No sure if I should be disappointed in this or not?

Ok so as the title says, I don’t want to jump to conclusions without fully understanding this. So I’m not sure if this is something to be disappointed about or not. It’s a bilstein 5100 lift front and rear with Dakar medium pack.

My problem is I only have about 5-6k miles on the lift and the boot on the rear Shock is already torn. It’s really not a huge deal, just seems like it tore pretty quick.




My Dakar pack also seems somewhat flat, like it’s starting to mustache. The bed is always empty, aside from my sliders and front skid. I think It’s also dropped about 1” (give or take) the Dakar pack is the one I feel mostly disappointed with.. I’ve seen other members post similar things and they have been told it’s normal but at only 5k miles, it’s a bit of a bummer and makes me wonder how long they’ll last.





Really not sure what to make of it all, but felt a bit bummed that it’s only been 5k miles, so just looking to see what everyone’s opinion is on this.

 

The OME w is normal. The rubber boots will rip if you snag on something.

 

Kinda wish I would’ve gone with a different leaf pack.. granted it doesn’t look bad but seems like it happened pretty quick.

Prob replace the boot too just to keep dirt out.

 

Flat is fine; mustache is not.

AFAIK, 'mustaching' happens due to incorrect stepping of the leafs.
As crazy as it sounds, most or all of the support leafs are too long.

 

Don't know what to say seems like all u hear is problems from these trucks nowadays either from factory or upgrades

 

People don't log on to say I drove my truck 7 miles today. All good, talk to you guys tomorrow.

 

Billies have never been very hardy. My rears would leak every winter in NJ.

 

Just run the 5100's sans boots. They dont really offer any real protection.

 

Wouldn't be so sure about that

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/happy-monday.627513/

 

Lol. You proved me wrong!

 

Cheater!

 

Yah it's not a huge deal that there is a small tear in the boot. I would leave it on and maybe patch it if you are really worried. But it should be fine

 

Just cut the boots off and get rid of them. Not sure where you live/wheel; but around my area the boots are more likely to trap moisture and gunk in and do more harm than good.

 

The first gens have the 5100 boot towards the ground. Real common for mud or sand to get trapped in them, arguably they do more harm than good. I run mine with no boots.

 

Check the torque on all of your bolts with the truck on the ground. It might be a good idea to regrease the end caps of all of the bushings. You can also do the nylon lock nut trick. Instead of torquing the nuts down to 87 ft lbs, replace all six nuts on the bolts with M14 x 1.5 grade 10 nylon lock nuts and set them to 40 ft lbs for better articulation of the leaf so it springs back from the "mustaching".

 

I always thought the boots were to protect them from dirt and sand getting inside the shock?.. guess I’ll kist leave them with the hole

 

I would remove them. With the hole, you might just end up trapping even more gunk in them.

 

Some guy on tv sells a rubbery substance that seals anything. Just get a can and spray over the holes.

 

Doesn’t sound like a bad idea. But would 40 ft lbs be enough?

 

Yes because it is a nylon lock nut and won't go anywhere. The torque specs are also about making sure the nut doesn't come off......it has on some people and it is scary. Here is a link to where you can pick some up: