Bilstein 5100s are a HUGE upgrade!

[Grall]

Both my fronts and rears were back ordered..... looks like I’ll be looking for someone who stocks these

Who'd you purchase from?

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[CS25]

2 hours ago, Grall said:

Who'd you purchase from?

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This is where I got mine. Fast shipping too.

 

https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/product-category/chevy-gmc/silverado-1500/2019/

 

[Ezekiel2517]

Question for the group:  I have an LTZ 6.2 Max Tow.  On my front I have a 2" top spacer, and on the rear I have a 1.5" block under the springs.  I used a 2" shock spacer in the rear to not over stretch the factory shock.  I also added AirLift bag to the back.  I did not add any spacer kit to it, as I think their minimum kit was 3" spacing.   I ride with 5psi in the rear bags, as per their minimum.

Anyway, my rear rides like absolute crap.  On the highway its okay, but hit some bumps or go through a pasture and its miserable.   Would these 5100s help in the rear?  Would I need to get rid of the shock spacer if I did the 5100s?  Their website shows it to only be good for 1" of lift. 

 

Im not sure if its the half inch preload on the factory shocks, or the air bags, or just that they are crappy shocks, but sometime has to get fixed.  Thanks for any recommendations.

 

Also - why wont the 5100s lift a 6.2 any higher than 1.5" in the front?  That stinks

 

[Stranny]

So here it is, front set at the 2.5 and I put 2inch blocks in the back with the standard size for the trailboss shock in rear. Rides great, firmer feel and so far has taken the bouncy feeling from the front with a soft but firm response with no after bounce. Tire and wheel setup is stock 275/60r20.

[xsquid]

1 hour ago, Ezekiel2517 said:

Question for the group:  I have an LTZ 6.2 Max Tow.  On my front I have a 2" top spacer, and on the rear I have a 1.5" block under the springs.  I used a 2" shock spacer in the rear to not over stretch the factory shock.  I also added AirLift bag to the back.  I did not add any spacer kit to it, as I think their minimum kit was 3" spacing.   I ride with 5psi in the rear bags, as per their minimum.

Anyway, my rear rides like absolute crap.  On the highway its okay, but hit some bumps or go through a pasture and its miserable.   Would these 5100s help in the rear?  Would I need to get rid of the shock spacer if I did the 5100s?  Their website shows it to only be good for 1" of lift. 

 

Im not sure if its the half inch preload on the factory shocks, or the air bags, or just that they are crappy shocks, but sometime has to get fixed.  Thanks for any recommendations.

 

Also - why wont the 5100s lift a 6.2 any higher than 1.5" in the front?  That stinks

 

Anything over a 2 inch block in the rear I would use a shock extender. Even with your 1.5 block you should be fine with the extenders. Shock still has plenty of travel in its range. Max tow trucks have heavy duty springs in the rear .  And with an air bag your kind of limiting you rear shock travel when going offroad. 5100 Bilstens might help but I would think it would be even firmer ride. Only 1.5 lift from the 5100 is because you have the 6.2 which is heaver then the 5.3. Gravity. Can't have it all. But you have a 6.2 with 3.42 gears. That something to smile about. 

Edited September 10, 2020 by xsquid

[GCBC]

im ordering the rears, undecided between external res version and the regular version....

NEED fronts to match, don't want to have to take them to a shop to get the springs compressed since I dont have a compressor. so id rather just swap the entire coilover unit. would like to raise front an inch solely to squeeze on a 35in duratrac and do some trimming. dont want to get control arms or anything else either.

[topgear1224]

im ordering the rears, undecided between external res version and the regular version....
NEED fronts to match, don't want to have to take them to a shop to get the springs compressed since I dont have a compressor. so id rather just swap the entire coilover unit. would like to raise front an inch solely to squeeze on a 35in duratrac and do some trimming. dont want to get control arms or anything else either.

As for what type how hard do you actually drive the truck? Be realistic.

you can actually rent the tool for AutoZone they take a deposit and then you get your money back when you bring it back. I always tell people to get the one for coils not the one for struts. The coil one is a lot stronger and beefier and works just the same as long as you can get it to fit.

I've done both flavors of bilstein's in the past.

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[topgear1224]

Anything over a 2 inch block in the rear I would use a shock extender. Even with your 1.5 block you should be fine with the extenders. Shock still has plenty of travel in its range. Max tow trucks have heavy duty springs in the rear .  And with an air bag your kind of limiting you rear shock travel when going offroad. 5100 Bilstens might help but I would think it would be even firmer ride. Only 1.5 lift from the 5100 is because you have the 6.2 which is heaver then the 5.3. Gravity. Can't have it all. But you have a 6.2 with 3.42 gears. That something to smile about. 

Daystar cradles will solve the downward travel issue.

I personally don't like shock extenders, it's another spot that can fail, if you do get some make sure that they are high quality.

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[MgoBlue]

On 8/12/2020 at 1:46 PM, CS25 said:

Greetings all,

 

I was pretty unhappy with the way my truck drove. I have a 19 LT (5.3) and I put a set of Trail Boss wheels/tires (275/65/18) on it. But, I noticed that no matter the size of a bump I went over the rear end swayed and the front bounced for what seemed like 20 minutes. Some bumps felt like my eyeballs were going to pop out of my head. 
 

 

Living in Los Angeles the freeways and streets are terrible, so I was in the market to get new shocks to help with the ride. I ended up getting the Bilstein 5100s. I got the adjustable height front strut and eliminated the ready lift under strut 2” spacer. I kept the truck level and set at the 2” lift position. 
 

I also installed Cognito tubular upper control arms. I was thinking about lifting in the future, so it made sense to install at the same time. I ditched the  275/65/18 DuraTrac tires and got 295/70/18 Atturo Trail Blade XT (I’d be happy to give initial thoughts on these tires,

I have about 1,000 miles on them now). They are about a 34.5” tire but only about 11.5” wide. Separate topic of course. 

 

These shocks have GREATLY improved the ride quality of the truck on both street and highway. I would highly recommend these shocks if you are in the market. Best bang for the buck. 
 

I have driven about 1,000 miles of combined city/highway and they are worth every penny. Even my wife has noticed how much smoother it drives. 
 

If  you have any questions about the shocks or tires I’m here to help! 

Question for the group, after having my dealership install the billstein 5100s on my trail boss front and rear, my driver's side measurements from the level ground to the center of the wheel well bottom lip is a half inch lower than the passenger side. Is that unusual? It dies ride so much better than stock now.

[Rtalliston]

Just installed the fronts last night myself....if anyone wants to tackle it theirselves and needs some advice, shoot me a message and ill help as much as i can

[topgear1224]

Question for the group, after having my dealership install the billstein 5100s on my trail boss front and rear, my driver's side measurements from the level ground to the center of the wheel well bottom lip is a half inch lower than the passenger side. Is that unusual? It dies ride so much better than stock now.

Yes, the fuel tank is on the driver's side

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[Coles5515]

Well fronts should be here in a few days from Summit. Then screw it and bought my SST kit and some shock extenders for the 5100s for the rear. 
 

Welp, there goes a fifth of my 3rd quarter bonus! Hahaha

[69gto96z]

Here is mine. 5100s at max setting in the front, with 5100s and stock height in the rear. I plan to add a 1” block to the rear. 285/55r22 Nitto Terra G2s. Slight rubbing at full lock on the liners. Need to do some slight trimming.

Edited September 16, 2020 by 69gto96z

[ScX31]

6 hours ago, 69gto96z said:

Here is mine. 5100s at max setting in the front, with 5100s and stock height in the rear. I plan to add a 1” block to the rear. 295/55r22 Nitto Terra G2s. Slight rubbing at full lock on the liners. Need to do some slight trimming.

Looks great, thanks for sharing!  How is the ride at max height?  What is your fender height now?

 

Thanks again. 

[69gto96z]

1 hour ago, ScX31 said:

Looks great, thanks for sharing!  How is the ride at max height?  What is your fender height now?

 

Thanks again. 

Ride is good, stiffer, but rides great IMO. Was definitely a tad smoother on the stock tires, but still good. I will get some measurements tonight on the fender heights.