6" Zone Lift with 5" rear coils + Bilsteins on front and back

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Goose165

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I have a 6" Zone lift with 5" rear coils that gave me a leveled look. I also have Spohn Adjustable Rear UCA and LCA and Panhard bar.

I wanted a smoother ride, so I had adjustable Bilsteins installed in the front, set at 2.1. I also had longer regular Bils installed on the rear. I also had the Zone UCA installed at the same time.

With that set up, I have practically lifted my front ~ 8.1", which leaves me about 2.1" taller in the front than the rear. Im not keen on the Cal lean.

Being that its a pain to remove the front Bils and re-adjusting the height, I have a few questions.


Is there an issue with the front setup? Or is it too tall for other parts on the truck?

Can I just add a space on the rear springs to level the rear up? Or would that be to high for other parts on the truck.
 

Scgirardi

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Have you let the bils settle at all? How long have they been on?
 

JB1

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Did you install the preload spacer on the struts?
 
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BogsRam14

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Strange.... Usually a Zone 6/5 with Bils at 2.1 gets you about dead level. Need to remove the spacer? Some have even done Bils at 2.8 and still level.
 

JB1

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post a pic of the struts so we can see what you have and if its assembled correctly
 

brandonjansen

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Definitely need to see pictures of your setup. A 6" Zone kit with 5" rear coils should definitely not be level as it only removes 0.5" of rake (a 6" Zone kit is actually only 5.5" of lift). So you should have been sitting quite raked still.

Now with the Bilsteins installed there's a couple things we need to look at as some other members have alluded to. First off, the preload spacer that came with your Zone kit should NOT be installed with the Bilsteins. If your install shop wasn't up to speed on that they may have left it in. Second is making sure the the lower spring seat on the Bilsteins is installed in the correct orientation. I've seen shops mess that up before as well however I don't think that's your issue here or the front end would be WAY too high.
The next thing to verify is that you actually have 5" rear coils. If your truck sat level with just the 6" lift on it you may only have 3" rear coils as that would remove 2.5" of rake which is a typical amount for most stock trucks.
 

brandonjansen

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Everything looks good to me as far as the Bilstein install is concerned. The preload spacer isn't there and the lower spring seat is installed correctly. I can't see enough of the bottom grooves to confirm what they're set at but I would guess they are infact at 2.1" as they should be.

What are your fender heights on all 4 corners?
 
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Goose165

Goose165

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My fender heights on each corner (from ground to center of fender) are as follows:


FD: 45-1/8" @ 42psi
FP: 45-3/8" @ 43psi
RD: 43" @ 43psi
RP: 44" @ 42psi

The 1" difference in the rear could be because I backed onto somebody and I think the bed is a little crooked now.
 
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brandonjansen

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You're running 35's, yes?

The front end height sounds about right for having Bilsteins at 2.1" however the 43" and 44" rear height is low for having 5" rear coils. I'm still second guessing that and wondering if you have 3" rear coils instead.
 
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Goose165

Goose165

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You're running 35's, yes?

The front end height sounds about right for having Bilsteins at 2.1" however the 43" and 44" rear height is low for having 5" rear coils. I'm still second guessing that and wondering if you have 3" rear coils instead.




Yes, 35ish, 325/60R/20.




It does sound like I have been given 3" rear coils then, although I ordered 5". It has been a year now, so it's too late to do anything about it now.




So, assuming that I do have 3" coils...


1) Is the front set up legit, in other words, can I leave it as is without damaging anything?


2) Can I add 2" or 3" spacers on the rear to make up for the negative rake?
 

brandonjansen

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Yes, 35ish, 325/60R/20.




It does sound like I have been given 3" rear coils then, although I ordered 5". It has been a year now, so it's too late to do anything about it now.




So, assuming that I do have 3" coils...


1) Is the front set up legit, in other words, can I leave it as is without damaging anything?


2) Can I add 2" or 3" spacers on the rear to make up for the negative rake?

Yes, the front setup looks fine to me. I wouldn't worry about anything up there.

I'd recommend getting the 5" rear coils before I'd add a spacer. It's just a better setup and less prone to issues/noises. You should be able to get the Zone 5" rear coils by themselves no problem.
 
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Goose165

Goose165

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Yes, the front setup looks fine to me. I wouldn't worry about anything up there.

I'd recommend getting the 5" rear coils before I'd add a spacer. It's just a better setup and less prone to issues/noises. You should be able to get the Zone 5" rear coils by themselves no problem.



Thanks for all your help Brandon. :favorites13:


I think you have solved the mystery. :happy107: :shake:
 

JB1

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I'm late but I agree with Brandon, they must have given you 3" rear coils because the front looks correct
 

Drummin4jc

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I'm chiming in a little late as well but;

I have pretty much the same setup. I'm just a little taller than you with 37" tires and a 1.5" Zone body lift. My bil's are set at 2.1 also and I do have some rake with 5" rear coils. My fenders measure:

46 1/2" front fenders
48" rear fenders
@40 PSI all around.

So I've got about 1.5" rake on my truck and it has been settled in for 4 months now with 1,200 miles.

So on short, it does sound like you got the 3" rear coils. Definitely get the 5" coils before adding any spacers. Let us know if you have any more questions.

Adam
 

madrock

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What was your stock rear height? I am getting a Zone 6 too. Mine is 38.5 in the rear. Unless I am missing something, the 5" coils would put me in the 43.5 range.
 
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