OME+Bilstein 5100 question

[Rancid13]

OME+Bilstein 5100

So as I understand from what I've researched/read, the Bilstein 5100 front shocks are adjustable to provide various amounts of lift. I'm confused as to how the shock can lift more than the spring is made to lift the 4runner but I'm taking it for what it is.
Anyway, I recently installed the Daystar 2.5 front and 1.5 rear. And while it did give me SOME lift, like many others, I am not completely satisfied. I think it's a combination of not enough lift (I'm convinced that my stock springs with 85,000 miles on them are a bit saggy) and the fact that the stock suspension is a bit mushy.... So I did some research and pulled the trigger on full OME+Bilstein suspension from Wheeler's Offroad. I went with 885 front/895 rear. According to the site, this is the medium duty setup and provides 2" lift both front and rear.
So my question is... If I set the front Bilsteins at the bottom setting to start, am I able to take it back apart and bump them up to the next setting if the front is not high enough? and I can keep bumping them up until I achieve the front height I want?
Any help wrapping my head around this is appreciated

 

[Red]

Ive never looked into Bilsteins but there are 2 different 5100s suspension shocks on their website, the adjustable ones have their own spring, which makes them a coil over I think? and you wouldn't need the front OME springs with those and then other others don't have a spring in which case you would need the OME ones and your ride height would be dependent on the height of the OME springs.


just what I gathered by taking a quick look, someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Rancid13]

Ive never looked into Bilsteins but there are 2 different 5100s suspension shocks on their website, the adjustable ones have their own spring, which makes them a coil over I think? and you wouldn't need the front OME springs with those and then other others don't have a spring in which case you would need the OME ones and your ride height would be dependent on the height of the OME springs.


just what I gathered by taking a quick look, someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

these are the ones I got for the front.. Says people run them with stock coils or OME coils which is my plan.

Bilstein 5100 Height Adjustable Front Strut Set C477

 

[jimmied]

Red,

You are wrong. Bilsteins don't have a spring. There is an adjustable perch which affects ride height. There is plenty of info here and all over web. Just search. YouTube videos might help as well.

 

[AARONR]

The Bilstein 5100 compresses the front coil spring to gain height. It will increase the spring rate, but only slightly. It will be a firmer ride, not stiffer like a heavy duty spring.

To answer your question, YES, you can keep bumping up the clip to gain height, but you WILL need an aftermarket upper control arm to allow for proper alignment. The 5100 series Bilstein (part #24-186711) has 4 clip settings. The lowest being stock, the top being 2.5". They go in 5/8" increments. I would start at 2nd clip from bottom and go from there. Remember the height will settle (slightly) once installed.

If you have any more q's, feel free to call me at the shop. 951/326-2880

Good luck.

Aaron

 

[S p a r k y]

The Bilstein 5100 compresses the front coil spring to gain height. It will increase the spring rate, but only slightly. It will be a firmer ride, not stiffer like a heavy duty spring.

To answer your question, YES, you can keep bumping up the clip to gain height, but you WILL need an aftermarket upper control arm to allow for proper alignment. The 5100 series Bilstein (part #24-186711) has 4 clip settings. The lowest being stock, the top being 2.5". They go in 5/8" increments. I would start at 2nd clip from bottom and go from there. Remember the height will settle (slightly) once installed.

If you have any more q's, feel free to call me at the shop. 951/326-2880

Good luck.

Aaron

I agree with AARONR, start on the 2nd setting .85. 2nd setting with OME's will prob be 3" lift

Here is an easy description of how the 5100's work. These are not the 5100's for the 4runner, these are Tundra ones, but its the same concept.

 

[Rancid13]

The Bilstein 5100 compresses the front coil spring to gain height. It will increase the spring rate, but only slightly. It will be a firmer ride, not stiffer like a heavy duty spring.

To answer your question, YES, you can keep bumping up the clip to gain height, but you WILL need an aftermarket upper control arm to allow for proper alignment. The 5100 series Bilstein (part #24-186711) has 4 clip settings. The lowest being stock, the top being 2.5". They go in 5/8" increments. I would start at 2nd clip from bottom and go from there. Remember the height will settle (slightly) once installed.

If you have any more q's, feel free to call me at the shop. 951/326-2880

Good luck.

Aaron

Aaron,

Perfect. Thank you for the guidance. So the only additional thing I will need is aftermarket UCA's to get the alignment back to spec? Nothing more?

Thanks for the offer, I'll give you a call if I have any more brain busters.

 

[Jwm6]

To answer your question, YES, you can keep bumping up the clip to gain height, but you WILL need an aftermarket upper control arm to allow for proper alignment. The 5100 series Bilstein (part #24-186711) has 4 clip settings. The lowest being stock, the top being 2.5". They go in 5/8" increments. I would start at 2nd clip from bottom and go from there. Remember the height will settle (slightly) once installed.

If you have any more q's, feel free to call me at the shop. 951/326-2880

Good luck.

Aaron

Aaron,

At what point is the aftermarket countrol arm required 1", 2" or over 3"?

thanks

 

[AARONR]

Aaron,

At what point is the aftermarket countrol arm required 1", 2" or over 3"?

thanks

I recommend anything over 2.5". At 2.5" the alignment is like splitting hairs to get it to be set right without any pull or tire wear. With the upper arms (chaos, icon, camburg, etc) they are slightly longer than stock to accommodate putting the camber back within stock specs and will handle properly.

 

[S p a r k y]

Aaron,

At what point is the aftermarket countrol arm required 1", 2" or over 3"?

thanks

3" is when most install UCA's. Some at 2-2.5"

 

[Rocket61]

I recommend anything over 2.5". At 2.5" the alignment is like splitting hairs to get it to be set right without any pull or tire wear. With the upper arms (chaos, icon, camburg, etc) they are slightly longer than stock to accommodate putting the camber back within stock specs and will handle properly.

This can be a huge plus and a reason to go with new UCAs. I was worried about having to saw off my camber bolts because they were seized solid but fortunately my desert product UCAs had my camber in spec and didn't require any adjustment after a full lift.

 

[Rancid13]

This can be a huge plus and a reason to go with new UCAs. I was worried about having to saw off my camber bolts because they were seized solid but fortunately my desert product UCAs had my camber in spec and didn't require any adjustment after a full lift.

I just looked at the Camburgs that Wheeler's has... one says you re-use your OEM balls joints and the other says it comes with MOOG ball joints already installed. About a $150 difference in the two. Being that I'm at 85,000 miles would it be safe to assume that my ball joints are worn as well and just go with the new UCA's with the MOOG's?

 

[Rocket61]

I just looked at the Camburgs that Wheeler's has... one says you re-use your OEM balls joints and the other says it comes with MOOG ball joints already installed. About a $150 difference in the two. Being that I'm at 85,000 miles would it be safe to assume that my ball joints are worn as well and just go with the new UCA's with the MOOG's?

Wouldn't hurt to put in new ball joints but I must say, when I took my stock UCAs off that had 140k on them, they were in good shape. I only have experience with going from stock to uni-ball so I can't say much about moog parts. I only have good things to say about the desert product UCAs. Looks like they're only $60 more than the camburgs. Worth it in my opinion. Desert products ships from California so if you're ordering other parts from wheelers as well, you'll be getting two separate shipments, just a heads up. Talk to Dan, he helped me put my suspension order together and knows the 4runner well.

 

[Rancid13]

Wouldn't hurt to put in new ball joints but I must say, when I took my stock UCAs off that had 140k on them, they were in good shape. I only have experience with going from stock to uni-ball so I can't say much about moog parts. I only have good things to say about the desert product UCAs. Looks like they're only $60 more than the camburgs. Worth it in my opinion. Desert products ships from California so if you're ordering other parts from wheelers as well, you'll be getting two separate shipments, just a heads up. Talk to Dan, he helped me put my suspension order together and knows the 4runner well.

Thanks, I'll look into that.

 

[preacher35]

I just looked at the Camburgs that Wheeler's has... one says you re-use your OEM balls joints and the other says it comes with MOOG ball joints already installed. About a $150 difference in the two. Being that I'm at 85,000 miles would it be safe to assume that my ball joints are worn as well and just go with the new UCA's with the MOOG's?

If I were you, I would choose Light Racing UCA's as they are adjustable and come standard with heavy duty ball joints. They run about $50.00 more than Camburgs, but a much better deal in the big picture. These are what most T4R.org members are using, anyway.

 

[Rocket61]

If I were you, I would choose Light Racing UCA's as they are adjustable and come standard with heavy duty ball joints. They run about $50.00 more than Camburgs, but a much better deal in the big picture. These are what most T4R.org members are using, anyway.

Beware, these have been known to break.

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

I would use the lowest setting on the 5100s. You should get 3.5"+ lift out of that setup. Using the second notch would put you over 4" lift and you're likely to run into issues.

 

[Rancid13]

I would use the lowest setting on the 5100s. You should get 3.5"+ lift out of that setup. Using the second notch would put you over 4" lift and you're likely to run into issues.

Thanks for the advice. I've seen various threads where some set them on the same setting yet are getting different height results. I think this will be more a trial and error type of thing, I will start at the lowest and adjust from there if needed.

 

[Rocket61]

I would use the lowest setting on the 5100s. You should get 3.5"+ lift out of that setup. Using the second notch would put you over 4" lift and you're likely to run into issues.

I second this.

Also don't forget to include a 1/4 spacer on your front driver side, to level it out. First few thousand miles will feel very stiff with the 885/895 combo but after that the ride is very smooth.

Check out my build thread, I'm running nearly an identical setup. Adjusting the 5100s is not that easy. You have to take the shock out, compress the spring, change height, compress and reassemble, install and ride for a while to settle everything. You can't use the no compressor method with the 885s because they are pretty stiff and I wouldn't recommend renting a spring compressor. So you'd have to be taking everything to the shop to get them adjusted. You'll be happy with the lowest setting, trust me.

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

Thanks for the advice. I've seen various threads where some set them on the same setting yet are getting different height results. I think this will be more a trial and error type of thing, I will start at the lowest and adjust from there if needed.

One thing to keep in mind is v6 and v8 4runners come with different springs on the front from the factory. That affects lift height when you swap to something like the OMEs. Generally the 884s lift the V6 3", and the 885s lift the V8 3". Put 885s on the V6 with stock bumpers and you get 3.5"+.