Bilstein 5100 .85 Before/After Picture Request

Already have the front and rear 5100's trying to decide if .85 is the height I want to go with. Please post up some pics of your Tacoma at .85. If you have before and after pics that's even better! Appreciate the help!!

 

Stock Bilsteins



Picture after lift, tires and UCA's. 5100's all around. LR UCA's. Front set at .85 w/Eibach 620 springs and 1/4" spacer on drivers side for the lean. The springs provide 1.6" of lift and the AAL in the rear provides about 1.5" after settling. Overall, I gained 2.5" in the front and 1.5" in the rear. Since the front was an inch lower, it sits level.

 

Love that look! I may have to just get the springs and AAL as well. What size tires are you running? Didn't need new UCAs either?

 

I've got 265/75R16 Duratrac tires. I had some lane wandering at freeway speeds after the lift, so I installed LR UCA's the following week. Drives like stock.

 

Trying to avoid buying UCA's. Truck looks good man! Thanks for sharing.

Hopefully more people post up some comparison pics.

 

Do the Upper Control Arms fix the wandering at highway speed by changing the alignment specs? Toe, camber, caster?

 

The 5100's were an improvement over stock. I could definitely tell the difference.

Not sure what you mean by "better lift", but the .85 setting would be better than 1.75 due to the pre-load of the springs.

 

Most aftermarket UCA's will allow you to get close to, or back to, factory alignment specs.

 

No worries. That's what I thought you meant.

The more pre-load you add to the springs, the more it will affect ride quality.

I want to add another inch of lift, but don't really want to pre-load the springs any more, so I'm looking into other options.

 

You'll lose the ride if you lift, period. If that's your primary concern you shouldn't even consider lifting.

 

Stock suspension





5100s in four corners
Front set to .85
On 265/70/16 bfg rugged trails with SCS bronze wheels

 

For the money, you can't go wrong with 5100's. They are a definite improvement over the stock yellars.

First thing to do is ask yourself what you will be doing with the truck.

If you off-road a lot, it may be worth it to save up and step up.

If you rarely off-road, there is no need for an expensive set up simply to mall crawl.

 

5100s and 4600s are identical shocks.

The difference is 5100s are extended length and used for lifted trucks. Other than that, the internals, valving - identical.

Stock height trucks gain nothing from changing out Bilstein 4600 shocks (OEM yellows) to 5100s.

 

Interesting. Thanks for the info. Still had a better ride after my lift, though. Wonder why.

 

http://www.shockwarehouse.com/news/images/bilstein-5100-vs-bilstein-heavy-duty.cfm

 

Looks great! Was worried you wouldn't notice much lift but I can definitely tell.

 

Do. Would suck to spend even a few hundred bucks on basic stuff like 5100s, install them, get an alignment.. only to hate the ride afterward.

Maybe you can get together with another TWer in your area who has a similar setup you're thinking about going with and hitch a ride, get a feel for the result.

I had 5100s at .85, 1.75, then went with a different lift altogether and none of them ride as soft as the factory. That said, at .85 I felt the ride was an improvement with stock coils. You may find that to be an upgrade.

Beyond that, or with other lift coils, you're going to find a noticeable difference in ride and likely for the worse if plush is your preferred feel.

 

Agree with DCSBFTMFW. It's definitely a give and take with lifting.

With the .85 setting and Eibach spring combo, my truck rides a little better than stock.

 

Everybody would be in agreement that putting 5100's on all four corners and setting the front to .85 using stock coils is a ride improvement, correct?

I really just want a little noticeable lift to a nearly level look.

 

On 265-70-16s stock height.
On 265-75-16s with fronts at .85,rides great.