New Lift Installed! 5100s + Icon progressive AAL

Threw away my crappy pro comp leveling kit today. I had the kit that had the poly pre load spacer that was installed on top of the coil between the coil and the mounting plate. It served it's purpose for ~10 months but I should have done it right the first time.

I went with Bilstein 5100s front and rear with OEM coils, set the front to 1.75" and added the 1.5" Icon progressive three leaf add a leaf to the rear. I had the 2 leaf pack + overload from the factory, I removed the overload and installed the 3-leaf pack for a total of 5 leafs, no overload.

Rides a TON better, compared to the pre load spacer in the front.

I work for a NASCAR team so I was able to use a lift in the shop 1 day after work. Took about 3.5-4 hours from start to finish to complete it. Would have been a little less had I not completely assembled a coil over and put it back on the truck before I realized I had forgot to put the plastic guard over the shock shaft. Also had a U bolt in the rear that was being stubborn as far as threading the nuts onto it, so I took the time to deburr it and get the threads straightened out.

Also, I took it to Firestone this morning to get it aligned (I've had good luck with them in the past with prior vehicles), I got the lifetime alignment with tax and all for about $128. Got $50 off since it was black friday.

Everything aligned well, I think my Camber on both sides is around a +.3 and Caster is in the 1.6-2.0 range. Toe was .02.

1st attached picture is Before (Pro Comp poly spacer in front, stock rear)

2nd-4th pictures are after the new lift.

Before measurements (with leveling kit)

DF-21
PF-21.5
DR-21.25
PR-21.5

After measurements (new lift)

DF-22
PF-22.25
DR-23
PR-23

Those are center hub to bottom of fender measurements.

 

Truck looks good, man. But then... these trucks look badass as it is.

I like some of the looks with a lift, I just have no desire to lift mine. I'm 5' 10" and don't really want to have to "climb" to get into my truck. My wife is 5' tall and she actually asked me to get the nerf bars for her. haha

 

Those are great looking rims!

 

X2 on the rims.i like the look with that color I have the same color truck
nice job on the life also.

 

Looks good man.265 17?

 

Sweet modifications, I really like your truck!

 

Hell yea looks good, must be nice to work for a nascar team what one ? Nice work if I end up keeping my truck and not getting a new 4Runner I'd do some more mods like yours..

 

nice, looks good.

you don't rub on the front spats? the mud guard looking plastic flaps in front of the front wheels?

 

Nice! How does she ride with the new shoes/ lift?

 

Thanks guys!

Arkansas30, yes my tire size is 265 70 17.

lyodbraun, I've been with Joe Gibbs Racing for a little over 7 years.

tblizzard, I haven't rubbed yet, I know exactly what you're talking about though because I did a lot of research before I went this route. I've seen some reports saying they do rub and seems like for some it's not an issue. Only been lifted for a few days, but I can't remember ever rubbing the spats while I was leveled either.

Arpatton86, so far so good. I've only put about 100ish miles on it since the install. The progressive add a lead supposedly soaks up a lot of the harshness that you get from the single add a leaf. I can't attest to that first hand that's just what I've gathered from researching both routes through the forums.

 

Question...so with the 5100's set at 1.75, do you still have good movement with the UCA joints? I've heard people say its wise to install an aftermarket UCA with the 5100's set at the 1.75 or 2.5 height. Your thoughts? Thanks Ryan

 

I think at 1.75 some people need UCAs to get aligned, and more people need them at 2.5 (usually). Some here have 3" lifts up front on stock UCAs and are okay, so I don't think there's a set rule, but generally 3" + you need UCAs, and some will need UCAs at slightly less lift height up front.

Looks good, OP! I have the Wheeler's 3 leaf AAL on my kitchen table waiting to be installed with 5100 rears, and I'll be bumping my 5100 fronts to 1.75 from .85 they're currently at. Can't wait.

 

I usually don't like aftermarket wheels, especially chrome, but I really like your setup. The colour, the roof rack, the wheels and the lift all look awesome together. Very nice truck. All you're missing is an extra foot in the bed.

 

Pretty good racing team to work for

 

Sweet looking truck!

 

I didn't have any issues getting the truck aligned at the 1.75" setting. Everything is in factory specs. I also haven't noticed any abnormal noises or anything that would point to not having enough ball joint movement. It rides as good if not better than stock, and DEFINITELY an improvement over the spacer lift I replaced.

I'm not a big chrome fan either, and the wheels are "machined face" not chrome. It's more of like a bare metal finish. I just thought it would compliment the chrome already on the truck since I have the off road package.

Thanks for the compliments! I actually added a 30" AVEC light bar in my lower valance using the Rigid Industries mounts. It's a tight fit but I think it turned out pretty clean!!!

 

Always wondered what my AVEC would look like with the Rigid mounts. Thanks for posting.

 

Will lift mine next spring, I work right next to Bilstein here in Mooresville but don't think they sell to the public, I might just do the 1.75 and see how it looks before lifting the rear (I have the 3 leaf plus OL)

Did you use the 1/4 driver side spacer for the lean?
How harsh is the ride on the stock OR coils?

 

No I didn't use the driver side spacer. Mine had minimal lean in it to begin with and you really couldn't notice it unless you had a measuring tape out so I just did the 5100s only. I think you should be level with the 4 leaf pack and 1.75" setting. Atleast that's what I've gathered from the forums. I only had the 3 leaf pack and actually wanted my rear to still have some rake in it, just wanted it to be taller.

i really don't think that the ride is harsh with the off road coils. I may have been able to tell the difference if I had gone straight from stock to the 5100s but I actually had a leveling kit on the front (poly spacers) that I replaced with the 5100s so it was actually an improvement for me.

 

sounds good, I have .5" lean right now, so not noticable and probably depends on my tank being full or not. I will just put the fronts in and see how it looks/feels like...