Bilstein 5100

Check out @HeadStrong Off-Road.

 

Also 5100s at 1.75" with Eibach coils is really not recommended and is a sure fire warranty void on both or either component.

 

What would be the best route to take to get the truck a mild lift?

 

I've had mine at 1.75 for over a year on the stock coils, and I feel like its too soft. I really notice when driving through a field the body will roll back and forth and I'll have to slow down or I'm bouncing all over the place.

 

I had 5100s with stock coils up front, set at .85 for a period of time and later at 1.75. No complaints on ride but the road manners were meh. Had a 3 leaf AAL in the rear. This setup was pretty great for under $500.

 

Thanks. Can you clarify what you mean when you say road manners specifically? like handling?

 

Yeah, it would follow all the ruts in the roadway, especially under braking. Tires good, alignment was in spec, just handled different in a way I didn't like.

I can't say entirely that's a problem of 5100s at 1.75, but it lessened with my new lift which is 3/4" more. I probably could have benefitted with new UCAs and I certainly do now.

That said, even if you add a pair of LR UCAs for $375 or whatever it is from @HeadStrong Off-Road then you're still looking at a solid lift for most people. I'd still have that setup, TBH, but I added a shell and carry heavy loads (1200 lbs) so I needed new leafs in the rear anyway, or airbags.

Anyway, for under $500 I think it's the best lift you can get. That's 5100s at all 4 corners and a Wheeler's Offroad 3 leaf AAL. It would be a great option for anybody who doesn't haul a lot on a constant basis and wants a cost effective setup. My truck looked pretty good IMO.

 

Do you think the preloaded springs played into the way it followed ruts in the road? Does it do it at all with your current setup?

 

This is why I chose to put new coils on to lift the front and keep 5100 set at 0.

 

This is what I would suggest.. OME coils and 5100s at 0. But that exceeds the $500 front and rear lift which I find to be hard to beat for the money.

It does the same which is why I mentioned that I probably could have benefitted from aftermarket UCAs even at 1.75" of lift. That said, it is less pronounced with my current setup which is fully OME.

My current setup is almost 3x the price more, and I still don't have UCAs. Hoping to get a pair that need rebuilding for under $200.

 

I know the bilsteins aren't great with eibachs set at 2.5, but at 1.85 or whatever that third ring is has worked great for me.

I pieced the entire front and rear suspension set up from toytec and downsouthmotorsports.com. Def get the 3* shim for rear axle.

I do a fair share of wheeling (not the mall crawling type) and I love the set up. I have nearly 48k on the front suspension with zero issues. I have replaced each rear shock one after blowing them on separate occasions. I got about 30k before the 1st blew and 37ish before the 2nd did. I'm a firm believer in the set up.

 

More of a matter of riding and articulating poorly. You have a much stronger coil than OEM, and still another 30 lbs stronger coil than an OME lift coil, and on top of that you're preloading it to nearly 2" of extra lift

I don't know your truck or acceptance of how things are, but fuck that. There is a reason both Bilstein and Eibach tell you that preloading lift coils to that extent voids warranties, and it isn't because it's a smart way to do things.

Just my .02.

 

Yeah, fuck down travel.

 

No worries I rode around with the suspension set to .85 for prob the first 25k miles then up'd it to 1.75; I personally think that helped "loosen" the coil so the load wasn't as severe as brand new set to 1.75. I understand that's a lot of load. And "my results may not be typical" haha but it worked for me. Hopefully the OP reads a TON of posts and forums before he makes a decision and not just 1, that would be a recipe for disaster

 

How much lift did you get up front with the Eibach at 1.75?

 

...I never measured a thing. I decided to up it to 1.75 once the 35's still rubbed a little after the CMC all the way to the bolt and beating in the wheel well. BUT with the 35's and this set up I'm sitting about 3ish" higher so I'd say the suspension itself is about 2?

 

Has to be at least 3" over stock. Assuming you have 1.6 Eibach coils and 1.75" of actual lift with the preload setting of 1.75.

I was on stock coils which are way softer than Eibach and got 1.5" of lift at .85, but my front end is lightweight. At 1.75 setting I got 1.75" of lift, measured.

So you should be much higher than 2".

 

Yea I would say so then. I have a baja front bumper so it's near weightless haha. I wish I had done a build page long ago and kept notes on all this with how much each change got me, but I've gone too far now to start and too close to being "done" (which we know never truly happens haha)

 

If the truck wants to follow ruts in the road that is due to caster adjustment to not being correct. Once the truck is lifted, the original factory specs may not be the most optimal.

Once you hit around 2.5" of lift you will need ucas to get the correct caster for the truck to handle well. Otherwise the truck will be all over the road.

 

This may give an idea of lift. It's pretty close to how the truck sits today.