installed 5100s, having some questions

Long story short, before I had 5100s.. I was running 1" coil spacers on my stock coils and struts. I left them off(obviously) when installing the 5100s. I already have all pro 1.5 shackles on the rear end lifting the rear about 3/4" over stock height. When I installed the 5100s I put them on the middle setting because I didnt need the 2.5" (that the top setting claims to be), and i didnt want it to sit at stock height (bottom setting). After driving the truck over the weekend I noticed that the front simply doesnt sit as high as it did with the 1" spacers. How high is that middle setting supposed to be actually? Has anyone else experienced anything like this? and is this normal? I dont think the truck looks bad, but I really liked the way it sat before. The site that I purchased the 5100s from didnt specify what the middle setting actually was and I wouldve thought bilstein would have included something with the strut that would explain this.

In case anyone is interested the measurement from the bottom/center of the tire to the bottom/center of the fender is 37 1/4" in the front, and 38" in the rear.

 

The middle setting is 1.25, but this is approximate, and I assume is based on a stock, new coil, which I will assume yours are not. I have seen some sites advertise it as 1, and other as 1.25. Also, this does not factor in the engine type, cab type, bumpers/bullbars, hood ornaments of excessive dimension, etc. So I think it may be a matter of "your results may vary," because it is dependent on the coil's condition and other stuff weighing down the front end.

The settings are 0, 1.25, 2.5.

 

i believe i have reached a decision. Tomorrow at work im just going to take it apart again and set it to the top setting and see what happens. I dont have really any weight adders up front other than the v6. And maybe my coils are a little worn, im not gonna worry about that right now tho. Thanks for your help

 

Here's something to consider. If the coil spacer you had on before is actually 1" thick, it would be considered a 2" lift spacer. You get approximately twice the amount of lift when a device like a spacer is placed in between the coils spring and the top mount.

This math also applies to the billies. The actual distance between the highest setting and the lowest setting is not 2.5". Its more like 1.25" total. Yet that total ends up lifting the front of the truck almost 2.5".

 

really? I never really thought of that, alright well im just gonna bump it up and see what happens. I will update tonight after i do it

 

The 4 setting notches for the spring perch on the 5100s = 0, .85, 1.75 & 2.5............If you are saying "middle" being next to top slot, that means you set the fronts on 1.75" of lift. So if you had 1" coil spacers before, that would be 2" of lift so yes, 5100s set at 1.75 would be lower than coil spacer 2" lift.

 

^ Second gen biliies do not apply here. 1st gen billies are what was mentioned by scocar. dam 2nd genners confusing the noobs

 

Damn me!!!!....missed that AND was after coffee even.

 

the factory rake has something to do with it i believe. for example a 1 in rear lift will be the same as a 2in front lift or somthing like that. those figures arent right but it gives you the basic idea..

 

Yes, ye old factory rake. Mine was about 1 inch lower in the front (I got this truck with about 90k miles on it and worn suspension, so everything is relative).

When I bought a new leaf pack, it was a 1.5 advertised lift. Actual with my cap on is about 1.25.

I wanted to level the front, so this meant compensating for the 1.25 lift in the rear plus the ~1 rake.

Just to clarify (or confuse, take your pick), the notches for the spring perch on the shock are each about .5 inch apart. However, this translates to 0, 1.25, and 2.5 lift out at the hubs. So, each .5 inch on the shock tranlates to 1.25 inches of lift at the hub.

 

You are quibbling (or confusing) over .125"........ OK. Having never held one of those in my hand, it was a pretty good guess...

 

No no no. I was just expanding on what you said, and I have had them in my hand...

A long time ago, you were the first person to lucidly explain how X lift at the shock translates to X+more lift at the hub that made me go A-ha, I understand this better now.

 

I know, I was just messing with you. Are you left handed or right handed?

 

I am ambi-derptious.

 

update, adjusted to the top setting. my front is now 38 1/8", rear 38". back to where I like it. thanks for the help everyone

 

front high eh? well at just an 1/8th of an inch i guess it'd be hard to notice.

 

im way happier being an eighth of an inch too high and 3/4 of an inch too low

 

An 1/8' aint too bad. Glad to hear you figured it out man.