Confused a little on lifts

[fisstt]

Hello all. Sorry about asking this with all the information around this topic on here. The write ups are amazing. Here is my conundrum. I am wanting to do a 6" lift. I have asked for some pricing around a couple of the shops around my home town and they all say I do not need the billsteins and they recomend me not put the 5100's on with a lift kit. Am I wrong in the thought that if I get the kit with the 5" rear springs I would want the billsteins to keep it level with the kit or will the kit level it out? I want it level but I also want as much lift as I can get. I have a 2015 1500 bighorn 4x4. I have looked into every kit I can find. I am planning on running 37's hopefully. So should I go with just a 6" kit or a 6" kit and bills. it only has 28000 miles on it but I will still replace all the struts when I do it just because im in there while im doing the kit why not put better struts while im there. Thanks all.

 

[crazykid1994]

You can run the bilsteins. If you run a 6/5 you will be leaning forward anywhere from 1” to 2” depending on the truck. Most people set them to 1.4 or 2.1 I believe with the 6/5 kits depending on the truck. I would suggest new uca in the process as well.

 

[S0CAL]

Does your truck have a rake (rear-high)? Measure the distance from the centerline of the fender opening to the ground at rear and front wheels. Subtract the front from the rear. That value is your rake. From there, lift companies can help you get the level you seek. Example: A Zone 6" lift can be purchased with a 3" rear coil or a 5" rear coil. If you had a factory rake of 2" and got a 6/5 lift, you would sit 1" rear high.

If you seek even more height than 6" you can go with a number of strut solutions in addition to your suspension lift. Bilstein carries 5100 series (up to 2.8") and 6112 series (up to 2.6").

I run 37s. I have a Zone 6" lift and have a 3" factory rake. I also run Bilstein 6112s at 2.6. I am in the process of swapping out my rear 3" coil to 5" coils (and Fox 2.0 shocks). Here is a pic of it right now. Currently I am nose high by 3/4". Ignore the heavy bumpers, this skews results. Others with factory bumpers don't have to factor in this sag in their equation. I also swapped out my factory UCAs for Zone UCAs (to mitigate ball joint issues with the new lift/struts.) Lots of folks run aftermarket UCAs.

Hope this helps.

 

[JB1]

Measure your truck fender height from ground to the center opening at all 4 corners and write that measurement down and save it for later.

subtract the front height from the rear height

example:
front = 39.5"
Rear = 42.0"

39.5 - 42.0 = 2.5" rear rake

Without Bilsteins:

Front lift = 6"
Rear Lift = 5"+2.5"

6 - 7.5 = 1.5" rear rake

Here's where it gets tricky....Zone and BDS both use a preload spacer in conjunction with the tophat strut spacer. When you add adjustable height Bilsteins to the mix, the preload spacer can’t be used. The preload spacer alone is only .75" therefore that subtracts from your lift height when adding coilovers.

With Bilsteins:

Front lift = (6" - .75) + 2.75" (bilstein height) = 8"
Rear Lift = 5"+2.5" = 7.5"

8" - 7.5" = .50" front rake

If you want your truck level with a 6" kit and 5" rear coils, you'll need the Bilsteins or any adjustable coilover. Once you measure your rake, you use the Bilsteins height adjustment to dial it in as in the above example you may only want to set it at 2.1”, just depends on your rake.....it’s all math

I have the 6112’s set at 2.6 with my BDS 6/5 and my front is .25” lower than the rear at 46.25”

 

[fisstt]

Thanks guys thats the exact info i am looking for. Extremely appreciative. Love this site. Your trucks look bad ass guys. Thanks for the help.

 

[shadowhawk]

I wish I had the overhead space in the garage for a lifted truck. Post up when you get yours done.

 

[fisstt]

Will do