Bilsteins raised way more than expected??? Whats wrong

A lesson to all... No matter how simple the job is, or how manly we think we are... Read the directions! The 5100's come with a VERY easy to follow instruction booklet - Enjoy your truck once you get it sorted!

 

Hahaha, there's a guy @ work with a f150 that gives new meaning to the Carolina Squat. I will have to get a pic of it. In the meantime here's a sample,

 

That looks like @SullyMoto19 truck!

Edit: I mean the huge lift, not the bro lean LOL

 

His must be mounted wrong too

 

LMAO

 

Haha I need some adjustable coils soon... but definitely don’t want a squatted truck lol

 

haha, not gonna lie man, that pic of your truck made me lol. I can only imagine all the head scratching you guys were doing after the install.

Glad you got it figured out though!

 

That would be great! Id be interested to to see the before and after.

Thanks!!

 

Just finished 5100's all around, middle setting on the fronts and it's level. Love the ride quality of the Bilsteins.

 

My Bilsteins are set on the top groove and settled over time to 2 inches. Truck is perfectly level front to rear.

 

I just got my 5100 and plan on installing them on top setting what blocks are you guys referring to on the rear ones ?

 

My truck is level with the clip on the top setting. Nothing in the rear.

 

Sorry, had to do it.

 

Thanks @plumber802

 

So... not to drag this thread out any longer.. but I felt it would be good to update you all on what happened in the 20 mile round trip to work and back in case any of you ever hear of this again.

First, let me start by saying that when these shocks are installed correctly the snap ring setup is rock solid... this is at least partly due to the fact that when the spring seat is put on *properly, it actually slides over the snap ring and encapsulates it so that it cannot come apart.

So... to make a long story short... When I took the truck apart to flip the spring seats over... the snap rings had opened up a little and were nearly coming out of the grooves on the shock. I think if I would have driven much more on them like this they would have came out. So I had to replace both snap rings (which you can find on Amazon if need be) and now the truck is back together, riding great.

I set the shocks at the highest setting this time... so just to give anyone an idea of what that looks like before putting a spacer block in to raise the back of the truck, I'll post a pic below. I also changed the wheels to an older style that I painted with truck bed liner, just for winter wheels.

 

Seeing your truck makes me want to spend money...

And yes, I do looooove this color.

 

I'm not trying to get out of the fact that this was a boneheaded mistake at all, trust me... this was the definition of stupid... but what actually surprised me was that the directions do not show anything or say anything about the spring seat (other than the fact that they say reassemble shock like factory). I think if there was a picture in there like the one that someone posted above showing the spring seat, this would have been avoided. The directions only show the shock itself, not assembled with the spring.

 

You would be shocked how many guys have done this the same way. Mistakes are bound to happen, the good news is it didnt dampen your mood and you were able to spring back and correct it. Good thing you extended a question here and we were preloaded with responses to help you rebound fast. How many puns can I compress in here? Anyone in suspense?

 

Your response is shocking.

 

Thanks for the snap ring explanation. I have been wondering how a snap ring can support that much weight and this helps my understanding.

Bravo, sir!

 

I guess in order to finalize this thread I should post a pic now that the 1" blocks are in the rear. I just got the blocks from Amazon...

Heavy Metal Suspensions - Fits 1999 - 2021 Toyota Tundra (2WD 4WD) 1" Rear Lift Blocks + Extended Plated U-Bolts High Strength Carbon Steel Lift Kit

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073HRZLF8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For some reason it still doesn't look level to me in this pic (I think it still looks like the rear is lower, California rake) but maybe the parking lot at work isn't level. I measured the wheel well to ground in both the front and back and the back is actually 1/2" higher... which is exactly what I wanted.

 

Have you seen any reasoning why not to use the highest setting? I know the majority of the guys I've seen here on the forum say they use them on the middle setting, but is there a reason why the highest isn't good? I haven't heard anything concrete yet.

 

Some say it will over-load the springs, but I don't buy that one - I think that is a rumor that whoever started it did not think it through. The loading is from the weight of the truck sitting on it, regardless of which setting you chose.
I think you are good at the top setting.

 

I guess that you could make a case that the preload is higher, because you're having to compress the spring further to get in between the two spring seats... so the ride might be a tad stiffer? Other than that over-loading the spring like you said wouldn't make any sense... its just going to take the weight of the truck. If people are only worried about spring failure that's a risk I'm willing to take. I don't see that happening anytime soon from giving it another half inch of preload...

 

Correct; when you assemble the coil-over, there will be more tension on the spring based on the position of the perch ring, and that is what they think about. However, when you put it in the truck, all that goes out the window - the spring is compressed as a result of the weight of the truck on it. The truck weighs the same no matter where the perch is. If the spring is, let's say 24" long uncompressed and 12" long compressed due to the weight of the truck when installed, that 12" will stay the same at either one of the positions. The distance below the perch sets the lift height, not the pre-loading of the spring.

 

At least they provided some written directions unlike Taco Tunes