Bilstein 5100s pics with settings

Did you ever get your rear done? Curious how it turned out. Looked good from those pics for just the front.

 

Not yet, soon. Still stock in the rear. I was considering adding a .75 spacer in the back and going up to 1.75 up front but I think I will just leave it alone lol.

 

Hey, lemme know if you want a new .75 Cornfed spacers. I went a diff route and they won’t refund, so they’re sitting in my garage. PM me & we can discuss $

 

ANYONE HERE HAVE 5100's SET HIGHER THAN LOWEST 0"/STOCK CLIP SETTING, AND RUNNING LIFT SPRINGS?
thx

 

I did on my Tacoma… used Dobinsons 314 then added a bumper and sagged a bit.. ok per Crikey Mike. BUT max it to 2nd from bottom. Otherwise use a bigger coil

 

Really happy with how this turned out, big thanks to TEQ Customs in Raleigh for their excellent service. I’d highly recommend them if you are in NC.

Bilstein 5100s, OME 884 front coils, Dobinsons 323 Rear coils, 275 Nitto Terra Grappler G3. 1.75 setting with half inch rear coils.

 

I had those rims on my taco. Gave them to a friend who had them powder coated and now I want them back-

 

That’s exciting, happy for ya!
Please report back on ride quality with your 5100’s clicked up to 1.75 setting; I run OME884’s on 5100’s as well but I’m at the lowest setting 0”.

*technically Bilstein recommends in the 5100 documentation to not set the strut to the higher ring grooves (leave at 0”) if you’re running lift springs, which you are. the lift springs are to do the lifting in theory. the selectable ring groove settings are intended to lift trucks running factory spring length. OME884’s are virtually same spring rate as factory springs as well. BUT, I am actually going to click my 5100’s up from 0” to the first ring very soon, so don’t listen to me lol

 

Crikey Mike advised me to do so on my Tacoma after adding a bumper…. Just more than 1 clip above bottom

 

Crikey Mike is a legend. That’s funny, I’m also cranking mine up one notch in anticipation of steel bumper (dom)

 

The spacing between each groove on the 5100 is 10 mm. The next groove up from stock results in 0.85" lift or almost 22 mm so 1.0 unit of lift at the strut is about 2.2 units at the wheel. I found this handy when guesstimating lift from the height of the strut assemblies.

 

whilw youre under there, upgrade those front bumpstops if havent already.

 

@djwantke @Captain Sensible , ride quality thus far feels great. It’s not quite as stiff as i thought I would be but still just feels so much more “crisp” than the old setup did which has 160k miles on it. Took it out on the beach on Saturday and it did so much better than it had been previously in the sand as far as ride quality which was nice.

I was dating my wife when she bought this thing off the lot new in 2011 and i remember thinking the wheels gave it a classic Mickey Thompson look at the time. They have aged pretty well I think. Overall I’m stoked. Had to trade my beloved Tacoma in for us to get a tahoe. So getting her hand me down 4Runner is actually starting to feel like an upgrade. They are such functional vehicles for surfing etc.

 

Any smart suspension folks here know if this is true about 5100 lift adjustment being forbidden if you run 3” lift springs?

 

Bilstein 5100 height settings go up to 2.75".

With a 3" lift coil and the snap ring set to 0", you're already overextending the shock.

I would definitely not go higher unless you're dealing with significant additional weight up front and even in that case I would recommend a smaller coil with a higher spring rate before using a 3" coil on that shock.

 

Thank you for explaining, now that is something I can understand.
My shop seemed to disagree at the moment, but I thought there was a type of top hat spacer that can give me more height without changing the strut and coil relationship ? (short of a body lift)

 

@nimby
Some new developments tonight from my shop. and I’ll say again, these guys are quite experienced.
Looks like I can safely increase the circlip after all. I would value your opinion on what you think about this info and reasoning.

• 884--- 2.5"-3" lift standard coils - Stock weight
• Fitment Notes:
• OME front coils can only be installed with OME Nitrocharger struts and coil seats
• These coils will NOT work on stock shocks.

So your coil springs are technically a 2.5-3" coil spring but ONLY when on an OME Strut which you do not have. This puts us in a really tough spot not having a pre-measurement of the truck and a post measurement when you put that system in unless you have that? I'm a bit concerned about the stock struts not working and the need for the OME coil seats as the 5100's essentially mimic an OEM coil seat.

Furthermore, if you wanted to support for a bumper/winch setup properly then the front coilovers should be swapped out for something more appropriate and preferably something in an inverted mono-tube adjustable height coilover. I'm not sure the circlip on the 5100's would hold with heavier OME springs.

So having found this out now, I think the best way would be to increase the circlip setting on the Bilsteins to increase the ride height and try to mimic where it would have sat on the Nitrocharger struts. There is no way for me to tell you how much to go up so you'll have to make a judgement call on this and let me know what you want to try.”


I told him my before and after ride height:
(noted after settling time):
Before:
19.5" front and 22" rear

After:
22" front and 23.5" rear
Front 2.5-3" OME springs, Rear 2" ICON springs

 

I don't know enough about the interaction between OME coils and 5100 spring perches to give you an informed opinion on combining the two. But frankenstein-ing coils and shocks in this situation sounds problematic to me.

If it were me, I'd spring for some new coils of the appropriate size and spring weight to accommodate the bumper you plan on. I don't think it's worth holding on to OME coils and trying them work. Coils really aren't that expensive. I'd check with Dobinsons first.

If you're in a pinch and need the truck back right away, then I guess you could go with OME coils. Just know it's a gamble and it might not work like you hoped.....in which case you'd have to buy the new coils and pay for labor twice instead of just the once.

 

Thanks buddy, smart advice.

4 Wheel Parts installed my lift in 2021. They were quite reputable at the time and specifically chose OME coils to go with the Bilsteins, and had done so many times before. This information about the OME springs not playing nice with 5100 perch is news to me that I’ve never read anywhere. I actually think there’s no problem or risk, and I would be surprised that Bilstein built a perch that can’t handle slightly heavier gauge lift springs. I would think I just need to switch to Bilstein springs, if anything.
Fckn 4 Wheel Parts…lol
When I get a winch bumper, I was not planning to be in the market for all new struts. I am now though

 

I did this for several years on my Tacoma with 5100’s and DOB 314’s w zéro issues and did not notice ride diff. But I also did it due to bumper install (keep that in mind)! Not much diff than adjusting a coil over. BUT, was warned not to exceed more than 1 circ clip from bottom (if using a lift coil).

 

Hey all, I've got a 2012 limited. Its definitely time to replace the suspension as its the original XREAS, so I can't complain as its lasted 13 years.

Anyone have any rough idea on cost going with 5100 front and rear for a install? Im trying not so sink too much into a 13 year old vehicle. But its in good shape and runs good. We also have a 2024 that we picked up last summer. So this is going to be a bit of learning experience for me for down the road.

Thoughts on if I would need new coils possibly based on the age? Anything else that might just be too worn at this point, would you think? Im struggling to find a offroad shop around me, and don't think any of the local shops know much about removing the XREAS, which doesn't look too bad watching some videos. Its all new to me and trying to learn, in the hopes when it's time to replace the '24 XREAS I'll know what I`m talking about.

 

Check your local fb marketplace you might be able to find newer springs for cheap. Maybe even look for uca while your at it.

 

Here is a statement directly from Bilstein in their FAQ section to only use stock springs with 5100s.
https://academy.bilsteinus.com/knowledge/where-should-i-put-the-snap-ring-on-my-shock
That said, I could swear I read in a Bilstein document that you could use lift springs but had to leave the perch at zero, but I haven't found it yet...

 

I'll second this. I found a lightly used set of OEM shock/coil assembly for $25 locally on Offer Up.

 

Hey dude
Yeah, I think both those statements are correct and perhaps even Bilstein is speaking out of both sides of their mouth. But I clicked that bitch up 3/4 of an inch anyways to the first setting LOL

 

@BLKNBLU
I guess it’s a bold move we’ll see if it pays off for me haha

 

I beleive that is correct

 

Good ideas checking FB, etc. Seems like people think they should sell for about $300 though. Just need to find someone that is tired of having them sitting around and is about to toss them I guess.