Took the plunge and ordered 5100's

I did have to cut the inner plastic fenders a bit to clear the tires but other than that I have zero issues. And soon I will do aftermarket UCAs for alignment purposes. The factory UCAs aren't having any clearance issues with the coils tho

 

I got them but I'm waiting for my frame to come and having the dealer install them for me. I told them to set it to the 3rd highest setting. Having them put on my new Gibson exhaust to. Free. To bad I have to wait a few more months tho. But the 2015 loaner I got ain't to bad

 

Nice looking truck man

 

So, if I put in Bilstein 5100s on the front and did nothing else, rest of suspension left stock, I would get 2.5'' lift in the front?

What if I wanted to eventually get to a 3-4" lift in the front? Would that mean having to replace the 5100s?

 

I put mine in at .85 with the factory springs and ran out of headlight adjustment so I was blinding oncoming traffic. So I put a 1" block in the rear. I have aftermarket replacement 3 leaf springs out back though. I'm sure those with a 4 leaf would be fine at .85 at least. Of 1.75 if you don't care about oncoming traffic. I've got 16x8 0 offset wheels and 265/75/16's. I love the way it looks and drives but it does rub the front mudflaps at times. Not enough to be a problem though and it wouldn't rub at all if I took them off.

 

There are 4 settings with 5100's. 0, .85, 1.75, and 2.50. If you want 3 inches of lift in the front, yes you can still use the 5100's. But you will need to get bigger coils from Eibach or OME or whoever. For example, you can get 2 inch lift coils from Eibach and then set your 5100's to .85, giving you a total of 2.85 of lift up front. However if you just want a 3/4 lift on your truck, just get a complete kit from any lift maker. You will get the complete strut assembly including lift springs with upper control arms. I would recommend King or Icon but OME and Eibach are good too.

 

I ask because I really want to do a good 3-4 inch suspension lift but don't want to drop $2k right now to do it.
After reading about the 5100s I'm wondering if I can get them and level the truck for now and then over the course of the years keep adding to it.

Will the 1.75 in the front level the truck?

 

This is a tough question to answer because I all depends on the truck. Honestly it all depends on the look you want. I set mine to .85 and I'm right near level. I have a 2015 double-cab. You will get different answers depending on who you ask and what kind of Tacoma they have. If I were you I would just got with the .85 setting. I know it doesn't seem like much but I could def tell the difference. Plus at that setting you will still have a bit of rake for towing. I think the 1.75 is gonna make your nose a bit high but if that is the look you want then go for it.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I like the level look for the Tacomas. I have a 250 for my towing and heavy hauling so no need for rake on the Taco. This is pretty much my toy truck.

I feel like stock height on these trucks kind of sucks lol really want some kind of lift.

 

Downsouthmotors has them for about $200.00 (front only), good deal? Also how much did any of you pay for installation?

 

I paid $255 for all 4 shocks installed.

 

Does anyone know how much lift the 4 pack of leaf springs they put on when they do the frame give?

 

i got all 4 off ebay for 279.00

 

$80 for alignment, the swap is easy if you own a floor jack, jack stands, a decent set of sockets, and a ratchet strap. There's a few videos on the suspension page that are helpful. No need to unbolt the sway bar, just loosen the lca's, lower ball joint mount, shock bolt, and top hat mounting bolts. Mark your LCA cams before you start and put them back when you tighten them. 3 hours tops.

 

I had the 2+1 leaf pack for 10 years, and measured before, and after my frame swap, and gained no difference in ride height with the new 3+1 factory springs.

 

I vote for leaving them at 0 with some toytec or OME springs. Read all the info on the forums and you'll come across a lot about the cons of preloading the shit out of the stock coils to gain lift. Springs are cheap, might as well do it right while its apart.

 

The Floor Jack method is super easy.
Can someone confirm if this method is still an option, when selecting to preload the front springs on a Bilstein?

 

There's a video here that shows it somewhere on the suspension page. I tried it with the 885' already assembled and it just lifted the front end. That's where the ratchet strap worked for me.

 

The 5100s finally got to me yesterday. I'll take some more measurements with a full tank of fuel tonight. I think I'll be installing them tonight, probably set at 1.75"

 

Awesome! Dumb question, but what's the accepted method of measuring truck height before and after?