XREAS to Bilstein 5100

I dunno I think its almost undoable without popping off the tie rod bolt with a bearing puller. I tried a few years ago without removing it.. ended up having an accident, got my hand pinched under the Coilover bottom, got worse during struggle to free my crushed hand, knocked it off the jackstand, it fell... then things got broken..then things got worse.. then I waited 5 months or so.. Seems when I told the tow truck driver not to drive it onto the flatbed or turn the wheel, he figured it was just.. I dunno

So

1 new front diff
1 new axle shaft
1 crushed hand
$9K later

I would remove the lower bolt... and not skip this step. I found it doesnt offer enough clearance, with Kings at least to install without removal.

 

The shop that did the install is going to swap them. I was also debating if I should have them set the shocks to #2 setting, or would that require spacers in rear? I saw a thread that said #2 setting is better than stock and didn't require any spacers, though. Not sure if I should even go that route. My off roading consists of annual trip to OBX 4x4 and my truck performs fine. Just looking for a little more sporty look

 

If you move both shocks to the .85 settings you will be basically the same as a Pro. You can go to 1.75 and not be negative rake ( until you load the back up)

 

@HarrisNC will it look okay with Michelin Defenders stock size (20's)

 

I don’t think it will look bad at the .85 setting. The nittos that come on a pro are not aggressive and are only a little wider. I would probably want something a little bigger eventually. I switched my 20s to 17s and have the stock 2675/70/17. Same thing I had on my 17 with 1.75F/1”R

 

I have mine at 1.75" and no spacer in the rear. Looks good to me.

 

I'm fairly sure @nimby has the same, albeit with Eibach shocks; same effect.

 

I had that set-up for quite a while. The fender height front and back were dead level.

However, when I put a heavy roof rack on, it eventually caused the rear to settle slightly and became a little nose high.

I've since added a 0.5" rear spacer.

Now I have the stance of a Pro, but a little higher all around.

I do like my current stance better......so I recommend adding a 0.5" rear spacer if you go 1.75" up front.

 

I nstalled bilstein 6112s up front. The c clip settings are staggered in order to remove the lean and you get the ride of a 2.5 diameter damper..

 

FWIW, Here’s a pic of my 2021 TRD OR with Bilstein 5100’s with the front set at .85 on stock front and rear springs.

I’ve added more weight (winch, bumper and skids) since and have changed springs but hope the attached pic helps the OP get a feel of the stance at the .85 setting

Cheers,
Bob

 

The lean is from incorrect front spring orientation.

 

I have considered adding 0.5 spacer to the rear as when I have some weight in the back, it sags a tiny bit. Did you do this yourself or have a shop do it?

 

I did it myself. It's pretty easy.

 

The shop swapped my springs. Now the longer one with more coils is on driver. Also, had the shocks moved up to #2 clip. I'm now within a 1/4 inch side to side and I think the front end height is perfect! Next stop is Garden State Undercoating in New Jersey for undercarriage rust remediation and woolwax.

 

Very nice. So that's 1.75" up front, no spacer in the rear?

 

0.85. They did install small spacer rear driver to help compensate for lean, but not sure what size

 

Looks good. Glad swapping the springs did the trick.

 

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this whole forum thing. The name is Clint. The last forum I was part of was back in 2021 but I never really participated in much of the thread posting. I have installed the 5100s on all four corners with the front clip set to the 3rd notch (1.75) but now I'm having an issue and I've been searching Google, YouTube and the forums trying to find either similarities or a solution regarding this issue. I did the work myself and after three weeks of driving and allowing the suspension to settle prior to getting the alignment corrected I have noticed on the front, driver's side, the top shock bolt, washer and bushing are not as tight and compressed as the front passenger side. It is loose enough that the washer and bushing can be spun by hand while the vehicle is still on the ground. I haven't had any luck finding any similar experience nor any solutions online. I could also be using the wrong vernacular while searching. If anyone has experienced this and can offer any tips on a solutions would be great assistance. I appreciate any and all input in advance.

 

Just use a wrench and tighten it up while its on the vehicle, with weight on the front end, just reach in the wheel well and tighten the top nut down until its snug. You would realistically want the same number of threads showing on both left and right shock bolts. I vaguely recall mine shows about 5-7 threads above the nut maybe??

 

I guess I forgot to mention, everything has been torqued to spec per Toyota and Bilstein, including the shock that is giving me trouble. That's where my problem is and not understanding why the passenger side and driver's side are showing different spring rates against the tophat.