No (or minimal) lift suspension upgrade for 2015 SR 4X4 questions

Been reading through tons of threads about 2nd gen suspension upgrades, but a majority focus on lifting or leveling. I'm not opposed to leveling out my truck slightly, but am not looking to lift it any more than that. I'm running a set of Wildpeaks now in 275/65R16, so I already sit a little higher than stock.

So, my questions are:

1. Bilstein 4600's, they seem to be a direct replacement for my truck and should be better performers on and off-road (I don't wheel, but I get out in the dirt whenever I can). Are these a better choice than dealing with 5100's dialed down to the minimum height? Again, my wife hates climbing up into my truck as it is, so I am not trying to lift it any more than I have to.

2. If I pick up the 4600's for all 4 corners, do I need to change out coils and springs? My '15 is still low mileage, under 50K right now since I have been overseas the last year, so I assume the stock suspension parts should still be good to re-use. Even if they can be re-used, is that advisable?

 

1) According to Bilstein, yes, in your situation (and mine) 4600s are preferable to 5100s at zero lift.

2) There is no need to change your existing front or rear springs unless they are damaged or you want to 'upgrade'. Re-use is fine.

 

Thanks.

Any benefits to "upgrading" the stock coils and leafs if not doing a lift?

 

I upgraded to Bilstein 6112s with no lift and have liked the change for daily driving. Whether the the benefits are enough to justify the cost delta is debatable.

 

Those would be overkill in my case, but glad to know they are working well for you at no lift.

 

Sorry for thread hijack OP, but I same similar goals, and slightly different twist on question (which may be of interest to you as well).

I've been running around with a few hundred pounds of ballast in my bed this winter, and found that the truck leveled out nicely (but rear springs were flat, which would not be good for them in long term); and the ride tightened up very nicely.

So, similar to OP, my goals are not to lift the vehicle, but level from changing rear springs while either keeping same payload, or improving it.

I understand I could remove a leaf to drop 1" in rear, but would lose payload, and ride quality.

So, is there a leaf pack available that would drop the rear while keeping/improving ride quality (stiffer) and ipayload?

 

I wonder if removing a spring for the drop, and adding a helper spring which should only work under load? My dad had a similar setup on his old Blazer for when he towed our trailer, no effect during normal driving, but under load the helper spring is tensioned and keeps the rear from bottoming out.

 

Thanks for the suggestion

 

If you're satisfied with your truck's stance, ride height, and basic ride characteristics, why go to the trouble & expense of changing to different springs? That's how I see it anyway, others will have their opinions.
Some have had success changing to different springs but I'm still on OEMs so I have no personal experience to draw from.
I'm sure if you search you'll find plenty of info about various spring swaps and what to expect from each.