2017 sport: bilstein @ 2.1 vs 2.8 ride quality

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Gary2

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Ride quality was a major concern on my latest Ram so I did a 1.5 small hole spacer and a Zone 1.5" BL with 34" tires to avoid the stuffed look. Rides like the day I bought it .It has about 1-1.5" rakewhich was what I wanted , I don't care for the always loaded look. Its quite a bit of work for 3" but I am very happy with the look and the ride and I didn't need 10 ply tires to do it which is big plus when looking for a good on road ride.
 

Ozzy5950

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Keep it at 2.1” setting, fits the tires you want, doesn’t nose up, and definitely won’t be as stiff.
 
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Curtis Scott

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UPDATE 10/24:
TIMING ISSUES-

Was supposed to get everything installed this weekend for perfect timing to get the new tires put on (scheduled for Monday)... naturally we have a storm rolling in and I do snow removal on the side, so it’s looking like I’m not going to get the suspension worked on this weekend.

On the note of snow- I am now IN NEED of the new tires for tread (current set is done)... curious if anyone knows if I’ll be able to clear these tires PRIOR to the new suspension.

hoping I can clear these to buy me some time for better weather to work on the suspension.

Thanks in advance!!
 

BWL

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285 65 20 usually give some minor rubbing at full lock on stock 20x9 wheels at stock height. 275 65 20 clear no problem
 

BOWERSFJ

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Just another thought to confuse you ... At 2.1” and stock wheels, you can clear 295/60R20’s and they look awesome


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ChevySlayer69

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I was on the fence installing my bilsteins at 2.1 or 2.8. Went with 2.8 and glad I did. The harsh ride comments are completely unfounded. Truck rides awesome and I got a full 2.8 lift on my 2015 express 4x4 quad cab hemi. I'm also not sure what the fuss about the upper control arms is.... i can't tell the difference in angle from stock. The CV joints have a noticable angle they didn't have before but I have not noticed driveline vibrations testing out 4x4.
 

E-rok

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I was on the fence installing my bilsteins at 2.1 or 2.8. Went with 2.8 and glad I did. The harsh ride comments are completely unfounded. Truck rides awesome and I got a full 2.8 lift on my 2015 express 4x4 quad cab hemi. I'm also not sure what the fuss about the upper control arms is.... i can't tell the difference in angle from stock. The CV joints have a noticable angle they didn't have before but I have not noticed driveline vibrations testing out 4x4.

Of course the ball joint angle changed, you dropped the knucke down almost 3 inches from stock. Its simple geometry.

Also the benefit of aftermarket UCAs and it makes it a bit easier to align.
 

Ram904

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I just installed Bils at 2.8 and RC UCAs. Even without getting an alignment yet, I don’t notice any difference in ride quality. I wish I would have installed these 2 years ago when I bought my truck
 
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Curtis Scott

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Alright guys I’ve finally gotten the work completed. I stuck with my gut and I’m 100% happy I did. 285/65/20 KO2’s with the front bils set at 2.8 with new mevotech uca’s. 1” rear coil spacer.

In terms of ride quality, even at the highest setting I would consider it to be significantly smoother compared to stock.

Measurements prior (to top of wheel well): front 36.5” rear 38.5”
Measurements post: front 40” rear 40.75”

with the 3/4” higher in the rear I maintain the minor rake I desired so I wouldn’t appear nose high when loaded down with gear.

absolutey zero rubbing at full lock
 
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gts340

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I have a 15 Ram 1500 crew cab Hemi Big Horn 4x4 and I installed the 5100s on all four corners with the fronts set at 2.8, used the stock springs up front, New Upper control arms/BJ from Movtech, installed new front CV axles from NAPA and a little down the road, installed extended sway bar links because the stock ones were short and were making the truck more jouncy from riding the sway bar that tight. I installed Tuf Truck variable rate rear springs which are stock rate until they are compressed 2" then they become a 35% heavier rate spring. I did this because I hook a car trailer to the truck and wanted to prevent sag. I needed to use 3" coil spring spacers in the rear to bring the truck level with this combination. My ride quality is certainly rougher in the front, and when I installed the old springs on the 5100s, I had a hell of a time getting the spring compressed enough to put the nut on the top. Since everything has been installed now, I have blown the passenger side inner CV boot on the new shafts TWICE. Also, my lower control arms hit the outer hub plate. The truck sits much higher than I expected. I have stock sized 20" Goodyear Ultra Trac tires.
I am wondering why I can't find reference to anyone else having these issues. The CV boot may just be because it's NAPAs finest CV boot, but the lower control arms smacking seems to be unique to me. The truck has been aligned. Any ideas?
 

Ricks Ram

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I have a 15 Ram 1500 crew cab Hemi Big Horn 4x4 and I installed the 5100s on all four corners with the fronts set at 2.8, used the stock springs up front, New Upper control arms/BJ from Movtech, installed new front CV axles from NAPA and a little down the road, installed extended sway bar links because the stock ones were short and were making the truck more jouncy from riding the sway bar that tight. I installed Tuf Truck variable rate rear springs which are stock rate until they are compressed 2" then they become a 35% heavier rate spring. I did this because I hook a car trailer to the truck and wanted to prevent sag. I needed to use 3" coil spring spacers in the rear to bring the truck level with this combination. My ride quality is certainly rougher in the front, and when I installed the old springs on the 5100s, I had a hell of a time getting the spring compressed enough to put the nut on the top. Since everything has been installed now, I have blown the passenger side inner CV boot on the new shafts TWICE. Also, my lower control arms hit the outer hub plate. The truck sits much higher than I expected. I have stock sized 20" Goodyear Ultra Trac tires.
I am wondering why I can't find reference to anyone else having these issues. The CV boot may just be because it's NAPAs finest CV boot, but the lower control arms smacking seems to be unique to me. The truck has been aligned. Any ideas?
The one thing you mentioned in your post that stuck out to me was that you had to compress your springs an extreme amount to get the nut on top of the shock. I have installed several sets of the 5100's for people set at 2.1 and 2.8 with no issues. Are you sure you didn't mount the spring perch on the shocks upside down? It's an easy mistake to make and will cause the truck to ride extremely rough and ride much higher than it's supposed to.

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gts340

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The one thing you mentioned in your post that stuck out to me was that you had to compress your springs an extreme amount to get the nut on top of the shock. I have installed several sets of the 5100's for people set at 2.1 and 2.8 with no issues. Are you sure you didn't mount the spring perch on the shocks upside down? It's an easy mistake to make and will cause the truck to ride extremely rough and ride much higher than it's supposed to.

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Well, I swore I didn't and was sure I installed them exactly as I removed them. It's the only thing that would make sense though is that they are flipped. I can tell you that I have a little over ten inches between the top of the tire and the bottom of the fender lip, both front and back.
 
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