Installed Lift Today - Advice Wanted

I installed a lift on my truck today, 884x springs on the front with top plate spacers and a 2" Deaver AAl in the rear. This was my first time lifting a truck and it went fairly smooth. It helps that I have an auto shop to use with lifts, tools, spring compressor, etc...

This is just an inexpensive lift to get me started. The next thing I want to do is add longer shocks on the rear since the stock ones top out over bigger bumps, and then new coilovers for the front eventually.

ADVICE WANTED: I am looking at either Fox or Icon for the rear shocks. Does anyone have experience with the non-reservoir models from these manufacturers? I am trying to determine which will work better with the 2" AAL.



Before:


After:

 

Do it

 

I have non-resi Icons in the rear. Icon puts out a great product and you can't go wrong with them. I had my rears built by Down South Motorsports to work with my Allpro Expos. For your current setup you might want to look at Bilstein 5100s. They are a great shock for the price. I ran them for two years when I had a 2" AA...

 

x2 on the Bilsteins. These ride great.

 

x3 on the Bilsteins.

I went with 5100's all the way around with my 884s and a top plate. They have worked great the passed two an half years they've been installed. In the rear of my truck, I have the Icon 3 leaf AAL and airbags. The 5100's work great with the rear as well.

Here's my truck doing a bit of work.

 

Are the Bilstein 5100 rear shocks any longer than the stock? I want to make sure whatever I get doesn't top out like the stock ones do, and from my understanding, the 5100 rear shocks or not height adjustable like the front 5100...

 

5100's should work well up to a 2" lift in the rear. That's what I have and have not had any issues. If you go above 2" of lift, then you can get 5125's or equivalent length shock. You do need an adapter to run them though. Not a huge deal. If I go up any more in the back, I'll be upgrading to the 5125's based on my experience with the 5100's.

I can personally attest to the fact that with a 2" lift, you will not have any issues with the 5100's in the rear.

 

More posts like this will cut down on new threads about the same old stuff...thank you for telling the op and us it will work. Truck looks good out there on the farm! Looks like slo? Or central coast cali

 

Thanks!

It's actually up in Sonoma at my parents farm. Always feels good to actually use the truck for what it's meant for.

 

Good info on the Bilsteins, but I am still wanting to find out more about the Icon and Fox rear shocks, as my plan is to eventually build a more serious off-road set up with all new front coilovers. As i mentioned, this is really only a temporary setup. Anyone else have Icon or Fox with a 2" AAL?

 

OK, so after a lot of further research, it seems that the Bilstein 5100 rear will provide a better ride on the street while still being capable off road, while the icon shocks would be a little stiff on the street, but hold up better to punishing off road use...

Can anyone confirm this conclusion? I am planning to order these tommorow and am leaning towards the 5100's since my street ride is really suffering since adding the 2" AAL with the stock shocks.

I do want good off road performance, as I go on 4x4 trails often, but this is my daily driver so I want the best of both worlds if possible...

 

I would say go with the 5100s for now. I did a decent amount of offroading with mine and they held up just fine. If you ever decide to go with a new leaf pack, then get Icon or Fox. Also, putting a little weight in the back of your truck with help with the stiffness of the AAL.

 

I've got a buddy with the 5100's and they ride really nice on the street and just as nice offroad.

Also, I wanted to ask you what you plan on doing with your UCA's and if you had to do an alignment?

 

I am going to go with the Bilsteins, I'm sure the poor ride is due to the single leaf AAL. I will also plan on switching that out for a higher quality progressive leaf pack soon.

Maniac9230 - I have not added UCA's yet, I am only getting about 2" of lift with the 884 springs on the stock shocks. I will get total chaos UCA's when I buy new coilovers for the front.