2014+ Leveling Kits

bcbz71 · August 23, 2016

You could always go with the Rancho quick lifts

and get the roughest ride ever...had them...never again.

Whether you use spacers or super stiff strut (aka Bilstein), you are standing your truck up on it's tippy toes. With spacers, when your front strut flexes, it's doing it with stock spring (or strut) tension, so I find the ride just like stock, except if you hit the top or bottom stops, then it's jarring. I don't have Bilsteins, but since they achieve their lift via increased spring tension, they are going to ride rough.....just like my Rancho Quick Lifts did.

Do what you want with your money, but why spend hundreds, if not thousands (ie ICON) just to achieve 2.5"?? Put some spacers in and call it a day. Save your money for a truck lift or tires/rims.

MOhunter92 · August 23, 2016

and get the roughest ride ever...had them...never again.

Whether you use spacers or super stiff strut (aka Bilstein), you are standing your truck up on it's tippy toes. With spacers, when your front strut flexes, it's doing it with stock spring (or strut) tension, so I find the ride just like stock, except if you hit the top or bottom stops, then it's jarring. I don't have Bilsteins, but since they achieve their lift via increased spring tension, they are going to ride rough.....just like my Rancho Quick Lifts did.

Do what you want with your money, but why spend hundreds, if not thousands (ie ICON) just to achieve 2.5"?? Put some spacers in and call it a day. Save your money for a truck lift or tires/rims.

Exactly [emoji1303]

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5RWill · August 24, 2016

and get the roughest ride ever...had them...never again.

Whether you use spacers or super stiff strut (aka Bilstein), you are standing your truck up on it's tippy toes. With spacers, when your front strut flexes, it's doing it with stock spring (or strut) tension, so I find the ride just like stock, except if you hit the top or bottom stops, then it's jarring. I don't have Bilsteins, but since they achieve their lift via increased spring tension, they are going to ride rough.....just like my Rancho Quick Lifts did.

Do what you want with your money, but why spend hundreds, if not thousands (ie ICON) just to achieve 2.5"?? Put some spacers in and call it a day. Save your money for a truck lift or tires/rims.

FWIW the ranchos come with their own sets of springs. Finally found Spurshot's post on the matter. Fact of the matter is without spending money on a proper lift the ride is going to change and even then it's going to change for better or worse will be up to the driver to decide. Problem is it's hard to take the preference/perspective of anyone else because we're doing this for our own personal trucks and it's not like most of us want to buy both just to figure it out. My bilsteins are stiffer than my ranchos that came on the truck but they're considerably more stable and nowhere near as bouncy. I like this thus prefer my Bilsteins. They especially are more comfortable off road when going down turn roads on the farm i'm not bouncing everywhere.

The lower spacer is limited in thickness by the clearance/interference of the attaching bolt/nut with the axle (on 4wd trucks). Otherwise, there is no functional difference whether the spacer is on top of the coil over shock assembly or the bottom.

Bilsteins do not "pre-load" the spring any more than a stock shock assembly, when the truck is setting on the ground. It's a misconception. Think about it. Any stiffness increase from installing a Bilstein 5100 at its highest setting is from the increased angle of the A-arms which effectively reduce the mechanical leverage of the A-arm acting on the coil over assembly. A spacer will cause the same condition for the same lift.

Your biggest concern with "leveling" should be running into the limit of travel on the upper ball joint. That puts you into either limiting the lift or replacing the upper control arms with revised ball joint angles.

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/168768-leveling-bilsteins-vs-lift-kit/?p=1563456

Edited August 24, 2016 by 5RWill

tyrich88 · August 24, 2016

and get the roughest ride ever...had them...never again.

Whether you use spacers or super stiff strut (aka Bilstein), you are standing your truck up on it's tippy toes. With spacers, when your front strut flexes, it's doing it with stock spring (or strut) tension, so I find the ride just like stock, except if you hit the top or bottom stops, then it's jarring. I don't have Bilsteins, but since they achieve their lift via increased spring tension, they are going to ride rough.....just like my Rancho Quick Lifts did.

Do what you want with your money, but why spend hundreds, if not thousands (ie ICON) just to achieve 2.5"?? Put some spacers in and call it a day. Save your money for a truck lift or tires/rims.

Oh I don't use them... I have the 2" RC level and it rides just fine.

Just offering something else that would give that amount of lift...

That's all!

slj2008 · August 24, 2016

This can be done with no problem. I ran that size tire on my 2 inch rc level before I lifted my truck. Most you will have to do is tie back the fender liner. There are plenty of examples of this set up in this thread. I still have pics of mine in my gallery.

looks good. HOW do you like the westin pro traxx ??? I thinking 4" ones . Thanks

bcbz71 · August 24, 2016

Finally found Spurshot's post on the matter.

His post makes no sense and is counter to the Billstein webpage. He says stiffness comes from the "increased angle of the A-arms" ???

Per Bilstein:

"The lift on the 5100 Series leveling shocks is achieved by increasing the preload on the factory coil." <---in other words -- STIFFER.

There is a factory distance from the top of the strut mount to the bottom mount on the A-arm. Anything you do to increase that distance is going to change the ride.

Increase it with spacers -- you limit travel, so when you go over a speed bump or a pothole, your suspension bottoms out on the stops before it would normally than stock. Otherwise, during normal driving, the ride is stock....it has to be because you haven't changed the stiffness of the original strut.

Increase it with a replacement strut, like a Bilstein, you don't lose as much travel, but the truck weighs the same and the Bilstein is only .5" longer than the factory strut, so any lift above 1" (.5" longer strut = 1" of lift) is achieved by a stiffer strut than stock. That has to result in a stiffer ride than stock; there is no getting around that. In fact, the Bilstein, by being .5 to .75 longer than stock, has some of the same characteristics of a small spacer.

My Z71 struts are pretty stiff, so with a RC level kit, I've maintained my stock ride for 95% of the places I drive. The last thing I want is for a stiffer ride and less lift for a lot more money, not only in parts, but in labor.

This post isn't intended to bash the Billy Lovers....just to give folks new to trucks some perspective.

5RWill · August 24, 2016

The way i understood it was that he was saying preload is a misnomer. How is the truck lifted once the strut is put into place? It isn't the length of the shock it's the spring perch and the spring. Hence the simple fact that you can get the 5100s and have no lift at all. The spring displaces the same due to the exact same force of the truck weighing down on the spring with the same spring constant that is representative of said spring. The spring that has been preloaded lifts the truck and the only load is that of the truck, that is now lifted. If the spring remained compressed (as it were before put in the truck) there would be no lift. The spring constant doesn't change because the perch is moved up.

This is how i had interpreted at least. Or maybe my interpretation of pre-load is just off.

http://www.zoomsquared.com/technical-information/coilover-spring-preload-explained

The ride is more stiff but so are the spacer kits i've ridden in. No truck leveled i've ridden in road as it did before the lift. That includes two RC leveled truck, one coil spring spacer leveled Ram, and my truck with the bilsteins.

And no worries the bilstein guys like bilsteins, RC guys like RCs, and hell if you can afford it i'm sure the Icon/Fox guys like their stuff. They all accomplish what most are wanting: a better looking truck.

I wish i could test my z71 struts to verify them against some standard because mine felt bouncy as hell. Like cross a railroad track and your jumping in the seat and the bed is swaying everywhere.

Edited August 24, 2016 by 5RWill

g.mando1 · August 25, 2016

Alright. Did 5100s on top setting. Noticeably stiffer coil on shitty road. SoCal highways are just bouncy the entire way. You feel it. 3rd setting from bottom, softer ride on same roads, but still too much more my liking. Mind you, I'm running KO2s for both settings. Went back to ranchos with readylift 2.25 and noticed an improved ride. Didn't feel like the dash was going to fall apart.

I will say I liked the bilsteins for the composure they provided. The ranchos definitely drop off over a speed bump and things of that nature whereas the bilsteins kept the wheels planted. But the crappy SoCal roads just made for a jarring ride. I'm sure the bilstein at stock Height with spacers would be the best bet. My plan is 5100 stock setting with the 1.5" on top spacer.

I also want to note that bilsteins at third setting (1.25") looked really good for leveling and I could barely notice the difference in appearance from highest setting. In my opinion, 1.5" is plenty fine for a level. If you say it's not level after a 1.5" level, it's probably because you know it's not the standard 2".

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Edited August 25, 2016 by g.mando1

Donstar · August 25, 2016

The way i understood it was that he was saying preload is a misnomer. How is the truck lifted once the strut is put into place? It isn't the length of the shock it's the spring perch and the spring. Hence the simple fact that you can get the 5100s and have no lift at all. The spring displaces the same due to the exact same force of the truck weighing down on the spring with the same spring constant that is representative of said spring. The spring that has been preloaded lifts the truck and the only load is that of the truck, that is now lifted. If the spring remained compressed (as it were before put in the truck) there would be no lift. The spring constant doesn't change because the perch is moved up.

Yes, by moving the perch up you are simply lengthening the strut by moving up the position of the spring.

I'm sure the bilstein at stock Height with spacers would be the best bet. My plan is 5100 stock setting with the 1.5" on top spacer.

A popular four-wheel drive shop I called said the same thing. I have gone with 1.5" bottom spacers and will replace the shocks if the need arises.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Donstar

5RWill · August 25, 2016

Alright. Did 5100s on top setting. Noticeably stiffer coil on shitty road. SoCal highways are just bouncy the entire way. You feel it. 3rd setting from bottom, softer ride on same roads, but still too much more my liking. Mind you, I'm running KO2s for both settings. Went back to ranchos with readylift 2.25 and noticed an improved ride. Didn't feel like the dash was going to fall apart.

I will say I liked the bilsteins for the composure they provided. The ranchos definitely drop off over a speed bump and things of that nature whereas the bilsteins kept the wheels planted. But the crappy SoCal roads just made for a jarring ride. I'm sure the bilstein at stock Height with spacers would be the best bet. My plan is 5100 stock setting with the 1.5" on top spacer.

I also want to note that bilsteins at third setting (1.25") looked really good for leveling and I could barely notice the difference in appearance from highest setting. In my opinion, 1.5" is plenty fine for a level. If you say it's not level after a 1.5" level, it's probably because you know it's not the standard 2".

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Guess I'm just used to mine. It's just not that rough to me, i'm also running stock tires still so maybe my opinion changes vastly after i get new tires and rims. My dads F250 is what I would describe as rough. Thing is freaking miserable. You do feel small bumps in the road with the Bilsteins but I love mine on the farm if I feel like hitting the back roads and having a little fun. Much more so than my ranchos. Though I never used my ranchos with spacers. Of the two I tried on previous model trucks i didn't really like. Different strokes for different folks as they say.

So you got rid of your Bilsteins and went back to ranchos rather than lowering the Bilsteins and using spacers with them?

Edited August 25, 2016 by 5RWill

6TEEN5.3 · August 26, 2016

What's up everybody newbie here. Does anyone know what set up would ride better as far as comfort, 2.5" front level with 5100s on lowest setting or 2" front level with 5100s on second setting which would be roughly 2.6"? Thanks in advance

techsan15 · August 26, 2016

What's up everybody newbie here. Does anyone know what set up would ride better as far as comfort, 2.5" front level with 5100s on lowest setting or 2" front level with 5100s on second setting which would be roughly 2.6"? Thanks in advance

The mid setting is 1.25" of lift I believe, so paired with the 2" would give you 3.25"....I wondered about this set up but with a diff drop and new UCAs. Otherwise you're angles would be horrible....

6TEEN5.3 · August 26, 2016

The mid setting is 1.25" of lift I believe, so paired with the 2" would give you 3.25"....I wondered about this set up but with a diff drop and new UCAs. Otherwise you're angles would be horrible....

Yeah that would be too much I don't want anything higher than 2.5". I think I'm gonna run the 2.5" level with the shocks on stock setting for maximin comfort I think

g.mando1 · August 26, 2016

I was fine with the 1.25 setting, except I didn't like the skipping ride on the highway. The cracks in the rode in the city didn't bother me. It was the jarring highway ride. I put the ranchos on based on the recommendations of the shop. The owner was familiar with the I-8 near glam is and said his 15 Silverado rode well with stock ranchos and an rc level. I believe a lot has to do with the coil spring preload.

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