Another Bilstein 5100 set-up question(s)

Hey philsey your truck looks great and it appears that the .85 setting did a nice job of leveling your truck,I do have a couple of quick questions for ya.

It looks like the .85 setting really lifts the front more than the advertised .85, is this correct?

Did your front settle any more after driving it for awhile, or did it maintain the same look as seen in your photo?

I will be installing my 5100`s next week and I am on the stock height in the rear and I don`t mind some front rake due to pulling a small camper. I see alot of different opinions on this, but your truck looks good. I think I am set on the .85 setting, but I just want some reassurance that this is going to look good.
 
Hey philsey your truck looks great and it appears that the .85 setting did a nice job of leveling your truck,I do have a couple of quick questions for ya.

It looks like the .85 setting really lifts the front more than the advertised .85, is this correct?
Yes, but I didn't take measurements.

Did your front settle any more after driving it for awhile, or did it maintain the same look as seen in your photo?
Same.

I will be installing my 5100`s next week and I am on the stock height in the rear and I don`t mind some front rake due to pulling a small camper. I see alot of different opinions on this, but your truck looks good. I think I am set on the .85 setting, but I just want some reassurance that this is going to look good.

To my eye, I have a very very slight rake. Ride is firmer, but not hard or harsh. Squat and dive reduced by half. Good upgrade imo.
 
Thanks for the info!!! I actually want some rake and I`m also trying to keep the overall height of the truck reasonable, due to loading/unloading of my canoe and sea kayaks. My back is not getting any younger...

I will post some pics up next week when its done.
 
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This is the perfect height. Love it.

How much did the rear raise? 1.5"?

Do you think this lift would be less than say the toyotec ultimate lift? I want a subtle lift. was thinking of just front bilstein 5100 but this looks perfect.

AWESOME!

Sorry i cant find my list of stock height to compare it to but right now its at
RF-36 5/8 RR-38 1/4
LF-36 1/4 RL-38
Measured from ground to lowest part of the fender with 2 car seats and a stroller load with 1/3 gas left in the tank.
Cant say much about the Toytec ultimate set up since i don't have em.
 
How do yalls rigs ride after the lifts/ bilsteins? I currently have a 2500 dodge 4x4 with a leveling kit and bilstein 5100's on 35x13.50's it rides like a 8000lb cinder block! Do you feel more bumps on the road or do crappy condition roadways get carried through the seat more after yalls upgrades?
 
How do yalls rigs ride after the lifts/ bilsteins? I currently have a 2500 dodge 4x4 with a leveling kit and bilstein 5100's on 35x13.50's it rides like a 8000lb cinder block! Do you feel more bumps on the road or do crappy condition roadways get carried through the seat more after yalls upgrades?

The ride depends on many variables:
1. Shocks - 5100's just make it a little firmer
2. Tires - P, C, or E series will make it firmer in the order outlined with P being stock.
3. Rim size: 17's with 265-285 are fine. 20" or 22" rims with low profile tires suck on broken roadways.
 
Sandstone.jpg~original


This is with just 1.75" setting up front and no rear lift.

90% of the time it sits perfectly level, 5% of the time the front is slightly lower and 5% of the time the front is slightly higher... all depending upon the ground level.

If anything, I'll just put a 1" spacer on the driver side to correct the lean issue which should lift the rear L about .65" and the rear R about .35" from what I've heard.
 
Sandstone.jpg~original


This is with just 1.75" setting up front and no rear lift.



That looks great! Your truck sits level and it has a nice lift look to it, if that makes sense.

When I load my truck up with camping gear, kayaks, and pull an A-Frame camping trailer, the front would be up in the air. I did install a set of Airlift bags in the rear, which does help with the rear sag.
 
Sandstone.jpg~original


This is with just 1.75" setting up front and no rear lift.

90% of the time it sits perfectly level, 5% of the time the front is slightly lower and 5% of the time the front is slightly higher... all depending upon the ground level.

If anything, I'll just put a 1" spacer on the driver side to correct the lean issue which should lift the rear L about .65" and the rear R about .35" from what I've heard.

looks great. curious. when you do just the front at 1.75. do the rocker panels below the door look higher just behind the front wheel than in front of the rear wheel?
 
5100 installation cost question...I called up an independent garage and they quoted me $279 for the labor + $80 alignment. SO the final cost will be:

$199 shocks
$279 labor
$ 80 alignment

TOTAL: $558

It seems a little high to me. What did you guys pay for the install?
 
5100 installation cost question...I called up an independent garage and they quoted me $279 for the labor + $80 alignment. SO the final cost will be:

$199 shocks
$279 labor
$ 80 alignment

TOTAL: $558

It seems a little high to me. What did you guys pay for the install?

I will have to call 'my guy' in the next few days to get a quote....but....it looks like you are only doing the fronts, why not all 4? For stability reasons I know I want all 4 of mine to be 'equal'.
 
Westwind, I just want to even out the rake and reduce the brake dive. Mine is 2wd so no desire to jack up my rig an higher than it currently is.
 
question are these 265s or 285s? they look good. just can't decide if 285s look that much better for the hassel

Tires are 265 NTG AT passenger rated.I think the 285 will look better but when i made the purchase, gas was almost $4/gal.On a side note, i'm still getting the same MPG as it was stock.
 
5100 installation cost question...I called up an independent garage and they quoted me $279 for the labor + $80 alignment. SO the final cost will be:

$199 shocks
$279 labor
$ 80 alignment

TOTAL: $558

It seems a little high to me. What did you guys pay for the install?

Got mine for $179 free shipping from Downsouth motors.They gave discounts to Tacoma world members that time.Had a local shop assemble the billies in the coils for $50 and installed myself.$80 for alignment sounds reasonable.
 
I was qouted about $150.00 (install fronts only, and alignment) at a local shop that does great work. I will do the rear shocks in my driveway, they are really easy to install.
 
I was qouted about $150.00 (install fronts only, and alignment) at a local shop that does great work. I will do the rear shocks in my driveway, they are really easy to install.

$150 installed + alignment sounds much more reasonable. I will keep on calling. Can anyone recommend a good independent shop in Houston, TX?
 
Westwind, I just want to even out the rake and reduce the brake dive. Mine is 2wd so no desire to jack up my rig an higher than it currently is.

If you just do the 5100's in the rear and NO spacer it will NOT 'jack up' the rig anymore (not to my knowledge, correct me if I am wrong though please)

I picked up 8 80lbs bags of quikrete cement this morning and put them in the back, 640lbs and a decent amount of sag. I took photos of it before & after - will post when I get home. The 5100's should help reduce some of that, so if that is of any interest you might want to think about it.
 
If you just do the 5100's in the rear and NO spacer it will NOT 'jack up' the rig anymore (not to my knowledge, correct me if I am wrong though please)
** Correct-o

I picked up 8 80lbs bags of quikrete cement this morning and put them in the back, 640lbs and a decent amount of sag. I took photos of it before & after - will post when I get home. The 5100's should help reduce some of that, so if that is of any interest you might want to think about it.

I'll confirm that. I did a flagstone walk this summer and hauled over 800# of stone and paving sand, more than once. The 5100's are a definite improvement. Just mho but putting firm(er) shocks on the front, and leaving the soft(er) oems on the rear does not make sense to me.
 

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