Mack207

The problem with adding 5100's to a spacer is that the 5100's are longer than stock shocks. So when you add a spacer, the shocks become even longer than stock, and the suspension has the ability to extend further down. You could get new UCA's that allow for more droop, but then you may overextend the tie rods and cv axels. If your running any sort of front diff drop bracket, it will help with the geometry, but in the end, 5100's with a spacer will still provide more droop than what the drop bracket is designed for. My suggestion is to run 5100's alone, or with a smaller spacer than whatever came with any spacer kit you bought. Trucks with aluminum front suspension would be hard pressed to get even a 1" spacer in between the 5100 and the coil perch or lower CA before the uca contacts the droop stop on the frame (I tried it). I'm going to try 5100's on the second setting (.75" lift) and either a .50" or .75" spacer below the shock. I think any more than that the cv's will be very unhappy when the suspension is fully extended. And yes, this will only be around 1.5" of lift, but I will have more droop travel over stock shocks and a spacer that gives a similar amount of lift. Function over form. I may go to a 1" spacer and new UCA's if this setup works out and the driveline geometry is too out of whack.

Because the Bilsteins are longer than the stock shocks, you would most likely get control arm to droop stop contact. Do you have the aluminum or steel suspension?

There's no reason they wouldn't work, other than dampening. I've used 5100's on other "max tow" equipped trucks (Titan) and it was a vast improvement over stock.

How far away is the upper control arm from the frame bump stop fully extended? That's good to hear that you can fit a spacer in with the steel suspension. I don't know that you can with the aluminum.

The dampening, quality, and warranty are the reasons I have gone with 5100's on all of my vehicles (Grand Cherokee, Titan, AEV Jeep JK, GMC Sierra). The stock shocks on all of them were too bouncy over any type of rough terrain. I've also had to warranty a shock through Bilstein and they sent me out a new one without any questions. The OEM Rancho's on the 1500's have way too much bounce for my liking. Low speed turns are like driving in a boat when compared to 5100's. The argument for spacers is that they are simple, and mostly don't change what you currently have. They're also the only option for the magnetic ride if you have that. For $200, $350 installed with an alignment (or $250 if you do the install yourself, then get an alignment) 5100's are a no-brainier for me. And no, I don't work for Bilstein.

I said max height just as an example. I've ran 1.5", 2", and 2.5" on the same vehicle. The change in ride is small enough that most people won't say anything about it or really notice it, but there is a change. It also depends on what type of spacer you use. A spacer that mounts to the lca / bottom of the shock won't affect the ride as much as a spacer that sits on top of the shock. I think this is the reason most GMC / Chevy owners don't notice a change in ride as much. Most other vehicles only have a top of the shock spacer. With 5100's being longer than stock, yes the down travel at a higher setting my be equal to that of stock. But when comparing a 5100 at the top setting to a 5100 at the bottom setting, the one at the top setting will have less down travel with the weight of the vehicle on it.

But as you go higher on the Bilsteins, you still lose down travel. When compared to the stock shocks, the travel may be the same on the Bilsteins on the 2nd / 3rd setting. You would have to compare the exposed shaft length on the 5100's and stock shocks with the weight of the vehicle on it to determine if the down travel was the same at a certain setting. Then subtract that from the total shaft length. Spacer kits limit down travel by overextending the OEM components.

The ride does change with a spacer though. As I said before, the "same as stock" statement is simply not true. I ran stock shocks with max height spacers and the ride was definitely more firm. It's also why I said that I believe preload does contribute to the increase ride firmness. The ride is not the same when comparing a 2" spacer to 2" of lift with Bilsteins. Bilsteins dampening is also firmer than stock, and as you go up, the firmness is amplified by the increased angles. You're correct that the truck weight does not change. The spring compresses a certain amount under this weight. Raising the bottom spring perch compresses the spring on the shock by a certain amount as well, but the shock is at full extension. Because the spring only compress a certain amount with the weight of the truck on it, and you have already compressed the spring some with the shock fully extended, the truck will sit higher. You lose down travel here because the shock is more extended at normal ride height.

You won't be able to get a 2.5" spacer in with 5100's because they are longer than stock. You'd have to get new upper control arms. Top setting with .5" spacer may work. You could get the Bilstein 4600's, which I don't think are longer than stock, and run a 2.5" spacer. The dampening on any Bilstein is far better than the stock shocks.

The only thing the snap ring positions change is preload. The shock doesn't get longer. The increased preload keeps the shock from compressing more under the vehicles weight, creating lift, at the expense of down travel. The increased ride firmness is from the increased angles the suspension is operating at. I also believe increasing the preload increases the ride firmness, but others don't. The Rancho's ride bad because of their bouncy-ness. People complain of the 5100's riding bad because of the stiffness. Two different ends of the spectrum.

'14 All Terrain. Bilstein 5100's at 2nd (+.75" lift) setting. Can't wait to get rid of these factory tires for something more aggressive. At the wife's family farm in Tennessee.

The 5100's are longer than stock shocks, so any spacer added makes them an even longer assembly, which can over-extend the uca ball joint and cv joints. If you have the aluminum suspension, you'd be lucky to get a 1/2" spacer in without the uca contacting the bump-stop. It was my original plan to run 5100's on the 2nd setting with a 1" bottom spacer, but after I saw how much longer the 5100's were, I knew it wouldn't work without contact.

$650 installed is very high for 2 hours of work. I would order them myself then take them to a shop to install. Install should be around $100, then another $50 for front alignment. All you really need to install these is a table mounted vice and rented strut compressors. I just switched for the Rancho's to 5100's on the 2nd (+0.75" lift) setting, and it's a huge difference. No more bouncing making a low-speed turn, and the truck feels much more stable on the highway. I've run 5100's on my past three vehicles, and they're always worth the price. I install everything myself though.

Does anyone have a pic of the top mount of the 5100's when they're on the vehicle, or can someone go take one? I torqued the top nut down to Bilsteins measly 25 ft/lbs, and that doesn't seem right. The top spacer right under the nut can spin when the weight of the vehicle is on it. The last set of these I did, on a Titan, had a definite stopping point.

I just installed a set on the second setting on my truck today. I'm still running the factory goodyears and I didn't want them to look out of place. They gave .75" of lift as advertised. When I get new tires, most likely 275/60R20 or 275/65R20 I'll go up to the third setting. Ride is much better; I'm not bouncing all over the place now. Lift is noticeable to me as well, which is the most important thing lol.

You are correct. Bilsteins provide height by compressing the spring into a smaller space. The shock is only marginally longer than stock, but that doesn't really matter because the lower spring perch location is what will determine the overall height. Compressing the stock spring into a smaller space essentially makes it stiffer, as it is further away from its fully-extended state. The higher you go, the more the spring is compressed, so the stiffer the ride becomes. The angle of the suspension also affects the ride. The greater the angle between the upper and lower control arms is to the frame, the more force is needed to compress it up. It also has to move out, away from the frame, because the suspension moves in an arc. The system itself, other than the ball joints and cv joints, isn't really under any more stress. It's designed to move. The higher you go though, the more likely the cv's or ball joints are to fail.

Yeah I didn't think about gasoline being in the mixture. I've been impressed at what the E2-X has caught so far.

So I was emptying the can today and had a bit of an issue. I have the can mounted on the radiator support, so you can't get anything large in there to drain it. I've been meaning to run a hose to under the truck from the valve; guess I should do that now. I've been using a plastic solo cup to drain it, and today once the liquid got past the first line, I heard something dripping. Then I heard something pouring out. The first ridge in the solo cup was dissolved away. Like I could see this crap coming out around that line. I've used the same cup to drain it 4 times now, and every time it was above that first line. Closed the valve quickly and put a rag under the cup to get it out and away from the truck. I'm not sure how much dripped down, and I got up what I could with gloves and shop towels. Would this concoction be able to dissolve plastic? I see a lot of people here pouring it into a plastic water bottle or cup, so I could see it becoming an issue if it can. I'll be using a glass mason jar from now on.

I have what sounds to be the same whistle. It's at 70+ mph when I'm not following anyone (I would say not drafting, but some people think this means bumper to bumper). I folded the mirrors in and the noise didn't change. I think it something with the wipers or the weatherstripping in the door. I have some Honda Shin-etsu grease made for rubber seals, so I'm going to try that on the leading edge of the door seals and see if it helps. IF IT EVER QUITS RAINING!!! Edit: 2014 with 23,xxx miles.

My bad. I see the part you're talking about now. Either way, call Bilstein and they'll send you the right piece.

I think Bilstein also call this the "bump stop cap." Don't know the purpose, other than what the name states. Maybe to keep the top of the shock / shaft clean? I had a snap ring fail (my fault) on a previous vehicle and called Bilstein directly. They overnighted me a new one at no cost. I'd go that route. Their customer service is top notch. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just emptied my E2-X after being on the truck for 3 weeks. I have a company vehicle and really only drive the truck on the weekends. Usually it does have time to get up to temp. We had a few days that dropped into the 20's, but mostly it's been 35+. Pretty nasty and smelly concoction came out. The truck went 22k without a can, so I fear the damage has already been done to the valves. Going to start a slow Seafoam / Amsoil / CRC treatment (haven't decided which one) before the next oil change. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here's how I see it, and this is from dealing with shocks on my old Titan. As long as the shock is the same length as the stock shocks, there shouldn't be a problem regardless of lift provided by the shock, as long as the other components arn't being stressed additionally. 5100's give you lift from preloading the spring. The spring is compressed into a smaller space at stock height, therefore creating a "stiffer spring." This is also what makes the ride harsher. So if the 6112 follows suit and isn't an extended travel shock, setting it to 2" of lift shouldn't be a problem. Now if the shock is longer, there is definitely a potential for issues. If the Fox shocks were extended travel, meaning their fully extended length was greater than the stock shocks, the other suspension components could max out. The other side of this is that we know adding a leveling kit, above or below the shock, effectively increases the overall length of the shock the same as an extended travel shock would. We also know that you can put a 2" level on an aluminum armed truck. So I don't know what Fox did, other than extend the shock over 2" Aftermarket UCA's with uniballs are always a good upgrade. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do you know if the 6112's are the same length as the stock shocks? I've run 5100's on my past two vehicles, and the upper settings have always lead to a fairly stiff ride. I know with the new springs this may not be the case, but I was looking to run a 1" lower mount spacer and then set the 6112's to the 1" setting for 2" of lift and a less-harsh ride. If the 6112's are longer than stock though, this may not be possible. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Recall 15304. There are several threads on it. Call your dealership, give them your VIN, and see if the recall applies. My guess is that it does. I purchased a 2014 two months ago, asked the dealership to make sure all of the recalls/TSB's/ updates were applied before I purchased. They assured me they were. Found this forum the next week, found the 15304 recall soon after, and called the dealership. Sure enough, it hadn't been done. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk