Installing Bilstein 2 5100 shock's

[Carl Maddron]

Would Bilstein 5100 shock's require me to replace my uca or can keep the ome provided with vehicle?

 

[Russ757]

I installed mine with the  .75 lift in front and kept the stock uca

Edited March 6, 2023 by Russ757

[diamondd2]

There is a huge thread on Bilstein 5100's a couple pages in. Your UCA's are good to go up to 3.5" of lift. The Trail Boss and Non Trail Boss use the same UCA's. You can level a Trail Boss (+1.5") with no problems, hence the 3.5" lift.

 

[Silverado4x4]

1 hour ago, diamondd2 said:

There is a huge thread on Bilstein 5100's a couple pages in. Your UCA's are good to go up to 3.5" of lift. The Trail Boss and Non Trail Boss use the same UCA's. You can level a Trail Boss (+1.5") with no problems, hence the 3.5" lift.

 

Completely wrong, the stock UCA are only good to 2 inches anything more your going to greatly reduce the life on the ball joints and CV axle joints being at such a bad angle. Ball joints and CV axles will be binding and not designed to operate at those extreme 3.5" angles. He won't be able to get the frontend aligned to spec also.

 

On 3/4/2023 at 6:26 PM, Carl Maddron said:

Would Bilstein 5100 shock's require me to replace my uca or can keep the ome provided with vehicle?

 

2" max anymore you're looking for trouble.

[diamondd2]

12 hours ago, Silverado4x4 said:

Completely wrong, the stock UCA are only good to 2 inches anything more your going to greatly reduce the life on the ball joints and CV axle joints being at such a bad angle. Ball joints and CV axles will be binding and not designed to operate at those extreme 3.5" angles. He won't be able to get the frontend aligned to spec also.

 

2" max anymore you're looking for trouble.

Then how do Trail Boss owners level their trucks? Trail Boss already uses different CV axles, but the same UCA'S.

 

The only thing I forgot to mention is if you go more than 2" you need to install the Trail Boss CV's.

 

 

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Edited March 6, 2023 by diamondd2

[Silverado4x4]

2 hours ago, diamondd2 said:

Then how do Trail Boss owners level their trucks? Trail Boss already uses different CV axles, but the same UCA'S.

 

The only thing I forgot to mention is if you go more than 2" you need to install the Trail Boss CV's.

 

 

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Most go with removing the rear block on the axle to level the Trailboss. The Trailboss does have longer front CV axles for the 2" lift that they come from the factory and that is max that can be done in the front is 2" to keep it in spec anything higher than that your binding the ball joints and the angles of the CV axles are to great. If going higher then 2" to like 3.5 you need new UCA's and a front diff drop to keep it all in spec. Blowing a ball joint at highway or any speed is not pretty, I have seen the after effects of it happening. 

[diamondd2]

2 hours ago, Silverado4x4 said:

Most go with removing the rear block on the axle to level the Trailboss. The Trailboss does have longer front CV axles for the 2" lift that they come from the factory and that is max that can be done in the front is 2" to keep it in spec anything higher than that your binding the ball joints and the angles of the CV axles are to great. If going higher then 2" to like 3.5 you need new UCA's and a front diff drop to keep it all in spec. Blowing a ball joint at highway or any speed is not pretty, I have seen the after effects of it happening. 

 

1.5" TB Leveling kit without changing the UCA's. That's 3.5" of total lift using the same UCA's.

 

 

https://www.roughcountry.com/gmc-leveling-lift-kit-1319.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpcs&utm_campaign=18887230045|&utm_content=&utm_term=||m||fit_first_1321-a&gclid=CjwKCAiAu5agBhBzEiwAdiR5tKM31DB-8iWaZ5pjqaDw24rIilVllmICLfokEglUEl8bBVsdebvckBoCapoQAvD_BwE

 

 

Edited March 6, 2023 by diamondd2

[Silverado4x4]

1 hour ago, diamondd2 said:

 

1.5" TB Leveling kit without changing the UCA's. That's 3.5" of total lift using the same UCA's.

 

 

https://www.roughcountry.com/gmc-leveling-lift-kit-1319.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpcs&utm_campaign=18887230045|&utm_content=&utm_term=||m||fit_first_1321-a&gclid=CjwKCAiAu5agBhBzEiwAdiR5tKM31DB-8iWaZ5pjqaDw24rIilVllmICLfokEglUEl8bBVsdebvckBoCapoQAvD_BwE

 

 

HAHAHA just because it says it can be done DOES NOT mean it is good on your frontend evidently you have never done lift kits I have also don't go telling people they are good to do it and there not. People come looking for correct info and anybody will tell you a 3.5 lift on a stock IFS frontend is asking for trouble. Iam done here.

Edited March 6, 2023 by Silverado4x4

[Diamond817]

1 hour ago, Silverado4x4 said:

HAHAHA just because it says it can be done DOES NOT mean it is good on your frontend evidently you have never done lift kits I have also don't go telling people they are good to do it and there not. People come looking for correct info and anybody will tell you a 3.5 lift on a stock IFS frontend is asking for trouble. Iam done here.

So, we should listen to you instead of Rough Country, who is literally in the business of lift kits. Ok, got it.

 

Guys level out there TB's all the time without changing the UCA's and don't have any problems. GM anticipated this and built enough geometry into the UCA's to handle it. Just look under a stock TB and look how the control arms are sitting, just about level, no extreme angles. These are a new generation of chassis and suspension, it's not the old school stuff where 2" would really be pushing the limits.

 

 

 

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Edited March 6, 2023 by Diamond817

[AJMBLAZER]

Rough Country has a long history of cheap lifts with sketchy geometry and build quality. Decades of it. 
Don’t use Rough Country as a good example for lift kits. 

[Transient]

4 hours ago, AJMBLAZER said:

Rough Country has a long history of cheap lifts with sketchy geometry and build quality. Decades of it. 
Don’t use Rough Country as a good example for lift kits. 

Beat me to it.  RC is low quality and cheap garbage.  It's like comparing Temu to Amazon.

[diamondd2]

6 hours ago, AJMBLAZER said:

Rough Country has a long history of cheap lifts with sketchy geometry and build quality. Decades of it. 
Don’t use Rough Country as a good example for lift kits. 

It really doesn't matter which company or builder I referenced or used as for example, because someone would show up to tell use they don't what they are doing and all their products suck. Evidently, I was right.

[Transient]

On 3/7/2023 at 9:43 AM, diamondd2 said:

It really doesn't matter which company or builder I referenced or used as for example, because someone would show up to tell use they don't what they are doing and all their products suck. Evidently, I was right.

Go take a look at ReadyLift's website.  Better quality products, and they replace the uca in their 1.75" leveling kit and 2" lift kit for Trail Boss/AT4.

 

https://www.readylift.com/shop/v/chevrolet/silverado-1500-trail-boss/2020/4wd/

[diamondd2]

5 hours ago, Transient said:

Go take a look at ReadyLift's website.  Better quality products, and they replace the uca in their 1.75" leveling kit and 2" lift kit for Trail Boss/AT4.

 

https://www.readylift.com/shop/v/chevrolet/silverado-1500-trail-boss/2020/4wd/

Because that would be more than the 3.5" of total lift. You only need 1.5" to level.

[BIGDOGx]

On 3/7/2023 at 12:43 PM, diamondd2 said:

It really doesn't matter which company or builder I referenced or used as for example, because someone would show up to tell use they don't what they are doing and all their products suck. Evidently, I was right.

To be fair RC lift kits are junk, been well documented on this website for years now. And heck i don't even think a month ago we had someone on here posting pictures of their front cv's slinging grease all over the underside of their truck because they also thought that all of these lift kit manufactures cared about angle integrity of the cv axles.

 

You will always get what you pay for imo, especially with something like a kit that alters OEM engineered specs!