500 lift solution yet but $500-$700 seems reasonable. Shoot over a part number on the coils if you don't mind.

I did do Ironman at all 4 corners, if I were to do it again I would go with OME, the irons are a bit noisy. No spacers or anything, never been a huge fan of those. I always suggest doing UCA's on a lifted IFS vehicle. They tend to wander otherwise. 5100/6112's are the ticket for good on road quality, without sacrificing anything it had before. I suggest JBA UCA, my 5th gen had SPC, and IMO the JBA is worth the extra money.

 

[01100101]

Great thread! Replaced my old and tired X-REAS system off of my Limited and put on some 5100s and OME 2883 and 2895E Coils. Loving the look and the ride. Now I Just need to get some 17" wheels. :happy:

 

[GAFireFighter]

New to forum looking for advice

I've read this forum and searched for awhile before asking and being told to just look more..
What seems to be most common:
-Toytec 2.5″ leveling kit in the front and the Daystar 1.5″ lift in the rear
-Bilstein 6112s Front , 5100s Rear
-Bilstein 5100s all around

I got quoted for a Rough Country 3'' Lift and installation at 1,200

I want some added clearance and 285/70r/17's without losing performance on my 2010 2wd

 

[Venom23X]

nose dive

2018 TRD-Off Road, got 5100 installed all around stock springs 1.75" settings in the front and 1" cornfed spacers in the rear. Wanna get rid of the nose dive and body role. Thinking about toytec 112-620 front coils and set the 5100 back to the lowest setting leaving the rear how it is. Questing is will I get the drivers side lean or it'll be fine with the 1" cornfed rear spacers stock springs? :ybrick:

 

[Swipter]

Do you measure first to see how much the difference is before deciding raise amounts? I read the standard here but mine seems to have a good rake. To my eye it looks high in the back. Is there a norm to what the front/rear height differences should be? I assume measuring starts from the center on the rim?

 

[Hart_Life]

This has been a very helpful thread! I have a 2017 TRD off road premium w/o kdss.
After reading this entire thread, I purchased and had installed the Bilstein 5100's front and back. I had the front set to 1.75" and put a 1" CF spacer in the back. Still using stock springs.
Although I love the amount of lift, I don't like the rake. I know that the frame is level and all, I just don't like the rake it sits at. So I have ordered 3/8" polyurethane top plate spacers for the front struts from Wheelers Off Road. They tell me it will give me about 1/2" lift and won't change the ride quality.
To see how it will sit, I used my floor jack and jacked up the front 1/2" and I love the way it will sit! Plus, when I did that I took my level all over the 4Runner; frame, roof rails, bottom of the doors and the bubble is still in the middle.
So here is my question.. will the 3/8" polyurethane spacers change the ride much? Because I love the ride with the Bilsteins.
Thanks again for all the input on this thread.
William

 

[1BAMF]

This has been a very helpful thread! I have a 2017 TRD off road premium w/o kdss.
After reading this entire thread, I purchased and had installed the Bilstein 5100's front and back. I had the front set to 1.75" and put a 1" CF spacer in the back. Still using stock springs.
Although I love the amount of lift, I don't like the rake. I know that the frame is level and all, I just don't like the rake it sits at. So I have ordered 3/8" polyurethane top plate spacers for the front struts from Wheelers Off Road. They tell me it will give me about 1/2" lift and won't change the ride quality.
To see how it will sit, I used my floor jack and jacked up the front 1/2" and I love the way it will sit! Plus, when I did that I took my level all over the 4Runner; frame, roof rails, bottom of the doors and the bubble is still in the middle.
So here is my question.. will the 3/8" polyurethane spacers change the ride much? Because I love the ride with the Bilsteins.
Thanks again for all the input on this thread.
William

Just out of curiosity, why don't you just change the 5100's on the front to the next setting (2.5" I believe) and skip the spacers? Also, I'm sure you know this, but your rake is definitely going to change if you load the back or have passengers in the rear. I love my 5100's, I have my fronts set at .85 without any other changes and I love it! I think my TRDOR should have come with them from the factory!

 

[Hart_Life]

Just out of curiosity, why don't you just change the 5100's on the front to the next setting (2.5" I believe) and skip the spacers? Also, I'm sure you know this, but your rake is definitely going to change if you load the back or have passengers in the rear. I love my 5100's, I have my fronts set at .85 without any other changes and I love it! I think my TRDOR should have come with them from the factory!

Because I don't want to go that much higher. I only want to go about 1/2" higher. I think going up to the 2.5" setting would yield more than 1/2". Also, If I go with the 2.5" setting, I would have to change the 1" rear spacer to a 1.5" spacer. Plus I am on the stock tires. And when I do upgrade tires, I will still go with the 265/70/17's.
I hope my plan works...

 

[progress4m]

.....
So here is my question.. will the 3/8" polyurethane spacers change the ride much? Because I love the ride with the Bilsteins.
Thanks again for all the input on this thread.
William

Answer is no, regardless of the brand or material the top spacer will not change the ride quality.
Just FYI: I have 5100 and top spacer -did that for a reason (see my signature for more info).

 

[Hart_Life]

Answer is no, regardless of the brand or material the top spacer will not change the ride quality.
Just FYI: I have 5100 and top spacer -did that for a reason (see my signature for more info).

That’s what I was hoping to hear! Thanks for the reply.

 

[nimby]

I just added a 1.75" lift to level the front.

Does lifting the front reduce the track width?

What is the consensus with the front sway bar and 5100's? Are people removing them or keeping them on?

 

[4Runner_Gunner]

X-raes Just Crapped out

Hey Guys,

Long time browser first time poster. I am new to all things lifted.

My X-raes system went out on my 2012 LE and I had a very short period of time to decide on a replacement suspension system.

I ended up installing Bilstein 5100s in all 4 corners. The front is set at 1.75 and i put a 1 inch cornfed spacer in the rear. Stock coils all the way around.

First question. The Toyota Technician included an alignment with the installation, however my truck is still pulling right. Should I get another alignment, or wait until the shocks settle?

Second question. I kinda feel like i should have adjusted the bilstein fronts to to the stock setting, avoided the spacer in the rear, and gotten new coils. Would coils have improved the ride compared to my current setup?

Would These Eibach coils will give me a similar lift in the front if the bilsteins were set on stock settings?

https://www.toyteclifts.com/112-620-p-toytec-eibach-front-coil-lift-springs.html

Would these SAW Springs give me a similar lift in the back compared to the cornfed 1" spacer?

https://www.toyteclifts.com/102-1650-195-pair-of-sway-a-way-rear-1-5-lift-coils.html

Ideally, I am looking to stay below/around 2 inches in the front with a little rake in the back.

Thanks in advance, guys.

 

[Ryan0714]

First off here is what i have, I have a 2018 4Runner TRD. The question about 5100s...I have Toytec 2.5" front lift coils with 0.5" top plate for 3" in front, also 2" coils in the rear all using stock shocks. I want to add new shocks to the mix. I was also tossing around the idea of adding a 1" body lift to gain a little bit more.

My question is can I run the coils i have and also set the 5100s in front to say 1.75" ? Toytec sells the same coils with 5100s however it is set to the lowest setting on the shocks. Just curious if you can set it higher to say get 4.5-5" in the front...Out back just add 1.5" coil spacers for a total of 3.5".

Obviosuly I would be getting adjustable upper control arms to get the alignment back in spec. Thanks for any and all input here, I have a ton of experience in lifts, but this is my first 4Runner.

 

[3wbdriver]

Thanks for any and all input here, I have a ton of experience in lifts, but this is my first 4Runner.

I'm guessing this may be your first IFS 4WD from the above description though. The short answer is NO. None of what you described above will work. I'm going to suggest before you drop a dime on ANYTHING that you do a few days of research on the various suspension systems available out there. What you are seeking, to the best of my knowledge, can only be achieved by doing a full bracket drop up front. These seem popular in Hawaii but not so much here in the lower 48, and IIRC they usually entail adapting a kit for the Tacoma or a similar truck model.

I'm not going to tell you why it won't work, or how to make it work, because frankly I don't have the time for all of the WOWS that come to mind. I really suggest you sit down with a cup of coffee - or whatever your favorite adult beverage is - and start here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/92594-modifications-write-ups-quick-links-faqs.html

I am not being this way to put you off. If anything I am attempting to cut off the inevitable sniping that your post would normally elicit. I wish you the best of luck in your search and do please let us know what you decide on. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Ryan0714]

Yes it's my first IFS. Used to the ole' solid fronts. So suspenion wise anything over 3" is a no go then i assume? Maybe I will just do the 1" body and be done with it lift wise.

 

[Lollerskates]

Yes it's my first IFS. Used to the ole' solid fronts. So suspenion wise anything over 3" is a no go then i assume? Maybe I will just do the 1" body and be done with it lift wise.

There are 5th gens with 6" lifts, but I'm pretty sure they're not running 5100's up front. You can go higher, but will most likely have to change your setup and shell out lots of cash in the process