Bilstein B110 Rear Shocks with 2" AAL? Compatible?

Hey everybody! I have recently managed to blow out a stock Bilstein shock being on a 2" lift in the rear. I was wondering if i should buy myself a Christmas present and found the b110's on Headstrongs website and was gonna pair them with new brake lines. I guess i am just getting confused on the numbers at work here. I have a 2" AAL right now and want full leaf packs in the future of the truck, so with 4" extended brake lines, can i get the B110 Bilsteins for the extra 2" of travel? Or is something not going to work right here. More worried about bump stops not catching the shock before it grenades itself which i may end up doing with these even with the 2" lift? Any tips are helpful at this point!


Stock Bilstein heights numbers :
Collapsed - 14.02"
Extended - 22.94"
Travel - 8.92"

B110 Bilstein height numbers :
Collapsed- 16.34
Extended - 27.28
Travel - 10.94"

 

New Bump stops are a must. I had the B110’s with just an 1.5” add a leaf and they were fine as long as you upgrade your bumpstops. I did a ubolt flip kit and Wheelers super bumps in the rear. Worked fine for me. I recently upgraded to Dakar 2.75” heavy packs and the shocks are perfect length now. Hope that helps you out.

 

Damn, alright good to know. Thank you, although i was hoping i could get away without the bump stops for now. Oh well.

 

I agree with Cali. I have the B110s and the wheelers super bumps and a custom 2 in leaf pack and had to extend the bumps an inch to keep the shocks from bottoming out.
I also have a u bolt flip kit.

 

Even with an AAL, your limiting factor for droop is the stock springs. No need for B 110s. If you space the bumps, you're just limiting overall travel, significantly.

Either do springs too or just get some 5100s for the rear. B110s are a 5100 series shock for 4-6" lifts.

 

So then OME nitrochargers for the rear would probably be my best bet (my second choice)

 

Wheelers bump stops are the shit, can work with Allpro flip kit, won't break the bank!!

 

With stock springs and AAL, they will be a great shock for the money. I had them briefly and they worked great. If you ever go to an aftermarket leaf pack (even Dakars) the Nitrochargers will be the limiting factor for droop.

 

So when i do dakars or maybe deavers what should i be looking at? i have seen that they say 2.5" of lift, but some get around 3" with no cap and an empty bed. All i carry rn is a toolbox and a high lift soooo. if it did give me 2.5 or above would superbumps and b110's be the answer?

 

Super bumps actually squish to a smaller size than stock bumps, so they wouldn't be the best option. With the right size spacer, they'd be great. Maybe 2 or 3" - not sure. I have them in front and love them. Timbrens and B110s would be ideal. I have air bags and B110s with Dakars + AAL. I only have the air bags because they were my first suspension mod. I currently don't use the full stroke on my B110s. My brake lines are only 23" and my Dakars max those out. I have some 29s to put in. I was planning a shackle flip, but won't be doing it soon. I'm going to pull the rear retainer pin on the leaf pack for more droop, after I put on the new brake lines. It should gain me a couple more inches of droop.

 

I have superbumps in the front and really love them, helped with the plate bumper when bottoming out. Aren't timbrens more of an overpriced piece of rubber thats almost like stock? at that point could i just space the stock one? I have some 4" extension brake lines in the mail currently so i will be ready when the time comes for new packs.

 

There a re a couple different Timbren options for our trucks. They're softer than stock, but not as soft as Superbumps. They are $$ for pieces of rubber though. I'm glad I already had the airbags. If you got the extended Billstiens (5165?), you could use Superbumps.

 

I've got B110s with Dakars and the second overload removed, so I have ~2" of lift and a u-bolt flip kit. I too had to raise the bumpstop to prevent bottoming out the shock. Unfortunately in my situation I don't have a ton of uptravel (4") but I've not had an issue with it when towing heavy. I blew out my first pair of 5100s (the non-B110s variety) by over-extending them with a 1.5" AAL in the stock springs, and knew that I didn't want my shocks to act as limit straps anymore when I went to Dakars. I wasnt doing anything remotely off-road when they gave up the ghost. I've got +4" extended brake lines with my B110s and Dakars, and I don't use the lower end of the shock travel *intentionally*.

TL;DR: With the soft stock springs with an AAL acting as a band-aid, I would definitely not want to limit my up-travel with B110s because you're gonna want that extra up-travel when you load the bed with heavy stuff or tow much. All because the stock springs don't handle load well.

In your situation and those in the same boat, I'd run regular length 5100s, or see if King/Fox/Icon has something with a little more down travel without sacrificing up-travel. If you plan to flex that setup to its limits on a regular basis, you need to be considering limit straps. Shocks aren't designed to handle that job even on a semi-regular basis.

 

I am leading more towards the route of OME nitrochargers for now i think and will keep myself on stock bump stocks till i can afford the jump to timbrens and a thicker pack o leafs. Thanks for the first hand experience info though. The truck rarely will be wheeled for the next year an a quarter because its my ride to school. When thats over its back to the trails.

 

I may look into the 5165's as well here before ordering.

 

Check out the 5125’s. They may be perfect for what your looking for.

 

Actually, I think these are the ones I was thinking of.

 

Yah im not finding any 65's haha. Thanks guys