Charles Bronson
Member
Back in the summer, the wife decided check a text while driving and proceeded to run into 8" vertical concrete curb at 30mph and took out the entire passenger side front suspension and damaged both wheels and tires on that side of the truck. The repair shop used all OEM parts except for the shock and spring which I found a couple weeks ago was a KYB Strut-Plus preassembled strut/spring/top hat assembly.
About a month after getting the truck back, I noticed that the passenger side front sat ~3/4" higher than the driver's side front. I assumed it was just the new beefy spring needing settle and the fact that these trucks have a minor lean to the left/driver's side because the gas tank and transfer case sit to the left and perhaps it was always like this. The spring never settled after months.
A couple weeks ago while rotating the tires, I saw the KYB Strut-Plus SR4528 labeling on the passenger side shock. I checked the driver's side and it was still the OEM Tokico branded shock assembly. I looked at the shop repair order and it simply said "Shock/spring assembly aftermarket - $198". That's it. I've always been told you should replace suspension parts in pairs. Plus the fact that the passenger side sat higher never sat well with me. I ordered a driver's side KYB Strut-Plus SR4529 assembly from Rockauto for $123. I installed it a week ago and the driver's front is now within 1/8" (lower) than the passenger side. The rear wheel gaps are only fractionally higher than the fronts now vs nearly being almost 1" bigger with the OEM front shock/springs.
So, if you want to get an OEM "Pro" or Bilstein 5100 front end lift on the cheap and have no need for beefed up shocks/springs, this may be the cheapest and easiest way to go if your goal is to get that minor ~3/4" lift and basically equal wheel gaps at all four corners.
About a month after getting the truck back, I noticed that the passenger side front sat ~3/4" higher than the driver's side front. I assumed it was just the new beefy spring needing settle and the fact that these trucks have a minor lean to the left/driver's side because the gas tank and transfer case sit to the left and perhaps it was always like this. The spring never settled after months.
A couple weeks ago while rotating the tires, I saw the KYB Strut-Plus SR4528 labeling on the passenger side shock. I checked the driver's side and it was still the OEM Tokico branded shock assembly. I looked at the shop repair order and it simply said "Shock/spring assembly aftermarket - $198". That's it. I've always been told you should replace suspension parts in pairs. Plus the fact that the passenger side sat higher never sat well with me. I ordered a driver's side KYB Strut-Plus SR4529 assembly from Rockauto for $123. I installed it a week ago and the driver's front is now within 1/8" (lower) than the passenger side. The rear wheel gaps are only fractionally higher than the fronts now vs nearly being almost 1" bigger with the OEM front shock/springs.
So, if you want to get an OEM "Pro" or Bilstein 5100 front end lift on the cheap and have no need for beefed up shocks/springs, this may be the cheapest and easiest way to go if your goal is to get that minor ~3/4" lift and basically equal wheel gaps at all four corners.
