883s or wait for Eibachs on 2nd gen DCSB

I've done all my research, saved up some money, and I'm ready to lift my 2012 DCSB TRD OR. The plan is to go with a very mild 1.5 in lift to increase ground clearance and give a little more room for 265/75R16s to move around. For the front I'm going with 5100s set to zero and Eibach springs. The rear will be Wheelers HD 3 leaf AAL. My truck has the 2/1 leaf pack that has settled almost an inch since I put the camper shell on so this setup would maintain my current 1 in rake (20 front, 21 rear hub to fender). I like the look of the rake plus I load up several hundred pounds of gear in the back from time to time so maintaining the rake is a priority.

Toytec has been backordered on Eibach springs for several months now, and they "expect" to have them in the first week of April and can ship the second week. Normally I would continue to wait, but I have some vacation time coming up in just over a week that will allow me the free time to install the lift myself. I figured I would just go with 883s, but Toytec recommends against them with the 5100s and I don't want to pay the premium for OME shocks. Plenty of users on here have 5100s and 885 springs and they work just fine. I've searched on here to see if anyone has done 883s on a 2nd gen DC and only found one person...and they didn't keep them on very long enough to comment on height or ride quality.

So...do I take a chance on the 883s or wait for the Eibachs? Concerns would be that I won't get the full 1.5" lift out of them being a double cab. I only found one thread where someone did this combo and did not get the height they expected (but didn't post their numbers either). Also not sure if the 5100s not being valved for the spring makes more or less difference than normal with a shorter spring (versus 884 and 885s). Thoughts?

 

You can get just 5100's and set them at 1.75" and it would be cheaper.

 

883, 884 and 885 coils are all made from the same wire. They have the same spring rate so ride quality with an 883 coil will be fine. You can expect around 1.5" of lift with the 883 coils on a V6 double cab. The 883 coils will ride softer than the Eibach coils. 883's are around 580 #/in, Eibachs are 620 #/in.

 

Cheaper yes, but at the cost of ride quality. Doesn't make sense to me to pre-load a progressive rate coil, or any coil for that matter, if you don't have to.

@Pugga - You have 5100s and Eibachs, correct? Have you been pleased with that setup...or wished the coils were a tad softer?

 

maybe someone can help me here... i have a double cab also, one site says 884 coils for me, and another says 885???? im trying to get around a 2 to a 2 1/2" lift... and besides the 5100's, coils (or can i use my stock off roaders and still get a decent factory type ride?), toytec 1/4" spacer for left side bro lean, and a rear aal, anything else im missing?

 

You can use either, 884 will give you around 2" and 885 will give you 2.5". You can use you your stock coils with the 5100 and set them at 0.85, 1.75 or 2.5. Ride quality will decrease as you crank the 5100s up. The 1/2" spacer is for "taco lean", the truck leans towards drivers side because of weight. The only other thing you will (most likely) need is upper control arms if you lift beyond 2 in to get proper alignment.

And now back to the original topic...

Anyone running 883s on DCSB?

 

I will let you know what the 883s are like on Saturday. I have them sitting in my garage along with 5100s and I am installing them on Friday. I have a 2012 dbcb off-road. I am also installing wheelers HD replacement pack.

 

Sweet! You are the man!

 

I love the 883/5100 combo, the ride is so smooth compared to the 5100 set at the 2.5'' setting.

 

Do you have your 5100s set to zero with the 883s? What height did you get?

 

Yes, I'm not sure I installed them at the same time as my 4'' spindles.

 

Any updates?

 

Sorry, I missed your response. I do like the 5100/Eibach combo overall. They are a stiff coil though. For everyday driving and off roading, they are great and soak up a lot. On chopped up roads or washboard roads, they aren't a lot of fun though. Those are the situations where I wish I had a softer coil. On the flip side, because the coils are stiffer, brake induced nose dive is greatly reduced and body roll is also much improved when cornering.

 

So I installed the 883 coils yesterday and I am very happy with them. I have only driven on them a little because I don't have an allignment yet. Before the install my front height measurment was 20 1/2 inches from the center of the hub to the fender. After the install of the 883 coil my truck now sits at 22 inches on both sides. I do have a 1/4 inch spacer on top of the drivers side coil assembly. The ride is more firm but I like the way it rides. I also installed wheelers HD replacement leaf pack. That raised my rear from 21 1/2 inches to 23 1/2 inches. My truck still had rake to it but I like it that way. No Bro lean here. I would recomend the 883 springs from the little I have driven on them. Time will tell though.

 

Your 883 coils gave you 2.5" lift on a dcsb? Interesting

 

Thanks Pugga, that's exactly what I needed to know. Much of my off roading is on chopped up and washboard roads....even the road into my neighborhood is 1.5 miles washboard each way. I'm going OME coils and now strongly considering their shocks as well. Not sure if I want the newer 9000s or try to find the original N140s.

Thanks for the update!I'm a littl e confused as to why you got 2.5 in lift in the front. Do you have your Bilsteins set to 0.85? Also, did you leave the overload in when you installed the wheeler's HD? Any install advice?

 

Thanks for catching my typo. It was only an 1 1/2" of lift on the front. Final measurement was 22"

 

I've heard the original OME shocks are a bit softer riding than the new ones but no personal experience with either.

For the Wheeler's HD 3-leaf AAL, I have the Icon version which is similar to the Wheeler's standard 3-leaf. I left the overload leaf in place because I do a fair amount of towing and hauling. It ends up giving you an additional 1/2" of lift though. The Wheeler's HD version is supposed to be stronger so I'm not sure if it would require the overload to support a heavier load.

 

Sorry for the typo. I only got 1 1/2" on the front. The Bilsteins are set at 0. I did leave the overload in the spring pack. I think it rides really nice (although I have only driven it in the foothills above my dad's house and the 30 miles home to my house). I will be driving it more this week after I get it aligned and new tires on it. The only install advice I have is it made it nice to have extra jack stands and two jacks. I don't think you need two jacks but it was convenient. Oh and the leaf pack comes with a place to mount your e-brake cable but the mount is not threaded like the stock leafpack. I just drilled a hole and tapped it so I could use the old hardware. Let me know if you need any more clarification on anything.

Thanks,

Andrew

 

Dan at Wheeler's confirmed you don't need the overload, but it would hurt anything either and it is good for another 1/2" of lift. I tow and load up the truck, but I'm usually carefully not to overload. I'm sure if I don't leave the overload in I'll probably wish I did 6 months down the road

That's some good tips, thanks. I have jack stands and a floor jack but it sounds like having a bottle jack handy would be a good thing. I'll also check my taps and bits to make sure I have the ones I need before I get started.

Question for both of you...did you use axle shims? My truck is fairly vibe free now so I'm hoping I can got 1.5-2" and get aware without shims or a cb drop. I know each truck responds differently and there is no way to tell until after everything settles.