installed bilstein 5100 now need help with leveling it out

So i have a 2000 Tacoma Ex-cab v6 4x4 that i installed a lift on this past few days.

stock measurements
Driver front - 34.5 inches
Driver Rear - 35.5 inches
Passenger Front - 35.5 inches
Passenger Rear - 36.25 inches


I just finished installing the bilstein 5100 adjustable shocks on the front. I used the middle setting supposedly 1.25 - 2 inches of lift. I went with the Moog 81100 front coil springs.
anyway after installing the front only here are my measurements

Driver Front - 36.5 inches (+2 inches)
Driver Rear - 36 inches (+0.5 inches)
Passenger Front - 37.25 inches (+1.75 inches)
Passenger Rear - 36.5 inches (+0.25 inches)

Driver front - 36.5
Pass Front - 37.25
difference = .075

Driver rear - 36
Pass rear - 36.5

both front and rear fenders are within 1 inch of each other and driver side is roughly 1 inch lower than the passenger side front and back.

this is without a rear lift added.

i am going to try to add this to level out the front. and hopefully it levels the rear with it any other suggestions to get the drivers side more level with the passenger side?

 

I used the 1/4" spacer. It got ride of most of my taco lean. You dont have to disassemble the stut to install longer studs with the 1/4".

 

how do you install the longer studs without disassembling the strut? seems the spring would be in the way to remove/reinstall the top plate studs.

 

You cant. Like you said the spring is in the way.

 

Youre on the right track to fixing the lean! If the rear is still giving you a bit of lean wheelers also sells a lil spacer(piece of plate steel) that goes under your spring pack. I believe its in the miscellaneous suspension parts page.

 

thanks everyone for the help.

installed the 3/8 poly spacer from wheelers on the drivers side and fixed it a little but still .05 inches off. going to order a 1/2 inch spacer and see if that gets me on spot.

when i installed the spacer on the drivers side both drivers and passenger side went up.

before spacer:
driver -36.5
passenger - 37.25

with 3/8 spacer:
driver - 37.25 (+0.75)
passenger - 37.75 (+.50)

anyone know the max on the drivers side front spacer before it gets unsafe? I want to keep adding a bigger spacer until i get it all level. all measurements taken at the bottom inside middle of the fender flare to the ground.

weird that it's like that makes me think the frame isn't straight or something

 

ok so i installed the wheelers 5 leaf rear spring pack to go along with the bilstein 5011 shocks.

only problem is the 5100 rear shocks are too short for these leaf setup! anyone else run into this problem.

basically after i installed the wheelers leaf pack i had the truck on jackstands under the frame so only the leaf springs/Ubolts were holding the rear axle up. tried to install the bilstein 5100 rear shock and its about 2-3 inches too short! WTF! i thought these were supposed to be for lifted applications?

my understanding is that at full droop on the rear you want the leaf spring pack to be taking up all the weight of the rear axle, but, if the shock travel stops before the leaf can bottom out all the weight of the axle will be on the shock instead of the leaf which is not a good thing correct?

anyone have a solution to this problem?

the reason i went with the wheelers 5 leaf pack is beacuse its supposed to be only 1.5 and work well with the bilstein but apparently not.




again thanks in advance for any advise/help

 

5100s work with the factory pack with 1" or so lift. A full aftermarket leaf pack is gona have even more droop despite having the same ride height. Your gona want 5125s not 5100s.

 

thanks thats what i thought but after checking out wheelers website it seems like the 5100's are longer than the 5125

5125 extended length 22.5" 5100 extended length 22.6" is that a typo?

anyone with any experience with this type of setup?

 

Have the gas tank full & someone about your weight sitting in drivers side, then measure carefully.

 

5125s are universal application and come in a variety of valving and travel up to 14".

 

so just for the record 5125's will not work with the 2000 ex cab 4x4 tacoma v6. got them (5125's) in the mail today and the length was much better than the 5100's but the bushings are way too small and will not fit around the mounting pins. tried to hammer it on with a rubber mallot and still no go....

hopefully toytech will take them as a return. if not i have a set of brand new 5125 rears for sale.

any other suggestions?

for now the 5100 will go on and i will try not to fully droop my rear suspension to keep the weight of the truck off the shock.

this sucks.

apparently the wheelers 5 leaf springs have enormous amount of droop. the 5125 were also about 1/4 inch too short.,

 

so i just ended up installing the 5100 in the rear until i can source a correct shock setup for the back.

need something with a fully extended length of 24.75-25 inches and collapsed around 14-15.5 inches.

can anyone point me in the right direction?

the 5125 are 24.35 inches and are about 1/2 inc too short at full droop.

 

5125s are a universal shock. The bushings can come in different diameters though. They have the same eyelets as the 5100 (basically the same shock) Just swap over the bushings. There are hundreds of people using 5125s on tacos.



And where are you getting those shock dimensions?

 

i wish it were so. maybe toytech sells a different set.

the 5125 i got from toytech has bushings already installed in the shock. and its a 1 peice bushing not like the 2 piece that the 5100's have. the 5125 bushing holes are way smaller and will not accept the stock/5100 bushing style.

does anyone have any pics of their 5125's?

i got mine here from toytech and triple checked the part number to make sure it was what is advertised online

http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Rear-Extended-Travel-Bilstein-Shocks-955-04-Taco_p_1302.html

anyone got a part number for the 5125's with the same eyehole/bushing style/size as the 5100's?

heres what mine looks like




as you can see the stock/5100 bushing is way too big to fit in the 5125's and the small bushing that the 5125's come with just can fit on to the mounting points.

 

also after installing the rear wheelers 5 leaf pack my rear end went up 3+ inches! WTF! i thought 1.5 inches of lift with this rear setup.

before install / after install/ total lift
driver rear - 35.75 inches /39.5 inches/ 3.75 inches
pass rear - 36.25 inches /39.25 inches/ 3 inches

now i need to lift the front more to level it out...

didn't want to go more than 2 inches in the front so i went the the moog stock replacement shocks on the 1.25 setting and gave me about 2 inches in front. if i switch to the ebiach springs will i get the extra inch i need to get level?

current measurements:
driver front - 37.5 inches
pass front - 37.5 inches
driver rear - 39.5 inches
passenger rear - 39.25 inches

thats with the moog springs on the 1.25 setting and a 10mm top spacer plate on the drivers side for taco lean

 

Not much help on bushings but the springs will settle after some miles. Also be sure everything is torqued with tires on the ground so no binding.

 

Sorry to hear about all your trouble with this lift. I would call @HeadStrong Off-Road and pick her brain. RCD has a extended length Bilstein 5100 that might work, but you also might need to step up to a higher end shock with more travel.

 

Those should fit. Bushing id looks the same. Make sure the mount doesn't have rust or build up and use some grease to help it on.

The rcd 5100s do have smaller eyelets to help make shock a little shorter.

 

the bushing ID are the same on the outside but the 5125 bushing is tapered towards the middle so i can get it on the shaft but no way it will go all the way on with the taper in the middle.

also if you look at the pics the 5100 bushings wont even fit at all into the sleeve of the 5120 shocks.

tried grease and rubber mallot and still no go and mounting plate is brand new with no rust or ware.

any other advise on where i can get some rear shocks with the same bushings as the 5100's but with more of a travel specs like the 5125's

will call toytech tomorrow and see what they say

thanks for all the input everyone very helpful