Bilstein 5100's on a non-lifted SR5?

[tacobill]

Planning on replacing the front shocks on my SR5 to help with the "dive" issue. Scared the crap out of myself having to brake hard on the interstate and the front really nosed down. Read all the posts I could find, but when going to order the 5100's, it said they were developed for "lifted vehicles".

Is there a better suited, firmer shock, than the Bilsteins? I don't want lift although leveling the truck out would be a plus (using the .85"). Hoping some of you gurus here can help me with the proper setup.

Love the truck, just want less wallowing, Thanks in advance.

 

[Stifler]

Planning on replacing the front shocks on my SR5 to help with the "dive" issue. Scared the crap out of myself having to brake hard on the interstate and the front really nosed down. Read all the posts I could find, but when going to order the 5100's, it said they were developed for "lifted vehicles".

Is there a better suited, firmer shock, than the Bilsteins? I don't want lift although leveling the truck out would be a plus (using the .85"). Hoping some of you gurus here can help me with the proper setup.

Love the truck, just want less wallowing, Thanks in advance.

bilsteins are great but if you are keeping OEM coils you might as well wipe yer but with $100 and call it a day.... shocks aren't the whole issue with "nose dive"

 

[tacobill]

Any suggestions?? Bilstein 5100's are listed "for use on lifted vehicles". I don't plan on lifting. Nose dive cure going to require new springs as well??

Only shock I see listed at Bilstein is their HD, which is only 5% beefier than stock.

 

[Stifler]

you can run 5100s at stock height... the fronts are adjustable and the rears "accommodate" for lift. They wil firm up your ride when referring to cornering etc... but the nose dive is a bigger issue than just shocks. The OEM springs ESPECIALLY on an SR5 are just sloppy.

 

[1engineer]

Changing three things will reduce the SR5 "nose dive" under heavy braking.
1. New tires properly inflated.
2. New shocks
3. New springs

I have installed new AT tires and it helped to the point that it is a non event for me now.
Stiffer sidewalls act to dampen the effect slightly and that was good enough for me. With that said, I would install Bilsteins next if I wanted, as a better shock valved and ported differently will continue to decrease dive in hard braking. My last step would be to increase spring force.
Do this in steps and evaluate outcome based on your needs. Tires first, then better shocks and if you are still not satisified then springs.

You also need to search around to find out more about this subject. Many have done this with good results. Some do not know what they are talking about. The lack of response to your question is not because people do not know the answer it's because this subject has been discussed many times in the past. Just search "5th gen nosedive" and you can be reading all night. Good luck.

Also it does not have to be lifted. You need to install all four though. Remember as the front goes down the back comes up lol.

 

[Stifler]

unless one is looking to replace tires anyway I wouldn't recommend that as a first step at all. For the price you pay for tires you could upgrade shocks and coils (which is the issue) and then run your current tires.... stiffer side walls may help a little but the sidewalls even on the stock P rated tires aren't what's causing nose dive... they dont compress 2 inches on braking unless you have like 10psi in them lol reminds me of butt dyno results with a CAI

 

[1engineer]

unless one is looking to replace tires anyway I wouldn't recommend that as a first step at all. For the price you pay for tires you could upgrade shocks and coils (which is the issue) and then run your current tires.... stiffer side walls may help a little but the sidewalls even on the stock P rated tires aren't what's causing nose dive... they dont compress 2 inches on braking unless you have like 10psi in them lol reminds me of butt dyno results with a CAI

You are really good at useless comments and recommendations. Why do you post? Entertainment value? Tires are a wear item that will need replaced first and a good AT or LT tire will help with the nose dive. It does not eliminate it but it does help. Better shocks again do not eliminate nose dive but it does help regulate it by slowing down the initial compression rate. Heavier springs again will not eliminate nose dive but will resist the weight shift of mass for a longer period of time on the initial brake force. The issue here is if you like the ride on road you currently have then adding stiffer springs and shocks changes that ride. Even adding different tires changes the ride although not so much.

Stifler made the comment above that the springs on the SR5 were not very good. I totally disagree. They are very good and are suited for what they were designed - a nice comfortable ride on the road, which we do 95% of the time anyway. Again, body lean and nose dive can be minimized by doing the three things I listed. The order is unimportant. I listed tires as they are the first to be replaced anyway. Do me a favor and read all the previous posts on this subject by people who have actually done one of these mods.

 

[Stifler]

You are really good at useless comments and recommendations. Why do you post? Entertainment value? Tires are a wear item that will need replaced first and a good AT or LT tire will help with the nose dive. It does not eliminate it but it does help. Better shocks again do not eliminate nose dive but it does help regulate it by slowing down the initial compression rate. Heavier springs again will not eliminate nose dive but will resist the weight shift of mass for a longer period of time on the initial brake force. The issue here is if you like the ride on road you currently have then adding stiffer springs and shocks changes that ride. Even adding different tires changes the ride although not so much.

Stifler made the comment above that the springs on the SR5 were not very good. I totally disagree. They are very good and are suited for what they were designed - a nice comfortable ride on the road, which we do 95% of the time anyway. Again, body lean and nose dive can be minimized by doing the three things I listed. The order is unimportant. I listed tires as they are the first to be replaced anyway. Do me a favor and read all the previous posts on this subject by people who have actually done one of these mods.

no one asked for a nice comfy ride the OP asked for HELP resolving nose dive.... of the three options you posted tires are the least likely to resolve the issue. Your problem is you think you know everything an no one else in here has a clue....

I have run all three, I have changed all three and while stiffer sidewalls have a place in the off roading (again the OP didnt mention off road he said NOSE DIVE) they are not what the OP "needs" to remedy his problem.

to address "useless comments"..... Hey Kettle this is pot... "You are black"

tires are a wear and tear that usually need to be replaced first? really? The OP has a 2012 4R.... I think his tires are probably OK for now

I guess I missed were you are running 5100 and after market coils... I mean you must because you tout experience from actually doing these mods.

and for my favorite part:

Again, body lean and nose dive can be minimized by doing the three things I listed.

2 of which are what I recommended.... but since it didnt come from you it is "useless comments and recommendations" .... lol

 

[1engineer]

no one asked for a nice comfy ride the OP asked for HELP resolving nose dive.... of the three options you posted tires are the least likely to resolve the issue. Your problem is you think you know everything an no one else in here has a clue....

I have run all three, I have changed all three and while stiffer sidewalls have a place in the off roading (again the OP didnt mention off road he said NOSE DIVE) they are not what the OP "needs" to remedy his problem.

to address "useless comments"..... Hey Kettle this is pot... "You are black"

tires are a wear and tear that usually need to be replaced first? really? The OP has a 2012 4R.... I think his tires are probably OK for now

I guess I missed were you are running 5100 and after market coils... I mean you must because you tout experience from actually doing these mods.

and for my favorite part:



2 of which are what I recommended.... but since it didnt come from you it is "useless comments and recommendations" .... lol

I was speaking of your other 200+ posts. There are many, many people who post here that are extremely well versed in vehicle modifications and very seldom is it that I log on and don't learn something. I even learned something from your last post...lol

 

[tacobill]

Thanks guys........don't want you all to get into an argument. I have read the many posts here (Yes, I searched!), but encountered the "5100's are for lifted vehicles" at a Bilstein online store. Never heard that.

That's what I was concerned with since I'm not planning on a lift kit. That said, I will go in stages with the 4 shocks first, then the springs and tires if necessary. I just want to firm it up a bit.

Love this forum and appreciate the advice I get here! Thank you from a noob.

 

[vicpick58]

Thanks guys........don't want you all to get into an argument. I have read the many posts here (Yes, I searched!), but encountered the "5100's are for lifted vehicles" at a Bilstein online store. Never heard that.

That's what I was concerned with since I'm not planning on a lift kit. That said, I will go in stages with the 4 shocks first, then the springs and tires if necessary. I just want to firm it up a bit.

Love this forum and appreciate the advice I get here! Thank you from a noob.

Hey tacobill, please follow up with a post about your results after you get the Bilsteins installed.

I am also a fairly new 5th gen owner and do not really want to lift my rig. However I am concerned with the "for lifted vehicles" on the Bilstein site.

I especially do not want to lift my front end any because I carry a few hundred pounds of work equipment around in the back of my TE and the back end is already down an inch or two.

The nose dive is a concern for me especially at night when the headlight beams seem to bounce up and down all over the place.

I would like to do something about it (if anything can be done) before winter and the shorter daylight hours.

 

[28fiend]

Thanks guys........don't want you all to get into an argument. I have read the many posts here (Yes, I searched!), but encountered the "5100's are for lifted vehicles" at a Bilstein online store. Never heard that.

That's what I was concerned with since I'm not planning on a lift kit. That said, I will go in stages with the 4 shocks first, then the springs and tires if necessary. I just want to firm it up a bit.

Love this forum and appreciate the advice I get here! Thank you from a noob.

You'll be fine. As stated above, the 5100s will work with lifts. But you can certainly order them in a stock configuration. The ride height adjustable ones will level out the front in 3 different settings, .85/1.75/and 2.5 I believe.

 

[Stifler]

That's what I was concerned with since I'm not planning on a lift kit. That said, I will go in stages with the 4 shocks first, then the springs and tires if necessary. I just want to firm it up a bit.

5100 will firm it up nicely but won't completely eliminate the nose dive so just dont expect miracles.... one thing to keep in mind, unless you are doing the install yourself is the front 5100s require removal and installation of the coils... if you even think for a second you are going to want coils do it in one shot to save on labor costs. Just a thought....

OP hope you got the info you needed to make YOUR decision

 

[tacobill]

Stifler--yes I got what I needed. Thanks for the coil advice too. I may do that as well. 28fiend, thanks for clarifying the use regarding 5100's. The guy online didn't know (at allshocks.com). I'll do a search here on what coils are popular, although the search function is a little "particular" <g>.

 

[philsey]

OK, I'll chime in since nose dive has been a particular annoyance to me. (So is Stifler, but that's another subject).

First though, here's how to best search this forum - use this exact structure in Google:

site:toyota-4runner.org/5th xxxx xxxx where the x's are your criteria eg nose dive

(4) Bilstein 5100's are correct. These will firm up the ride nicely and remove perhaps half the ND. The fronts set at .85 will level the truck, which for me was part justification for the Billys, as I did not like the rake. Whether this further reduces ND is possible but small.

Premium tires "inflated properly" will aid slightly, but I would not replace OEMs for that justification alone - with Bilsteins already installed, I did not notice a difference in ND - other performance factors are greatly improved with premium tires, but that's another subject entirely.

The other half of the nose dive issue is "soft" springs. To totally rid yourself of ND will require firmer springs, which has already been noted.

Do the shocks, and see how you like it. That, plus tires, is what I did, and since my 4R is strictly an on-roader, I didn't venture further. I'd LIKE it firmer, but it's not important enough for the cost (to me).

 

[tacobill]

Thanks philsey........I'll go the 4 route for now. I've contemplated coils, but I'd like to do this a step at a time.

 

[childsusn]

Bilstein's work

I have the Bilsteins up front (set at 1.75) and it helped a great deal. Probably won't help as much set lower (0, 0.85).

 

[Ramzey28]

This is my thread related to your situation, maybe it will help. Lot of info regarding this with the search feature. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/118940-275-70-17-firestone-dest-5100-85-te-review.html

 

[tacobill]

vicpick58--I'll do a follow up post. Got a good rate from a local shop to do all 4, so now I'll order and we'll see what happens. Ramzey-thanks for the link!

 

[Curtamous]

TacoBill,

Just today I had my 5100's installed on my SR5 and went with the 1.75 height setting. I also put 1.25" Spidertrax spacers on to kick-out my 265 Hankook DynaPro ATM tires. It's is within a 1/2 inch of being level and looks, drives, handles grrrreat! I highly recommend the 1.75 setting as the .85 there is too little difference. I'll post pics soon....