whats the diffrence between...

5100's...adjustable up to 2.5" of lift and better ride quality than stock

n140's....better ride quality than stock, but need the OME coils w/ them to provide lift.

i think thats the knitty gritty, but OME man chris should pop in

 

Biltstien 5100:
Mono tube shock, with high presure nitrogen charge, Floating piston, speed sensative valveing.

OME N140S: Twin tube, low presure nitrogen charge,floating piston, speed sensative valveing.

Pros of 5100:
Adjustable height with OEM spring. More oil than OEM TRD Bilstiens

Pros of OME N140S:
More oil than 5100. Low pressure nitrogen means more compliant on the smaller bumps, less likely to leak.

 

On an off road shock, the more oil the better. It keeps the temp down, and prevents the dampening characteristic of the shock from fadeing out.
Also, alot of folks are anchored in the belief that high psi nitrogen is the only way to keep the oil from cavitating when off road. This isnt the case. High pressure can cause shocks to leak. When a floating piston is used in the shock, much lower nitrogen psi can be employed without the shock oil cavitating. With a lower nitrogen psi, the shock is more compliant over the smaller bumps, and still able to maintain dampening on the big hits. Alot of coilovers are sized (2.0, 2.5, 2.75), and the benafit is more oil capacity. Same with a remote res., more oil. A twin tube shock is a waste on a sports car, as the suspension cycles in a short stroke. However, off roading, the shock moves much more. And can heat up the oil pretty quick. I have noticed that if my OME's are running around 100*, the Bilstiens are 50 to 60* hotter. On my first gen Taco, I was able to overheat my Billies and they became useles on a fast stretch of desert. I havent been able to overheat the OME's....yet.