Suspension Issues- Please help!!!

ShaunStiffler

New member
Current Setup- 2016 SR5P 2WD (3rd row)

Front: Bilstein 6112 (set at 3/1) -yielded ~2.25" lift-
SPC UCAs
Rear: Bilstein 5100, SAW 1.5" coil -yielded ~2.75" lift-

I was going for a lift/level but ended up with more rake. Went from 2" of rake to 2.5"-2.75" depending on fuel level and R/L lean.
Has anyone had experience with getting way more lift from rear springs than what was advertised? What causes this?

Should I just pull the springs and go with cornfed spacers?

If I lift the front more:
Is it ok to put spacers into the 6112? I'm thinking not since they recommend using the lowest clip settings on 2WD to achieve a max lift of 2.55".

Where can I find a "top-hat spacer" in sizes such as 1", 1.25", or 1.5"? The only ones I can find are 2" or larger.

I did find one made by Precision European Motorwerks but the quality seems to be lacking. Found quit a few reviews about their wheel spacers not fitting properly.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6SK4252962

Any suggestions would be most appreciated! Thanks
 
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Which generation of 6112's do you have, the ones with 5 settings or 7? I would look into Dobinsons for the rear springs. They offer a lot of different heights that might match your needs.
 
7 setting 6112s. Here's the chart they came with.
 

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I got about 2.5" of lift from the SAW 1.5" springs but after 3 years and numerous heavily loaded trips they've settled about 1/4"-3/8". Pretty good for a spring really. Bilstein states not to add spacers but you should be OK with 1/4" spacers up front which would net you around 1/2" of lift. You could always look into another spring that would get you closer to where you want to be.
 
The rear coils will settle a little bit once broken in
I called AFE (the manufacturer), they stated that no settling is to be expected. They said that those springs were made to pretty much stay the same height after install. But of course we all know that there will be some settling.

Springs will settle. Just go get it aligned for the sake of the front and give it a couple hundred miles.
I should have stated in the OP that I've put almost 2k miles on the setup so far. Alignment was not bad post install. I had a fair amount of toe but caster was almost perfect pre-alignment. Have 4-3.8 caster now.

I got about 2.5" of lift from the SAW 1.5" springs but after 3 years and numerous heavily loaded trips they've settled about 1/4"-3/8". Pretty good for a spring really. Bilstein states not to add spacers but you should be OK with 1/4" spacers up front which would net you around 1/2" of lift. You could always look into another spring that would get you closer to where you want to be.
This is somewhat reassuring to hear that you also got a high lift from these springs. I thought that I had fudged the install. I needed to use a bottle jack to get the axel down and a spring compressor to get the SAW in. I was worried that I over-articulated the axel and bound up the rear link bushings. To make sure I didn't, I had the alignment tech loosen those bolts and bounce the rear end while it was on the lift....no change. However, I'm not looking to wait 3 yrs for these things to drop a 1/4" and still be too high ya know!
 
I would suggest you check and make sure the rear coil springs were installed correctly. Many have installed them without clocking them correctly into the lower coil seat step, as shown in this photo. That easily gives 1/2" more lift than it's supposed to.

Yeah, and coils shouldn't settle too much, maybe 5mm, 10mm at the most, but 5mm is kind of common after the stress from the powder coat process is "worn out of it".
 

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2Runner

Hey all I too have a 2(wd)Runner 2016 SR5P W/3rdrow and just purchased the Bilstein 6112 kit without the top hat (47-259768). I have a few questions I would like to ask you all but can't start a new thread yet and this is the nearest 2wd relating post I could find.

Purchased the 6112 kit from THMotorsports part number 47-259768, the box containing the coils and shocks had that same part number BUT the boxes of the shocks themselves had a part number of 24-259118. I called Bilstein and they confirmed it was normal but I have yet to see that part number anywhere.

Next question is what C-clip should I set it at to be even and achieve max lift height, would the offset preload of the spring be noticeable from being at a 3/1 setting?

I also purchased a front sway bar drop kit from Streetrays but read in these forums that I would need to drop my radiator support bracket to accommodate the sway bar drop, What size washer is needed to drop the radiator support bar?

Thanks in advance.
 
I had the same situation with the part/box numbers. The box had 24-259118 but the parts are stamped with the correct number. Nothing to be concerned about!

As you'll see in the diagram above, the #3/1 clip setting yields a MAX lift of 2.55" for the 2WD. At that setting, I was about .3" shy of that. I contacted Bilstein about going beyond their recommended setting. They reluctantly agreed that I could use the #4/2 setting and sent me new circlips and lock nuts free of charge! NOTE: These coilovers are designed to have a MAX lift of 2.55". If you achieve that with the #3/1 setting, I wouldn't recommend going higher. Sure, you could probably get away with it but at the risk of compromising performance and durability. I can't speak to the difference in preload between each clip setting as I have not change from the #3/1 yet. I wanted to let it settle for a while. I assume it would be a negligible difference in ride stiffness.

Lastly, I can't speak for the sway bar drop either. But if I recall correctly, the front sway bar and radiator don't interact in a way that warrants a radiator support drop. The only clearance issue I can see would be the skid plate. Even then, theres about 3" of stock clearance which should be plenty for your sway mount drop. Alternatively, you could just get shorter links for the front. Or just not mess with the sway bar at all. With such a small lift, I would guess that the bar angles aren't changed that much. Hope this helps.
 
Almost everyone got 'more than advertised' out of the SAW coils, thus the increasing popularity of the Wheelers Offroad T-13 (1.5") coils. 2" in front and the 1.5" in back from these springs made it what I consider to be perfectly 'level' (though people will argue what that actually is). I'd just sell the SAWs and avoid the spacer route, it's easy enough to switch out.

I personally think leveling the frame rails/running boards makes the most sense, even though the amount of space in the wheel well is a bit different (which it probably should be, considering the rear has more articulation than the IFS front).

But, as with all this stuff, your mileage will certainly vary.
 
I had the same situation with the part/box numbers. The box had 24-259118 but the parts are stamped with the correct number. Nothing to be concerned about!

As you'll see in the diagram above, the #3/1 clip setting yields a MAX lift of 2.55" for the 2WD. At that setting, I was about .3" shy of that. I contacted Bilstein about going beyond their recommended setting. They reluctantly agreed that I could use the #4/2 setting and sent me new circlips and lock nuts free of charge! NOTE: These coilovers are designed to have a MAX lift of 2.55". If you achieve that with the #3/1 setting, I wouldn't recommend going higher. Sure, you could probably get away with it but at the risk of compromising performance and durability. I can't speak to the difference in preload between each clip setting as I have not change from the #3/1 yet. I wanted to let it settle for a while. I assume it would be a negligible difference in ride stiffness.

Lastly, I can't speak for the sway bar drop either. But if I recall correctly, the front sway bar and radiator don't interact in a way that warrants a radiator support drop. The only clearance issue I can see would be the skid plate. Even then, theres about 3" of stock clearance which should be plenty for your sway mount drop. Alternatively, you could just get shorter links for the front. Or just not mess with the sway bar at all. With such a small lift, I would guess that the bar angles aren't changed that much. Hope this helps.

Thank you for getting back to me, the thing I was trying to avoid is disassembling the 6112 twice to get the right ride height. Would it be safe to say I can go with 4/2 right off the bat since we have nearly identical runners?


Also is your part number on the sticker of your shock body 24-259118?
 
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Just installed my 6112 today at the 4/2 setting. Pre install lowest point of fender to floor messured 33 1/2 inches. Post install and after driving 12 miles lowest point of fender to floor messured 35 1/2 inches. I didnt have enough time to grab washers to install the sway bar drop but runner is driving fine all the way up to 80mph no issues, no alignment yet either. *picture shows suspension unsettled*:smow:
 

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Current Setup- 2016 SR5P 2WD (3rd row)

Front: Bilstein 6112 (set at 3/1) -yielded ~2.25" lift-
SPC UCAs
Rear: Bilstein 5100, SAW 1.5" coil -yielded ~2.75" lift-

I was going for a lift/level but ended up with more rake. Went from 2" of rake to 2.5"-2.75" depending on fuel level and R/L lean.
Has anyone had experience with getting way more lift from rear springs than what was advertised? What causes this?

Should I just pull the springs and go with cornfed spacers?

If I lift the front more:
Is it ok to put spacers into the 6112? I'm thinking not since they recommend using the lowest clip settings on 2WD to achieve a max lift of 2.55".

Where can I find a "top-hat spacer" in sizes such as 1", 1.25", or 1.5"? The only ones I can find are 2" or larger.

I did find one made by Precision European Motorwerks but the quality seems to be lacking. Found quit a few reviews about their wheel spacers not fitting properly.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6SK4252962

Any suggestions would be most appreciated! Thanks


Pm'd
 
Just installed my 6112 today at the 4/2 setting. Pre install lowest point of fender to floor messured 33 1/2 inches. Post install and after driving 12 miles lowest point of fender to floor messured 35 1/2 inches. I didnt have enough time to grab washers to install the sway bar drop but runner is driving fine all the way up to 80mph no issues, no alignment yet either. *picture shows suspension unsettled*:smow:

got any more pics?
 

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