Bilstein 5100s Use stock Coils?

I've been doing quite a bit of research on leveling kits and lift kits and found a seemingly unanimous support of the Bilstein 5100 series struts.

According to the Bilstein website I can use my stock coils... Is this true? Is it true if i go the full max adjustment of 2.5"?

Apologize for the silly question.. but hey i'm new! ha

 

true.

 

So the coil un-compresed must be quite large? haha

Well sweet i guess thats the route i'll take for the front end.

Now about that back end... hmmm. Recomend Icon AALs?

 

I did my 5100's up front at 2.5" with stock coils and it rides great. 2" AAL in the back, it sits nice I think.

 

In the rear what brand did you go with for the AAL? You end up extending your brake lines or replacing the shocks?

 

Yeah I would go icons aal. I have the 5100's @2.5 with stock coils. I Also has 5100 in the rear with the toytec 2" add a leaf. I hear the icon Progressive Aal has a smoother ride Then The toytec

 

I have a related silly 5100 Question, how much of a ride quality difference did you guys notice after installing them?

the ride is the one thing about a well maintained 96 that sucks!

 

@ senor taco... that's about the concensus i've been getting from asking around and researching... i feel i would want the smoother ride of the icons considering a large majority of my driving will be on road...

now to decide on tires and wheels... been thinking 265/75/17 duratracs with v tec camo wheels. what do you think of these wheels? I love em!

 

The 2" AAL I got came from Fat Bobs Garage & came in a ProComp Box so I'm assuming that's the brand AAL it is. It actually came with a kit I originally ordered including 2.5" spacers for the front which I decided NOT to go with and got the 5100's up front instead. The ride to me is great, and better then stock IMO. Even set at 2.5" it is not stiff at all with the stock coils, I can only imagine how good the ride is set lower then that. Also, I did add OME N182 rear shocks and even though I got a short AAL and expected it to stiffen up the ride in the back it is better to me then it was stock. Did not need to extend brake lines with 2" AAL.

 

Can you put up a pic of your rig?

 

I think the 5100's made a great improvement in the ride quality, even with a stock suspension. The suspension wasn't as bouncy and wouldn't rebound as hard so if you hit a speed bump at say 20 mph, the suspension would just take it, no bouncing afterwards (obviously not great for your alignment, but the 5100's were a night and day improvement over stock).

Go for the Icon 3-leaf AAL, it rides very smooth. Also, be aware of using 5100's for a lifted rear. Technically they are not tall enough and can top out hard causing the shock to break. On the road, there's not as much of a concern but if you wheel your truck you might want to look into a taller shock. FWIW, I've got 5100s in the rear with the Icon 3-leaf progressive AAL and I kept the factory overload in place for almost 2" of lift. I have not topped out my shock yet but I also stick mostly to the pavement.

 

Sure can Icepuck, pic attached. I love the stance of it, it has about the same or slightly less rake then stock so I'm happy with it.

 

Boy have times changed. I haven't been on this board in a few months and back then, the talk was that it was a must to change out the coils when putting in 5100's and going to the 2.5" position. Well, it's good to hear that folks have been keeping the stockers on and are getting good results with a AAL's in the rear.

 

Yes, I did lots of research on the matter & with all the money I was already spending to do what I did, could not afford springs right now. It says on Wheeler's website & I'm sure elsewhere that the 5100's are designed to be mated with stock springs so it's all good. It all depends on whether you want the lift from the shocks or the springs IMO, the stock springs work just fine. I will most likely get some aftermarket UCA's even though they are not required by any means. I have read all the horror stories of trucks wanderin all over the highway, and I tested that out driving from FL to KY which is about 650 miles. Not one issue or problem, ride is great & all is fine. I know it varies from truck to truck, but with mine no problems. I know I did LOTS of reading on here and was tore on what to buy, and which route to take for my lift but in the end I'm very happy with what I got. The 5100's are great in the front even set at 2.5" and still provide a great ride, and the OME rear shocks with 2" AAL provides a better ride in the back as well. I will most likely do the UCA's when I return from Korea at the beginning of next year! I would also recommend trying to do the work yourself to save labor cost if possible, it's a great learning experience and good info to know for future suspension changes. It was not all that hard to do, and glad I didn't get robbed paying someone else to do it. The springs is the tough part, and had help with that part from a friend that works in a shop, but have heard renting the spring compressor from AZ or other parts stores is not to much & not to hard.

 

Not a must but it would most likely provide a better ride with aftermarket coils. You can either get your lift by preloading the crap out of stock coils or buy a taller coil. Either one works.

 

I would advise a taller aftermarket coil to do the lifting. My current setup is 5100's set at 2.5 on the stock coils. It is a GREAT improvement over the stock billies and the stance is the tits, but it rides like a donkey due to the preload. I just purchased a set of OME 885's and will be droping the 5100's down to stock. Same 2.5'' stance without loading up the coils.

 

I'm not quite sure how a donkey rides, but to me the truck rides great. I guess it's all a matter of preference is basically what it boils down to. I love it for the time being, and will most likely get 885's later down the road. Basically if you want the lift either way works, all depends on how deep the pockets are as to how you want to do it.

 

Well you don't need a very big box to think out of to understand how a donkey rides but to each their own.

 

Well considering my truck rides better then it did at stock height, a donkey must ride pretty damn good!!

 

So here's my uninformed question? The front of my truck sits at 37.5" and rear sit at 39.5. I have a "leveling kit" with a spacer and an add-a- leaf. If I take the spacer out and put in 5100s and ome 885s; will that get the truck level? The heights are from the ground up and I'm currently running 265/70R17s. In Apr I'm going to385/70R17s; will I have the clearance. And finally, does any one know the cheapest place to order from?
Thanks y'all