Calling out trucks with 20" Rims and Bilstein shocks

[UrbanRage]

I've been looking and reading like a madman and I could really use some help/advise. I installed the rear Bilstein shocks which was a huge improvement over the Ranchos. So now my biggest decision is,  which setting on the front shocks and tire combo to go with. 

My end goal is to maintain a  little bit of a rake and no tire rub.

- Front shocks at 3rd setting. If the highest setting will still provide a little rake I'm good with that. 

- Tires I'm eyeballing - Continental TerrainContact A/T, size 275/60 R20......anyone have these? 

 

If would you please post some pictures of your setup and also let me know if you rub.  I really appreciate the help/advise. 

 

[Sierra Dan]

4th setting will still leave you with some rake.

275/60 20 should fit fine with the Bilstein front lift. Some are running 275/60 20 with no lift.

Have you seen the Bilstein Shock Thread?

I am sure you will find plenty of answers there, and also in this thread below:

 

 

[UNTsilverado50]

Definitely check out the Bilstein shocks thread. It helped me a lot when I did it. I went with the third setting with 275/60r20 BFG KO2. Tires fit fine even before I did the level. I almost went to the 4th setting, but didn't want to squat too bad when towing my jeep. It still squats, but not as bad as it would on the highest setting. If you don't tow anything, go with the highest setting.

 

https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/168860-bilstein-shocks-thread/

[UrbanRage]

Thanks guys, yes I have read many pages in the Bilstein thread. I was hoping to just get the people with 20" rims. 

[Sierra Dan]

On 8/27/2018 at 7:53 PM, UrbanRage said:

I've been looking and reading like a madman and I could really use some help/advise. I installed the rear Bilstein shocks which was a huge improvement over the Ranchos. So now my biggest decision is,  which setting on the front shocks and tire combo to go with. 

My end goal is to maintain a  little bit of a rake and no tire rub.

- Front shocks at 3rd setting. If the highest setting will still provide a little rake I'm good with that. 

- Tires I'm eyeballing - Continental TerrainContact A/T, size 275/60 R20......anyone have these? 

 

If would you please post some pictures of your setup and also let me know if you rub.  I really appreciate the help/advise. 

 

Have you seen my Rancho shock poll and thread?

 

[MBSierra17]

I have bilstein on top setting and my 275/60/20 falken tires make contact with uca (stamped) at full lock. They actually cleared everything better before the shocks went on. I'll be dropping them back to stock and adding zone 4.5 in the next few weeks. 

[Homeslice]

I have 275/60/20 Wildpeak A/Ts with no lift, no level and zero rub on my '16 4x4 slt crew cab. 

[spoolindawg]

I was running the same set up, 275/60r20 ko2s and didn’t rub at all even before the bilsteins.

 

i had my maxed out and it sat damn near perfectly level 

[Z71 _ GMC]

I installed bilstein 5100s a few months ago on the highest setting on my ‘15 Sierra Z71 with 20x9 Fuel Assault rims with a +1 offset. I have 275/60R20 Falken Wildpeak AT3 tires. They rub the mesh wheel well liner slightly at full lock (I believe this is due to the +1 offset). I wanted my tires to stick out slightly past the side of the truck. 

 

I measured up up to the top of the wheel well before and after the install and these are my measurements:

 

Front

Before: 35 1/2”

After: 37 1/4”

 

Rear

Before: 38 1/2”

After: 38 3/8”

 

Lifted front end 1.75”

 

The  back end is 1.13” higher than the front. 

 

[UrbanRage]

On 8/29/2018 at 12:37 PM, Z71 _ GMC said:

I installed bilstein 5100s a few months ago on the highest setting on my ‘15 Sierra Z71 with 20x9 Fuel Assault rims with a +1 offset. I have 275/60R20 fallen wildpeak AT3 tires. They rub the mesh wheel well liner slightly at full lock (I believe this is due to the +1 offset). I wanted my tireds to stick out slightly past the side of the truck. 

 

I measured up up to the top of the wheel well before and after the install and the lawn are my measurements:

 

Front

Before: 35 1/2”

After: 37 1/4”

 

Rear

Before: 38 1/2”

After: 38 3/8”

 

Lifted front end 1.75”

 

The  back end is 1.13” higher than the front. 

 

Great looking truck!!!

[UrbanRage]

So from what I'm reading, if I use the highest setting on the Bilteins the tires will rub. 

[Z71 _ GMC]

On 8/31/2018 at 11:47 AM, UrbanRage said:

So from what I'm reading, if I use the highest setting on the Bilteins the tires will rub. 

In my specific setup, yes. I did research for months before I made my purchase. I found people that said their 20” rims with 33s fit with no rubbing with bilstein shocks, but everyone left out rim offsets and actual tire width and diameter. I was pretty confident my setup wouldn’t rub, but it did. I believe the reason my tires rub is because I chose a +1 offset. The factory 20s have a +27 offset, so my wheels/tires stick out a little over an inch from a factory location. The outside edge of the tire tread rubs (at the red arrow in the picture) because about 4-5” of the liner (yellow section) protrudes in about an inch. If I chose a rim with an offset close to the the factory offset, I believe they might fit without rubbing. I’m also posting a picture of some different brands of 35”x12.5” AT tires. You can see there’s obviously some differences in width and height from different manufacturers. So a lot of people say “My XX” tires did/didn’t fit without rubbing with an XYZ brand of lift” and this is part of the reason why imo. Everyone’s statements are generally too generic. Unless you find someone with the same exact setup you’re looking for, it will be difficult to say it will/won’t rub. 

 

With that being said, I did just as much research on the bilsteins as I did on the rims and tire combination. Based on all that research, I think they’re superior to a spacer lift. So, I pulled trigger and bought my setup. Initially, I was upset because my tires rubbed a little, but after a few  weeks, I’m happy I went with the bilsteins. There’s nothing but air behind the liner where they rub, and I can trim the liner so there’s no rubbing if I want to. The main thing is, I don’t have to trim any metal or plastic. Also, the ride quality is better to (even my wife thinks so). 

 

Bottom line, if you go with bilsteins, you’ll get less than 2” of lift in the front of your truck and you’ll run the risk of rubbing with 275/60R20 tires.

[Z71 _ GMC]

The outside edge of the tire tread rubs (at the red arrow in the picture) because about 4-5” of the liner (yellow section) protrudes in about an inch.

[Z71 _ GMC]

These are different brands of 35x12.5 AT tires. You can see there’s a difference between the height and width from different tire manufacturers. 

[UrbanRage]

On 9/2/2018 at 5:12 AM, Z71 _ GMC said:

In my specific setup, yes. I did research for months before I made my purchase. I found people that said their 20” rims with 33s fit with no rubbing with bilstein shocks, but everyone left out rim offsets and actual tire width and diameter. I was pretty confident my setup wouldn’t rub, but it did. I believe the reason my tires rub is because I chose a +1 offset. The factory 20s have a +27 offset, so my wheels/tires stick out a little over an inch from a factory location. The outside edge of the tire tread rubs (at the red arrow in the picture) because about 4-5” of the liner (yellow section) protrudes in about an inch. If I chose a rim with an offset close to the the factory offset, I believe they might fit without rubbing. I’m also posting a picture of some different brands of 35”x12.5” AT tires. You can see there’s obviously some differences in width and height from different manufacturers. So a lot of people say “My XX” tires did/didn’t fit without rubbing with an XYZ brand of lift” and this is part of the reason why imo. Everyone’s statements are generally too generic. Unless you find someone with the same exact setup you’re looking for, it will be difficult to say it will/won’t rub. 

 

With that being said, I did just as much research on the bilsteins as I did on the rims and tire combination. Based on all that research, I think they’re superior to a spacer lift. So, I pulled trigger and bought my setup. Initially, I was upset because my tires rubbed a little, but after a few  weeks, I’m happy I went with the bilsteins. There’s nothing but air behind the liner where they rub, and I can trim the liner so there’s no rubbing if I want to. The main thing is, I don’t have to trim any metal or plastic. Also, the ride quality is better to (even my wife thinks so). 

 

Bottom line, if you go with bilsteins, you’ll get less than 2” of lift in the front of your truck and you’ll run the risk of rubbing with 275/60R20 tires.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I do appreciate it. I'm going to bit the bullet and install the shock on the top setting.