bilstein 5100 with top plate spacer?

I installed the bilstein 5100 set to 2.5" with 3/4" top plate spacers and 2" AAL...i got an alignment today but they said they couldnt get it perfect. My tires are still leaning a little in the front....would new UCA's fix this?

 

I'm not sure about the safety of 2.5 w/ 3/4 top plate spacers. And yes, you need new UCA's. Prolly a diff drop as well if your 4x4.

 

UCA's for sure

 

I have 2x4 and don't go off roading What's not safe about it? I don't really know much about all this I'm still learning

 

It's not that it is unsafe , by lifting the front of the truck that much , you have changed the geometry up front and there is not enough adjustment in the stock UCA's to get a correct alignment .

Aftermarket UCA's will allow for more adjustment .

 

Going over 3" total is generally a bad idea on these IFS's, because your ball joints can bind at full droop.

Was the top plate spacer 3/4" thick?, or rated at 3/4" lift? Spacers lift twice their thickness.

 

Ohh okay cool thanks, so if I get new UCA's my tires will straighten up?

 

You will be able to get it aligned properly , yes .

 

On this ^^^ note OP , what is the thickness of your spacers ?

 

Its 3/4" thick

 

What is your total lift ?

 

So with the 5100's @ 2.5", and a 1.5" top plate spacer, you are at 4" of lift. That's not safe for any of your suspension components. Take the spacer out.

 

Agreed

 

So just go with the 1/4" spacer? I want to fit 285/70/17

 

Plenty of people have fit that size with no spacer at all.

 

Alright cool, what if I set my bilsteins to 1.75 with the 3/4?

 

What would make you want to do that over just setting them at 2.5"?

Toplate spacers in general are bad news....all they do is force the whole suspension downward...they can make your bump stops useless (i.e. the shock will bottom out before you hit the bump stops), and will give you too much down-travel, causing your ball joints to bind.

 

I like the lift size that I have now, if I just get new UCA's will that be safe?

 

Hard on your truck that is .

I missed the thickness of your spacer on first pass , you need to come down to 3" and get UCA's

 

Absolutely not. nothing over 3" is good for the truck....

Think of how an IFs works. By lifting the truck 4" total, you have rotated the LCA downward 4"...the spindle length obviously can't change, so the slack is taken up by the ball joint in the uca being at an extreme angle, even with all 4 wheels on the ground. When you go over a bump and the suspension moves downward, it will get even worse.

If you wanted a 4" lift you should have bought spindles.