Opionions of Wheeler's HD front and rear springs?

[Adam Baum]

Ok, backing off the full lift for now, I don't have enough cash on hand for what I want. I still need new shocks though. I know I want the Bilstein 5100s for my lift but can I use them on the stock suspension for the time being? I want to be sure the fronts don't lift at all, even at the lowest adjustable setting.

Also wondering if the extended travel of the rear shocks is a problem with the rear leafs? I read somewhere that it might require a new bump stop?

If using the adjustable 5100s and later adding the OME 880 or 881 up front, will the coil alone provide the lift or do I still need to pre load with the 5100s adjustable collar?

Thanks for helping sort this out guys!

I have an approx: 2" lift with my 5100 set at "0" & OME 881's. Marco @ DSM said that if I used the stock springs with the 5100's set at "0" then the truck would not have raised at all.

 

[DaveM]

I would call Downsouth Motorsports and run your questions by them.
They are the foremost experts on Tacoma Billsteins in the US and usually have the best prices as well.

So Wheeler's says no issue with 5100s and stock springs. But I emailed Downsouth and they replied that rear 5100s were designed for at least 1" of lift and will be a bit too long for stock leafs. The result is the shocks will bottom out before the truck hits the bump stop. Not sure what to do. Annoyed with always having a compromise to make with my trucks upgrades.

 

[upcountry]

I say stick with the 5100s, take off the rear shocks and find a ramp of some sort (most grocery stores have a loading ramp that will work) and take some measurements. Then get a new bumpstop to make up the difference. Aftermarket bumpsrops are cheap and easy to find in all sizes.

 

[Blackdawg]

I am running these leafs as well as the AAL they make for it. The 5 pack, aal and 1.5'' shackles give me 4.5'' of lift on my 96 tacoma and hold a good amount of weight. I drove it for about a week with just the packs and shackles and it was nice too. They squat at around 100lbs in the bed and ride great like that. I got the AAL cause i had bro lean with my Eibach front coils and wanted rake so i added the custom AAL. Now its pretty rough street riding but with a bit of weight back there its awesome.

With just the 5 pack and shackles, 5100s and Eibachs up front

after aal.

how it flexes??




good

All in all I'm pretty happy for now. Was my best option as I'm a 96 and i didn't want to relocate my leaf hangers. But i am adding a bed/roof rack and steel wrap around plate bumper with tire swing so we will see how they hold up. Next leafs I'm gonna get are Allpro Expos and ill just suck it up and relocate the hangers.

 

[Rattler]

]Wheelers is an awesome vendor. I have dealt with them several times. When I decided to go with Bilsteins last summer so I could get rid of my coilspacers I called them. I ended up with the Bilsteins all the way around and the OMEs up front. Well the front ended up being a little higher than I wanted but I ended up with "1 blocks ou back (along with AALs I had). It rode kinda crappy until I got the blocks back there. Now it has a great ride (especially in the dirt now). I am running 285/75/16s on FZJ80 wheels. My big reason for going a little higher was to eliminate a bit of rubbing at full lock. I still have a little but it is a lot better. I am sure a set of wheelspacers would have cured it but probably would have started some other rubbing/problem.

 

[DaveM]

I need to resolve this before spring, planning a few local trips but I don't want to go anywhere without new shocks first.

Lift is out for now, unless I miraculously find full time work in the next two months! Is there a non lift Bilstein with the same performance as the 5100s? My reading online suggests the HDs would be much stiffer. Is anyone here actually running the 5100s on stick rear leafs on a taco? I should probably post a new question about this or go over to TTORA.

 

[Rattler]

I need to resolve this before spring, planning a few local trips but I don't want to go anywhere without new shocks first.

Lift is out for now, unless I miraculously find full time work in the next two months! Is there a non lift Bilstein with the same performance as the 5100s? My reading online suggests the HDs would be much stiffer. Is anyone here actually running the 5100s on stick rear leafs on a taco? I should probably post a new question about this or go over to TTORA.

You might even get an answer that isn't non-degrading. Too many smartasses over there but I do search for info there when needed sometimes.

 

[Blackdawg]

I need to resolve this before spring, planning a few local trips but I don't want to go anywhere without new shocks first.

Lift is out for now, unless I miraculously find full time work in the next two months! Is there a non lift Bilstein with the same performance as the 5100s? My reading online suggests the HDs would be much stiffer. Is anyone here actually running the 5100s on stick rear leafs on a taco? I should probably post a new question about this or go over to TTORA.

Yes you can run 5100s with stock coils, just simply put the adjustable plate to the lowest setting and your good to go.

however for stock rear tacos, 5100s are actually a bit to long and you risk slamming the shock on top itself as it trys to compress to much. So instead a shorter 5125 is recommended for tacomas still on stock leafs, especially if they are old leafs and are sagging.

If you don't do a ton of offloading you'll probably be fine with just 5100s in the rear tho. If you do plan on taking some trips that go of the road..you don't want to blow a shock haha

id also recommend going over to tacomaworld. Im a very active person over there and there are literally hundreds of thread about 5100s and all the other billy shocks and lift options.


all in all, call DSM(downsouthmotorsports) They are considered the experts on Blistein shocks and they will hook you up with the right stuff and have the best pricing for them. Its where i got my 5100s and 5150s.

 

[DaveM]

Thanks Blackdog,

Yeah I'm not worried about the fronts, just the rear shocks. Tacomaword has a lot of good info, I'll look around there. I'm now considering doing the Toytec 1" shackles in the rear to accommodate the 5100s. Then I can do to the small lift setting on the front 5100s (.85") hopefully clearing my tires enough to eliminate or reduce the rubbing at full lock. Not as good as replacing the springs but should give me what I need, at a price I can handle right now and I'll have the 5100s in if I decide to replace the springs later.

 

[Blackdawg]

Thanks Blackdog,

Yeah I'm not worried about the fronts, just the rear shocks. Tacomaword has a lot of good info, I'll look around there. I'm now considering doing the Toytec 1" shackles in the rear to accommodate the 5100s. Then I can do to the small lift setting on the front 5100s (.85") hopefully clearing my tires enough to eliminate or reduce the rubbing at full lock. Not as good as replacing the springs but should give me what I need, at a price I can handle right now and I'll have the 5100s in if I decide to replace the springs later.

That is a good idea too man, a bit of future proofing. I have toyotech 1.5'' shackles and am very happy with them.