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Bilstein 5100 shocks

benelli

By benelli
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benelli Enthusiast

benelli

Posted
Posted

Got a 2017 GMC sierra AT3 with the Rancho Shocks. iam do to replace these and was looking into the Bilsteins 5100 adjustable. i basically want to raise the front to level it off. what is a good setting for these shocks to level the truck off. will be changing out front and rears. amy input would be appeciated.

Snowcamo Senior Enthusiast

Snowcamo

Posted
Posted

Max height will raise the front. It will not be a complete level like the 2" or more variants. You will still have a rake. Just not as much.

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mikeyk101 Senior Enthusiast

mikeyk101

Posted
Posted
47 minutes ago, benelli said:

Thanks. Should the back be left stock height on the bilsteins just raise the fronts?

That's a personal choice. Do you still want rake or the truck to sit level front to rear? In my case, I just wanted front raised and did nothing to rear.

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mikeyk101 Senior Enthusiast

mikeyk101

Posted
Posted

Just to add, I didn't want rear raised as I tow a toy hauler occasionally so I didn't want to deal with any additional height in rear. I went with the Bilstein 4600 rear shocks but I also installed Airlift air bags in rear to help with the sag when towing.

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Snowcamo Senior Enthusiast

Snowcamo

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, benelli said:

Thanks. Should the back be left stock height on the bilsteins just raise the fronts?

The rear shocks are not adjustable.  

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benelli Enthusiast

benelli

Posted
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Posted
On 2/1/2024 at 11:07 AM, mikeyk101 said:

That's a personal choice. Do you still want rake or the truck to sit level front to rear? In my case, I just wanted front raised and did nothing to rear.

how much did you raise the front shocks to get resonable level? iam looking to just raise the front and make it look level abit awell as replacing the rancho shock

mikeyk101 Senior Enthusiast

mikeyk101

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, benelli said:

how much did you raise the front shocks to get resonable level? iam looking to just raise the front and make it look level abit awell as replacing the rancho shock

 

I didn't go with the Bilsteins because I was able to get a set of Rancho Quicklifts new for about $240 total cost. The Quicklifts advertise as being a 2" lift and are complete strut assemblies unlike the Bilsteins where you still have to swap the strut springs. I had the Rough Country spacers that I had installed previously which gave me a 2" lift/level. After ditching those gawd awful RC spacers and installing the Quicklifts, the front fenders were still at about same height from ground to bottom of center of wheel well. I don't recall exactly what measurement is right now but I am able to run 275/60R20 Falken Wildpeaks on factory rims and have no sign of rubbing. 

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mikeyk101 Senior Enthusiast

mikeyk101

Posted
Posted
On 2/1/2024 at 11:11 AM, Snowcamo said:

The rear shocks are not adjustable.  

Yeah, I think I misunderstood what was being asked...

Snowcamo Senior Enthusiast

Snowcamo

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, mikeyk101 said:

Yeah, I think I misunderstood what was being asked...

All good. The way it was worded kinda left it open to different answers. 

 

Here is mine bed loaded. I don't remember how much weight,  but I know it will squat with a decent load in the bed. I'll have to get a new pic without the bed loaded.

Screenshot_20240202_200851_Photos.jpg

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benelli Enthusiast

benelli

Posted
  • Author
Posted
11 hours ago, mikeyk101 said:

 

I didn't go with the Bilsteins because I was able to get a set of Rancho Quicklifts new for about $240 total cost. The Quicklifts advertise as being a 2" lift and are complete strut assemblies unlike the Bilsteins where you still have to swap the strut springs. I had the Rough Country spacers that I had installed previously which gave me a 2" lift/level. After ditching those gawd awful RC spacers and installing the Quicklifts, the front fenders were still at about same height from ground to bottom of center of wheel well. I don't recall exactly what measurement is right now but I am able to run 275/60R20 Falken Wildpeaks on factory rims and have no sign of rubbing. 

Great I’ll have a look at those. Better option if they come with the spring. What height did you use on the quick lifts. Or are they already at max hight. I also have the same Faulken wild peak tires so I may go with that setup . Thsnks

mikeyk101 Senior Enthusiast

mikeyk101

Posted
Posted

They are just a set height. They have an adjustable damping knob on lower part to set damping between 1-9. IIRC, the factory setting on these is 5. For towing or heavy loads (firmer), it suggested to bump it up to between 7-9. For softer settings, 4-below. I believe I am using 6 but would have to check. It's not a bad idea if you plan to adjust regularly to move the knob back and forth every so often. Also I had read that some have had corrosion inside of that knob from water intrusion so I found some recommending to remove knob and plate and fill it with grease and reinstall plate and knob. I did this before originally installing. I turned it all the way down to 1 IIRC before removing the plate and knob. Very easy to do.

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