Bilstein 5100 with stock coils set at 2.5"?

Upgraded from the "yellow" billies to the 5100 all around, set at 2.5" in the front with stock Sport coils. No problems with alignment and it rides like a dream!

 

For first gens there are 2 settings other than stock ride height on the Bilsteins. I don't remember what they are exactly. If your looking for about 1" of lift in the front then you should be ok with stock springs for the rear. It would pretty much level out the front with the rear.

 

5100's on stock trd coils set at highest setting and rides fine. In fact I had a space lift when I bought the truck and it is a night and day difference.
Do not do a spacer lift or blocks, you will not be happy.

 

I'm also thinking about putting a budget friendly lift on my '03. So set the bilstiens at 2.5" in the front and 2.5" in the back with AAL in the rear? Is this all I will need? Or will I need the AAL hangers as well and extended brake lines?

 

Bilsteins at 2.5 in front and 1.5 aal in the back and new 5100s in the rear as well because u need extended length shocks with the aal. Shouldn't need brake lines for just 1.5 but it would be smart to do.

 

So do I set the back bilsteins for 2.5" as well or another setting? Also, would I need a new sway bar or any other accessories?!

 

The rear Bilsteins are not adjustable ride height, only the fronts are adjustable height.

 

Lol thanks a lot!!

 

Rear shocks don't provide lift. Lift is mainly from the springs. I thought the same thing when I first got into the whole suspension stuff

 

I actually have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to suspension lift but what does a 1" rear shackle do?

 

When I did my billies, I got 1" longer shackles, and it gave about 1/2" of lift. Don't just go out and buy really long shackles for a bigger lift just because they are cheap, though. Any longer than 1" (1" longer than stock) or so and it will screw up the geometry, and won't ride right. For more than 1", get an AAL or all new springs (more $$).

 

I was going to get a 1.5" AAL so do I need the 1" shackle on top of that? The front setting billies will be 2.5". I know nothing!! Thanks for everyones help

 

x2 get longer brake lines. With OE suspeonsion while on a lift, my rear lines were very taught, and the fronts didn't have much slack at all, so IMO with ANY lift, brake lines should be done if your suspension will see full articulation or be on lifts for work.

I don't like the terminology that raising a spring's perch in-of-itself pre-loads the spring and therefore somewhoe increases percieved spring rate.

Lifting a coffee table to be higher with phone books under the legs does not in-of-itself suddly increase weight bearing on the legs with some kind of pre-load because you lifted the height of the cofffee table.

IMO why the ride quality/spring rate is percieved to be stiffer after raising the perches is either, or a combination of, the suspension geometry changing and the UCA and LCA are no longer strait out, but now angled down, reducing leverage put on the springs/strut (and more road feedback is traveling through the UCA and LCA bushings into the frame), and with ~2.5+ inch raises maybe the suspension is having some kind of binding/resistance causing the spring to actually pre-load (compress more vs. opposite and equally lift the vehicle more).

Becuase of that opinion of mine, I went from wanting to lift simply using my 5100s w/ OE springs, to wanting 881s and 5100s as the 881s are linear rate and I believe a bit softer than OE.