Front end- TX Baja colis/ 5100 shocks/ stock coils- which combo is better?

I am confused again. See picture. Dirty coilover is the stock set, clean coilover is the Baja set and the silver shock is the 5100...

First I went for swapping out my stock coilovers for a set off of a TX Baja. Then I decided I wanted a little lift so I bought 5100s. Now I am at home with the truck disassembled and a spring compressor that won't fit on the Baja springs. The tool is designed for the 5/8" diameter stock springs. Great. So I go to the local shop down the street and he says $50 and he will do it...then spouts off a bunch of crap about how he thinks lifted trucks are dumb and I will need a kidney belt to ride in it once he's done. He lost my $50 there...

I still have questions though. When I swapped out the stock for the Baja the ride got stiffer, I expected it though. There are more coils and the spring diameter is greater. Now I have the 5100s. To install the Baja spring I will need to compress it further than when installed on the stock shock and it seems like that increase in preload will make the ride stiffer, plus add the preload from the 5100 itself at the top 2 3/4" height and... I may have a miserable ride. Also, the coils seem really close together as is, if I increase the preload then will I bottom out the spring before hitting the travel limit of the shock?

I can put the stock TRD sport springs on no problem but I think they are softer and may not be the best option (of the options I have without spending more money).

I am thinking now that I will put the Baja springs on the 5100's at the 2 1/2" height...

Thoughts?

 

Don't do it. 2.5 position is designed for factory spring length and weight. That would be "stacking lifts" and you won't have any downtravel at all. That would suck. You can use those shocks together with those springs, but only at the zero (or MAYBE the .85) spring perch position.

Also - I think you were had. Those might be Tx Baja springs - but they've been mounted on plain old ordinary factory plain jane bilstein 4600 shocks - NOT Tx Baja shocks. And to add insult to injury - they're not mounted straight. The coil is arched over the shock.

 

The TX Baja coils are red. And Also bilsteins 9100

 

Agreed. Sorry to tell ya, but I'm thinkin you got screwed unless you got them knowing this info.

 

They were free so no worries there...I just want to get it right!

 

If I had to guess, I'd say those are OME 885 springs. In the pic below, 885 spring on the right, mounted on an ARB Old-Man-Emu (OME) shock.



In that case, you can mount them on your new 5100 shocks - just make sure the spring perch is set at the 'zero' position.

 

I need the extra height...trying to stuff 285/70 tires in the front. Would the OME 885 spring at the lowest point in the 5100s work?

 

Yep. 885s Typically between 2.5 and 3.25" of lift depending on the weight of your truck and how "tired" the old springs were.