2021 Off-Road Package Bilstein 5100 Thunk

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BlackSheepRebel

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@chstrahl I'm not sure how "good" anything is these days, but I'll share what I've used.

I first bought these, after seeing this style used in a handful of YT videos doing this job on our trucks:


I got the job done with those, but they made me a bit nervous. I lubed the threads good and went very slow, but at full compression the shafts were bending. That scared me honestly, but from what I've read the metal in these compressors is actually made to have some flex. All the videos online also show some bending, so I was probably just being paranoid.

When I had to redo it, I bought this set:


There are a lot of comments on those about being used for heavy duty trucks, and I like the safety attachment that keeps anything from rotating or slipping. I did the same, lubed the threads good and went slow. I guess it's obvious, but when I first looked at them I thought the shaft was way thicker so obviously stronger. Really, the threaded part doing the work is about the same size or a little smaller as the set above...just hidden inside a tube. I still think these are likely better based on how they attach and avoid rotation, but I might be trying to convince myself given the 2x cost.

The only downside to any of these is they can scratch the heck out of your springs. I lined the claws of the second set with a couple layers of gorilla tape and didn't have any problems.

Whichever you go with, it's probably better than the rental units from what I've heard. Good luck!
 

BlackSheepRebel

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A few more thoughts you've likely searched or watched already...but I tend to obsess over details so ended up spending a lot of time watching ~50 YT installs (my rule of thubm for the internet is you need to watch 50 videos and see at least 10 making the same suggestions to believe the suggestions are actually good and also see a lot of ways not to do it) and searched several forums before I felt ready to tackle this. Even then, from this thread, I had some moments where I second guessed myself. If you follow the advice here, it's really not that bad. Just be sure to secure your axle good so you don't have to worry about your CV, and go slow with the springs.

Out of all I watched, I found these two videos to be most helpful (though they all conveniently cut at places where it would be better to just keep the camera rolling...Bob Villa moments):



You mentioned the 5100's, but are you also planning on UCAs? I would do it all together if you can, because getting the UCA out of your way will make removing the strut assembly that much easier and you don't want to have geometry issues or worse UCA banging on your spring at full droop. I went with the rought country's due to decent build quality, low coast, based near me, and seeing a lot of people running them with our trucks. They are great overall, but the hole in the grease boot annoys me. That said, it's probably my fault as a weekend hobby mechanic... Maybe I blew it out with too much grease. My local shop that has a good rep said they love them overall but see the ball joints wear out at ~6k if you don't religiously grease them.

I didn't think about it when planning the job, but after seeing a handful of threads talk about sway bar end links having geometry issues with the extra lift I decided to replace those too. Not cheap, but I feel like it's peace of mind. These are the ones I've seen recommended the most, and a good video on how to install:


Whatever you go with, share your progress. It might convince me to swap UCAs depending how much the leaking grease annoys me.
 

chstrahl

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@BlackSheepRebel, thanks for all of this info. I do not plan to change the UCA’s right now. Just plan to change the shocks. I’ll keep you posted.
 

BlackSheepRebel

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i need to drive more to see if it's gone, but i hit some bumps and made things flex a bit yesterday and didn't get any clunking. comparing the before/after, i'm convincing myself it looks the same on the side i didn't reassemble (but did hit with impact) as it does on the side i reassembled just to be sure...so hoping i just hadn't bottomed it out enough and that 3 second hit with the impact took care of the problem.
 

chstrahl

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I just got an email, my shocks are 6-12 weeks out. Are there any other options than these shocks that do the same that are more readily available?
 

BlackSheepRebel

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man i hear you. i ordered a long while back (took almost a year to convince myself i could do the project right) and still had to wait months.

what i know is there are technically 4th gen and 5th gen part numbers that come with slightly different parts kits but either will work on our trucks. some have had better luck ordering one or the other PN, since there were some pockets of old stock. i think those are:

Bilstein 5100 Struts: Old # 24-232203, New # 24-3000872

you could also consider the 6112... it will do the same level, but is technically a superior (beefier) shock.


when i spoke to bilstein, this is what they officially endorse for rebels anyway...but not sure if you want to spring for the upgrade. i didn't feel like a needed better performance, as someone who is 80% road and 20% service roads (certainly no highspeed).

hopefully it's not noise, but i've also seen people ping nick@gotexhaust who will likely see this and responsed anyway... maybe someone in the community can connect you with the right parts sooner. good luck!
 

Quick_Shifter

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I just got an email, my shocks are 6-12 weeks out. Are there any other options than these shocks that do the same that are more readily available?
Yes, click on @Nick@GotExhaust and select start a conversation. He can set you up with an equivalent to Bilsteins at a forum member discount. Not to mention the best customer service you’ll receive in your life
 

Nick@GotExhaust

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I just got an email, my shocks are 6-12 weeks out. Are there any other options than these shocks that do the same that are more readily available?


Message me and we can discuss your options and pricing. If you want an equal to the Bilsteins I would recommend the Eibachs. They are an adjustable strut just like the Bilstein 5100.
 

chstrahl

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How long should I wait for a response?
 

Quick_Shifter

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How long should I wait for a response?
I’m guessing you didn’t use the PM properly if you’re waiting on a response. Click on the members name then select start a conversation name it and type your message
 

chstrahl

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Yea I did, he answered. All good. Now I am waiting to make sure my other purchase was canceled before I purchase from him.
 

chstrahl

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i need to drive more to see if it's gone, but i hit some bumps and made things flex a bit yesterday and didn't get any clunking. comparing the before/after, i'm convincing myself it looks the same on the side i didn't reassemble (but did hit with impact) as it does on the side i reassembled just to be sure...so hoping i just hadn't bottomed it out enough and that 3 second hit with the impact took care of the problem.
I have a clunk when hitting potholes much like you described seemingly only coming from the drivers side. My threads appear to stick out about the same as yours in the pics. Did tightening the center bolt fix yours? Are you supposed to tighten those bolts until it actually stops tightening?
 

BlackSheepRebel

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I have a clunk when hitting potholes much like you described seemingly only coming from the drivers side. My threads appear to stick out about the same as yours in the pics. Did tightening the center bolt fix yours? Are you supposed to tighten those bolts until it actually stops tightening?

Yeah that fixed it for me. You just need to be sure and compress the spring enough to bottom out the top mount so you can tighten it all the way down then give a final torque on the ground.

I know it’s a bit scary but if you think you are close just hitting it with an impact for 2-3 seconds like mentioned above can help. Obviously be careful not to spin the shaft and you’ll need a swivel socket to get in there but I did that, drove awhile, sound appeared fixed, but couldn’t leave well enough alone so completely reassembled one side “to be sure” and put a hole in my cv boot…hopefully just hitting yours with an impact will take care of it.
 
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