Bilstein 5100 4" lift version

I put 5100s and Icon RXTs on a couple weekends ago. The RXTs are at stage 2 and I got the extended rear 5100s (B110). Haven't had any issues with stock bump stops and no extended brake lines. I have a 2nd gen and don't do too much off road other than farm and forest roads when hunting.

 

Thanks!

I don't think it was strictly me, but I did not see much discussion before I ordered up. @memario1214 was happy to hear about it and has been promoting it since. I have been trying to spread the word, as the 5100s are generally popular. He did the magic though, by sending me the +1s instead of the longer ones which would have caused problems for me.

Soooooo, I do not know the OME pack thickness, but given that you are a 2nd Gen, I would do the same checks. Flex out the rear with the shocks disconnected to check extension for the axle and brake lines. For you, everything is an additional 1.0in over the 3rd Gen. If I was guessing, I'd say the 5125 Part Number

$118 33-230337 5125 Series Single Monotube Shock fits Custom Vehicles - Designed for Custom Applications

33-230337 would be a safe bet if your a going up 2.0in or more.

These are the notes that I have at the moment:

 

Thanks for the info. Yeah I'll do what you suggest. I'm currently using a stock pack with a single aal. The new pack should get me between 2.5-3 over stock.

 

You're welcome!

You definitely want to get all that you can out of the new packs since our front travel is so limited and doesn't gain any total travel when lifting.

 

I'm still a bit unclear on all this, but I'm working with a local shop so hopefully they know what they are doing. They are ordering https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/bilstein-5100-series-shock-absorber-33-319070/_/R-BBGL-33-319070 for me which are the 4" lift version. I think we'll be using option 2 but no idea until installed on how much lift that will actually give. I'm hoping for about 2" more than stock.

What I'm still confused about is how the additional travel "may" be an issue. For example, could it allow for too much droop and let something break? I don't think too much travel would be an issue for bumpstops. My understanding is that the bump is there to stop the shock from going beyond its limit and bottoming out. If it has more range than the springs then it could never bottom out so any bumpstop would be sufficient. Or am I totally missing something?

 

On Option 1 with 200lb in the bed, I'm up 1.5in over Stock, which is right on with the specs from Icon (1.875in unloaded for Option 1). Option 2 will get you to 2.0in.


No worries! It confused me also, even after I was done, which was why I was thankful that folks had my back.

You are correct and on target. As long as your brake lines are good, full droop with the spring limiting travel is perfection. And like you noted, you want your bumps to stop uptravel before the shock is fully collapsed. I would recommend seeing how far your Sumos compress (flex out and measure the shock length) for your own knowledge and comfort as the shop may not know.


The only remaining thing that the Icon instructions were not clear on was the parking brake line guides. I didn't have to mess with the forward ones, but the rear one was critical to prevent rubbing. I reamed it out and attached it to one of the keepers, then bent it to match the angle. This is jacked up in my garage:

 

The additional travel is not the issue. It’s the collapsed length you have to be wary of. If it’s too long, your shock will fully collapse before your leaf hits the bump stop and that could result in a shock failure. The thing is, collapsed length and travel are not usually independent, because longer travel requires a longer shock body and that it turn increases the collapsed length.

 

Ah, I think maybe I'm getting it. So for the B100 version the Collapsed length is 2.36" longer meaning you have 2.36" fewer inches compared to stock so your bumpstop would need to at least 2.36" taller to prevent the shock from being the limiting factor and potentially crushing or damaging the shock and the things it's connected to. I would assume being lifted also factors in here but I'm not sure if that means it's a 1:1 thing where a 2.36" lift or more is enough to keep bad things from happening.

 

I grabbed the measurements.

LF: 21 1/4in - 4th circlip
RF: 20 7/8in - 3rd circlip

This is from the top of the mount on the frame to the center of the lower bolt. Perfect Anti-Taco Lean with no one inside and less than 1/2 tank of fuel.

Doing a quick check of the other measurements, I found the fronts to be very close to what they were when I installed the 5100s and the rear is sagged about 1/4in. That has me being very happy long term.

 

Thanks. But that's not quite the measurement I was thinking of. This is from the other thread on the 5100s, but there was a lot of chatter about the springs being preloaded while others saying that's not how it works. I was thinking of comparing the spring length of a stock vehicle with one using 3rd or 4th perch. If there is preload then the spring should be shorter than stock (assuming I'm understanding what preload is). I would think a 1.5" lift would be 1.5" shorter if that was the case. I'm thinking they should be more or less the same. I just measured my RF and I got 11 3/4" from the top of the mount to bottom of the spring in the front and a bit to the side, but I had to sort of eyeball that so maybe off a tad.

 

The bottom of the spring perch is not straight. So measurements are going to vary.

Don't get too wrapped up in the preload stuff. Yes, though. You are right. The higher circlips shorten / compress the spring to gain lift. Universally though, we either discuss wheel hub center vertical to the bottom of the fender flare or the coilover length.

 

Yes adjustable preload is a mechanism for adjusting ride height. It’s not 1-1 on the Toyota IFS though because the shock is connected to approximately the middle of the lower control arm creating 2-1 “motion ratio”.

There are some great videos explaining the Toyota IFS here:

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC6XtYxepOgzORaxKt1d-8Lg

 

After much waiting, I finally got my shocks and Icon RXT leaf pack installed. Option 2 on the leaf pack brought me up 3" from where I was on the stock springs, which were certainly sagging some. Rear shocks are the 5125. Brake lines were find and didn't require any modification.

Front lifted 2" on 5100 notch 5 giving me a bit over 1" of rake, which is fine and even after settling I'll still have some rake. So far, rides great.

One thing I'm not fully sure on and should have asked is the rear shock has about 5" of compression travel (I think) and the frame is sitting 3" above my Sumo Springs. If I understand correctly, that means after the Sumos compress a couple inches the shock could bottom out. The shop that did the work said it should be fine, but not sure as I think the Sumos "could" compress more than that. I won't be doing any crazy off road stuff so maybe fine, but probably need to look into this a bit more. Not sure what you would need to be doing to get the shock leaf springs and sumo springs to compress that much.