Bilstein 5100 or Spacers

I have stock springs but first switched stock Goodyear 265/70-16 tires to Falken Wildpeak AT3 265/75-16.
The Falkens ride smooth and quiet but are just slightly stiffer and heavier tires than stock. I then added the 5100’s and that added perhaps just a little more stiffness.

The surprise for me was in the improved cornering in curves even with a slight lift and taller tires. The improved handling and decreased body roll in curves with the 5100 shocks was a pleasant surprise.

I liked the cushy ride with the stock shocks but not the body roll. The improved handling and control with the 5100s is worth a slightly stiffer ride. They feel smooth over large speed bumps soaking them up just as well as stock.

 

I’ve only had them on for a week. I would say my wife is perceptive to vehicle ride and she didn’t notice a difference in comfort.

 

Well I just replaced my stock wheels and tires. Went with 265/70/17 BFG KO2s and the OE 4Runner TRD PRO wheels.
I just want to level my truck without Sacrificing ride. Changing the tires alone makes my truck ride like a truck now, which is nice.

I guess what I’m trying to avoid is having to mess too much with my stock suspension.

 

I hear ya. I’ve owned many new 4x4 trucks in all of my years and purchased a lot of aftermarket wheels and tires but I never messed with the suspension on any of them because it just wasn’t my desire to do so.
For some reason with the Tacoma I just finally decided to lift a little by going simple with the 5100s.
Like you, I’ve started slow with 1 inch taller tires that gave 1/2 inch increased ride height. Then added .65 in up front with the shocks and just added a 1/2 inch spacer with stock U bolts at the rear axle a couple of days ago.
So now it has 1 inch additional ground clearance which is noticed only if you have a sharp eye. I had an alignment check done for $50.00. It rides smooth with no vibrations.
That’s it. It’s perfect for me.
TW must have given me the bug!
You won’t be disappointed with the 5100s.

 

also, I forgot to mention you want to get an alignment done after lifting. I just got the Firestone lifetime alignment for about $160 bucks. Many other tire shops have similar deals on lifetime alignments. I just figured, being able to go for an alignment whenever I want, was worth the 160. Alignments here cost about $90 bucks per. Every time I do any type of harder wheeling, I try to get an alignment done. It has more than paid for itself lol

 

That’s what I did- just kept the originals on. The ride is good both on and off-road, and while towing a trailer as well. I’m very happy with mine, but I never have compared this setup to using one with OME springs.

This is a response from Headstrong I received regarding a question I had about lifting using 5100’s along with my needs with towing and carrying loads, it may help answer your question more fully- if it helps, please consider giving Headstrong your business:

There are several ways to lift your truck. Most of it comes down to what you use your truck for, which brand or style of suspension you prefer, and what your budget is. I have included a link to our kits page so you can check out some of your options along with pricing. Keep in mind we can modify our kits or custom build you a kit to fit your specific needs. We do not have all of the lift options we carry listed as complete kits yet. We have the ADS shocks available for the 2nd gens as well. I also provided the link to the coilover page so you can check that out as well.

http://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/c52/Tacoma_05__Complete_Kits.html

http://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/c59/Performance_Coilovers.html

Really given what you use the truck for you could go with any of the options we list. Now as you go up in price the more you gain in capability and performance. So budget can be a huge narrowing factor.

The Bilstein 5100's are popular since they provide some additional and performance over stock while still being budget friendly however they can be a bit limiting off the road. Especially the new version for the 3rd gens. Since that is the case we do have quite a bit of people going with the 2nd gen Bilsteins on their 2016+'s. I created a thread comparing the two. Here is a link if you want to check it out: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-available-in-stock-and-ready-to-ship.455220/

You can run either of the Bilstein 5100's with the aftermarket lift coils we list or your factory springs. The lift coils will provide the lift and the Bilstein will remain at the zero setting. If you stay with your factory coils you would have to adjust the snap ring up to the desired settings on the shock itself. From the feedback I have, so far, people feel as if the top notch settings provide a less then desirable ride quality. In the case of the 3rd gen 5100's I have had a few customers dislike the ride from the 1.1 setting and above. Customers do turn to the lift coil option because they feel as if it supports the truck better and helps prevent the nose dives at stops and the sloshy cornering that you see with the stock suspension without being as stiff as the ride with the preloaded stock spring.. This all just comes down to which option you feel best suits your particular needs. Now or down the line.

In this realm of lifts you also have the OME suspension kits. I have many people who go back and forth between the Bilstein 5100's and the OME's. What typically differs from the Bilstein 5100 kits and the OME kits is the shocks themselves. Most of the other components stay the same (rear lift options). Since this is the case I find it helpful to compare the shocks side-by-side, this way you can see which ones would be suit your specific needs.

Some of the differences between the OME nitrocharger sport shocks and Bilstein 5100 shocks are below:
Bilsteins are a steel body that has been coated with their triple-C coating which seems to hold up better in the elements the powder coating that OME's has on their steel shocks.
There are two different OME struts available the standard 90000 which are the firmest and the 90021 soft ride struts. The Bilsteins fall in the middle as far as valving is concerned.
The OME's have a slightly larger shock diameter then the Bilsteins.
The Bilsteins are a monotube shock and the OME are twin tube.
The OME shocks have an internal component which can be noisy at times. Some people refer to it as the "speed bump clunk." The Bilsteins do not have this same component design.
The OME rear shocks will work the Dakar pack and not require bump stop modification or longer brake lines but they limit the amount of droop you see from the Dakar leaf pack. The standard length Bilstein 5100's really should be used with one of the add-a-leafs or a block up to 1.5". The extended length RCD/Bilsteins will also work with the Dakar leaf pack but longer brake lines are needed and possible bump stop modification but you get more droop from the pack.

The 6112 is a strut and coil combination which uses the notch settings on the shock with the coil provided to achieve lift. They come with a 600lb spring rate tapered coil. They have a much larger shock diameter then the factory shock (which is a 1.5" diameter and the Bilstein 5100's have a 2.0 diameter) which helps with the displacement to keep the shock cooler longer when under strain from an extended period of time. They are not fully adjustable or revalvable. However they are a nice upgrade over the stock suspension and the Bilstein 5100's. From most of the feedback I have, provide a nice on and off-road ride quality even at the higher notch settings. They have a steel body that has been zinc coated. They pair nicely with the 5160 remote reservoir rear shocks. Some people do run the 5100's with the 6112's if they do not need the added extension or the reservoir. I usually say that if the 5100 and a coilover unit like Fox had a baby, the 6112's would be what you get.

Up from this type of lift you have the ADS, Fox, Icon, and Kings which provide quite a bit more performance, capability, and adjustability. If you want to go over these options more in depth I can provide you with information on these as well.

For the rear you can go with either a block, a single leaf add-a-leaf, a 3-leaf progressive add-a-leaf or a full leaf pack replacement. (If you want to explore the full leaf pack option let me know and I can go over the different options that we have available). Since you tow you do could benefit from just an airbag suspension in back. https://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/p225/FireStone_Ride-Rite_Air_Bags_for_2005-2016_Tacoma.html

The lift achieved from any kind of spring, whether it is a leaf spring or a coil spring, is a variable lift. Meaning that the amount of lift achieved can vary. Depending on the condition of your factory pack and how it responds to the addition of the aal you can see a difference in lift height. On average the aal will provide approx. 1.5"-2" of rear lift. The ride quality will be stiffer from the use of either style of aal since you are adding more steal out back. However you do gain some added load carrying capabilities. The nice thing about a lift block is it is a 1 for 1 ratio meaning that a 1.5" block will provide 1.5" of lift so it is easier to fine tune rear lift and stance with a block over a variable lift from an aal. The block will maintain the factory ride quality but does not provide any added capabilities. It really comes down to which lift option you feel you would prefer.

I have a lot of people who are interested in the add-a-leafs. Since that is the case, I find it helpful to provide my customers with this comparison of the add-a-leafs so you can narrow down which one you feel would best suit your needs and get the spec's on each:

The single AAL is both thicker and arched more than the initial leaf in the 3 leaf AAL. Though the 3 leaf AAL has more steel overall, the first leaf in the mini pack does not engage as quickly as the single AAL does. In fact the single AAL is arched to a point where it re-arches the existing factory packs upon assembly and thus engages immediately. The 3 leaf AAL has less arch and complies with the arch of the factory packs. So although the first leaf in the 3 leaf AAL will provide some support with the smaller bumps, it won't provide as much as the single AAL will, which translates to a slightly stiffer on-road ride. And as far as the 2nd and 3rd leafs in the 3 leaf AAL, these will only come into play until the factory packs are flexed far enough to engage them. This will happen more so over the bigger bumps or when off-roading. The single leaf provides approx. 1.5"-2" of lift and the 3-leaf provides approx. 1.5" of lift with the factory overload removed and approx. 2" with it retained. The overload does provide function, for when you are over load, so removing it or retaining it can depend on what you use your truck for. If you find yourself hauling or towing a decent amount of weight you may want to keep the overload in to keep the factory pack and add-a-leaf from overflexing. Now the performance and capabilities of any of the add-a-leafs still do rely on the factory leaf pack and its capabilities and wareability.
Basically, from the feedback I have, the single leaf provides a stiffer ride quality but better initial support of consistent weight and the 3-leaf provides a better ride quality and as more of the leafs are engaged then the weight support comes into play.

We do not offer installations at this time however we do work with some places in town who install products purchased from us at a discount. Once you decide on the set up I can help get a quote for you.

Please let me know if there is anything else that I can assist you with.
Thank you so much.
Marie
www.headstrongoffroad.com
headstrongoffroad@hotmail.com
951-658-3030

 

This guy is 100% correct. And if you look closely, another plug for @HeadStrong Off-Road. Marie and crew are the best in the business

 

I have been in contact with Marie and she’s been nothing but helpful.
That being said, there’s nothing like reading about it from people who are actually running all the different scenerios, like yourself, to help narrow down my decision. As your well aware, this great forum has a plethora of information which can be a bit overwhelming at times and make ones decision even harder. Worse for an indicisive person such as myself lol.

 

Talk to Marie...please don't do a mall crawler spacer lift. Use a properly engineered system or leave the truck alone. I am doing 6112s and 5160s sometime in 2018.

 

What made you decide on that set-up?
Will you be lifting or leveling with it?
Also, if leveling, what will the coil that’s not included with the 6112 struts give you enough lift to level. Or will you be replacing it with an OME coil?

 

I just helped a friend add the OME coils to a pair of 5100's and the difference was night and day. The OME coils are worth every penny of the 175 dollars.
We also swapped his rear block with the Head Strong 3 leaf pack. It was also a huge improvement.

I would get either the 5100's with the OME coils or the OME Nitrochargers and Coils and do the AAL its a little more coin but worth every penny.

Pay once cry once. I have learned it the hard way

 

Thanks, makes sense for the ome coils.
Given my size tires, I think I’ll leave the rear alone and maybe go with an OME 884 coil paired with the 5100. I just need +or- 1” in the front to be level.

 

You know... the engineers who designed the suspension (who have since passed since it’s been around awhile) on these tacomas would probably say “leave it alone, it’s already been properly designed” and they would be right. Unless it’s a full custom teardown/build, changing any driveline geometry, no matter what brand, qualifies as improperly designed.


I’m still all about it tho

 

You’re correct. It’s been designed correctly. But, there’s more than one way to design something correctly. That is, there’s not just one way that could make it correct. I would think the engineers pick some design parameters and make it correct for their design, but making it different doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

Old guy story:
I jacked up the rear end of my first car (a 66 Mustang) in 1978 with longer shackles, Gabriel air shocks with remote dash control and on board air pump in the trunk, aftermarket wheels, much wider/bigger tires and added a sway bar on the rear axle and it handled great. No vibrations and it rode smooth, even at highly illegal speeds! I added a hitch and towed a dirt bike trailer, U-haul trailers and other cars on dollies with no problems even though it was a lot different than stock. I’d say it was better than stock!

I’m sure there are some old pros here on TW that know more than I do and could offer more and better advice. I can offer up at least one simple point.

If opposite ends of the vehicle to which the driveline are connected are parallel, additional height is not a problem. That’s why adding blocks or stronger leafs to the rear axel is safe and proper.
Yes, you are changing the driveline angle at the rear end, but the angle at the front end of the driveline will still be the opposite but equal angle if you keep the differential close to level, at any height.

Problems arise when the rear differential is changed from level. People think that putting the rear diff pointed up and closer to in-line with the driveline will cure vibrations, but it won’t necessarily, because that could cause the angles at both ends of the driveline to be too different, which can put the U joints at either end out of sync in their turning, or spinning.

Think about it this way: if you place a 1200 pound load in your bed with stock suspension, your driveline
at both it’s front and rear will be at a different angle than when it’s unloaded, but they will be nearly equal and opposite because all that is happening is you’re just lowering the bed, or you could say that the rear end is rising up in relation to the bed, but the driveline angles will still be close to equal and opposite and it will function fine this way, just as it does when unloaded.


The angle at 1 and 2 are equal and opposite as are the angles at 3 and 4, so the U joints are turning at about the same speed at each end of the driveline.
Angle 5 and 6 are too far off resulting in U joints turning out of sync. Angle 6 is too many degrees different than Angle 5.
There are some cool video demonstrations on You Tube showing working driveline and U joint models that I recently watched showing how badly U joints can be out of sync when angles are too far off causing driveline vibrations.
A double U joint at one spot in the driveline is another matter and something that I need to study further.

Just retired at 56 with lots of time on my hands.....and still learning.

 

1) you’re awesome
2) ok I believe you
3) it’s too late/early to science did not completely read

 

Thank you so much for the recommendation @ahkouchi

 

3rd gen 16s fit on a 2nd gen sport .......