Bilstien 5100

Hi I installed the 5100 on the rear of my 2012 DC LB 4x4 over the weekend to replace a leaking factory shock and all I can say is great!! We have a lot of gravel roads here with a lot of washboard and on the factory shocks the rear end would break loose all the time in these conditions with the 5100's the truck stays glued to the road much much better and more controlled than the truck has ever been, and to any one on the fence about purchasing them do it you won't regret it. I will be putting them on the front in the near future to balance the ride you can definitely feel the difference the bumps on the front wheels are much sharper than when the rears go over them even with no extra weight in the back.

 

Glad you are liking them. I'm thinking about getting the extended travel 5100s for the rear to go with a Dakar pack.

 

Great to hear, I have a used set of front and rears with 885 coils in the garage, just have to pick up an aal next, look forward to getting it set up.

 

I just installed my front 5100s with 887s and now I'm witing on my new U-bolts to come in so I can do the AAL and extended rear 5100s.

 

Aloha hanrock, I have a 2012 DC standard bed and will never go off roading, just the occasional parking lot speed bump or so. My ride is extremely harsh in my opinion. My suspension is 100% stock. Will changing to 5100 standard length smooth out the ride or are these shocks more for offroading? I have no plans to lift the truck, may change the front struts one day to level it out but for now, just need to drive on city roads without my teeth and fillings rattling out.

Thanks in advance

 

I would imagine replacing a blown shock with a new one will make a positive difference.

 

They aren't going to make a big difference unless your original shocks are blown?

If you're like me and you don't appreciate the "rough/firm" ride of a stock Tacoma you're not going to like the price tag on the fix.

 

That's the exact set-up I had on my truck! I went with a single 2" AAL in the rear. Rode decently well until I threw heavy 33s on there.

What shocks do you have on there right now? Are they black, or blue/yellow? I ask, because the blue/yellow ones are identical internally to the 5100s, but the 5100s are for lifted applications. You would notice no ride difference. If you have the base model black suspension, then 5100s would be an upgrade. Shoot, you could even get the stock suspension off of a third gen, and it would be an upgrade (plus you'd lift the front 1")

 

I just checked, they are the stock blue and yellow ones, I believe they are original to the truck. Not blown or leaking, but a really harsh ride. Don't have a desire to lift it but if I can lift and get a smoother ride in the process, want to know what I have to do and what the options are.

 

Super curious about the price tag and what parts are needed.

 

Drat. 5100s will ride no different than. If you want a plush ride at stock height, you can get Icon suspension. It'll run you around $1400 though.

 

Wow, $1400.00 to improve the ride quality? Gotta say, lot more than I expected. Is there a kit or individual parts list?

 

My apologies, I misspoke. I was referring to Icon stage 1, which is about that price, but I forgot about Fox racing suspension. You can get this one, and have the front coilovers set at stock height. If you were to ever want a lift in the future, it's as easy as cranking up the front, up to about 3" and lifting the rear however you like.

http://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/p187/FOX_Level_1_Kit_-_05__Tacoma.html

 

Awesome. Checked the site and found that they are in the process of moving and are not accepting orders right now. Will the ride be noticeably better on the street, which is where I will be 100% of the time. No plans to raise it anytime soon, but the option of doing it at a later time with existing Fox suspension sounds like a bonus if the ride is improved over stock suspension components that I currently have.

 

Hello they won't feel a lot different but they seemed to take away some of the jarring feeling I had with the yellow sport factory shocks and a some what softer ride. I now have them on all 4corners with the fronts at 1.75 and the trucks road manners are much improved especially on rough sections like washboard where it used to break loose now holds the road better. I think that the 5100's would help you out and are not a bad place to start if you maybe considering a mild lift in the future.

 

Thanks again for the replies and information. Gonna look at both the 5100's and the fox setup from headstrong. I'm just a parking lot off roader, want the lifted look (if possible) but a softer ride is mainly what I'm after.