5100 Ride Quality

[MarkB67]

Awesome man , I’m only looking for 2.2-2.5 to get the stance in the pic, can’t wait

 

[Atlantic Blue]

My guess is the tires. A lot of guys tend to do tires at the same time as the bilsteins and end up going with an E rated tire and then think its the bilsteins.

Smh. It's never the Bilsteins. Bilsteins are tried and true. I had them on my 4th gen. The Bilsteins give a more controlled ride. Stock ride is soft, I find the 5th gen's ride a bit mushy.

You hit it on the head. Many posters want aggressive looking tires but dont realize they impact the ride the most, often negatively.

 

[Eltaco]

I guess it depends on how you’re setting up the 5100s. On position #5, it’s undoubtedly stiffer than before. If you’re swapping stock shocks for 5100s in #1 position, your results may vary.

I did expect it to get stiffer by adding spring preload, but I think it’s confusing for people when they’re being told by some owners that the 5100s are a better ride. It completely depends on how much preload you’re adding with them.

 

[Kevin O'Leary]

I guess it depends on how you’re setting up the 5100s. On position #5, it’s undoubtedly stiffer than before. If you’re swapping stock shocks for 5100s in #1 position, your results may vary.

I did expect it to get stiffer by adding spring preload, but I think it’s confusing for people when they’re being told by some owners that the 5100s are a better ride. It completely depends on how much preload you’re adding with them.

I dont see how the setting can stiffen up the ride...

Care to explain? Just curious, never quite understood what the setting has to do with the behaviour of the shock...

 

[SB09]

I dont see how the setting can stiffen up the ride...

Care to explain? Just curious, never quite understood what the setting has to do with the behaviour of the shock...

It wouldn’t change any behavior about the shock at all. It just moves the perch a little bit. So I think regardless of using 0-7 the ride is going to be almost identical.


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[Kevin O'Leary]

It wouldn’t change any behavior about the shock at all. It just moves the perch a little bit. So I think regardless of using 0-7 the ride is going to be almost identical.


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Thats what I'm thinking, but there seems to be two different camps on this topic.

The "settings" dont modify the max travel of the shock or preload it in any way, that's why I'm struggling to see how it could make the shock "stiffer".

 

[SB09]

Thats what I'm thinking, but there seems to be two different camps on this topic.

The "settings" dont modify the max travel of the shock or preload it in any way, that's why I'm struggling to see how it could make the shock "stiffer".

Exactly. Unless they’re talking about the increased pre-load it puts on the spring making the ride stiffer? That wouldn’t actually be anything to do with the shock though.


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[jaybretzke]

what are the front and rear part numbers for the 5100s

 

[SB09]

what are the front and rear part numbers for the 5100s

Here is the pet number for the fronts...

Bilstein 24-232203 Bilstein B8 5100 Series Shocks | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Bilstein B8 5100 Series Shocks with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Shocks and Struts at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

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[BiGJZ74]

On setting 7 with the SST puck on top of the spring still in place as well.

The shop took out the spacer that went on top of the coil and let the shocks do the lifting for that part.


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Are you running the RL 3.5 kit? Pics of the truck please?

 

[Chrisdp23]

So installed and set to position 5, the wife was concerned that I was changing the shocks from past experience, I put stiffer shocks on her old Explorer Sport. Took her out to pick up diner tonight and she said it did not change the ride and was happy about that. I am going to put on a set of Wrangler Trail Runnners 275/60 R20, I dont want a LT tire because of the stiffer side walls.

 

[MarkB67]

Just ordered a pair last Friday for 237.60 free shipping from Bilstein Lifts

 

[SB09]

Are you running the RL 3.5 kit? Pics of the truck please?

Yes. RL minus the very top spacers 5100s on max height. I have about 1/2” of rake. Exactly what I was looking for.

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[BiGJZ74]

Yes. RL minus the very top spacers 5100s on max height. I have about 1/2” of rake. Exactly what I was looking for.

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Sorry for being picky but could I get a direct side shot? I 've been sitting on my RL kit for a year and have been torn between doing the RL 3.5 w/ 5100's and the BDS 4" Kit. Finally decided on the RL since I already have the parts. Gonna do 5100's and 5160's and RL 3.5 kit w/o preload spacer. Another member on here put the 5100's on #5. Do you have center of hub to fender measurements?

 

[VaBeachRam]

Yes. RL minus the very top spacers 5100s on max height. I have about 1/2” of rake. Exactly what I was looking for.

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So you don't have the preload spacer or the tophat spacer? Basically just the bilsteins, UCAs, and rear lift blocks? I've been wanting to do the 5100s (on setting 4 or 5) with the RL tophat spacer, UCAs and rear blocks.

 

[SB09]

So you don't have the preload spacer or the tophat spacer? Basically just the bilsteins, UCAs, and rear lift blocks? I've been wanting to do the 5100s (on setting 4 or 5) with the RL tophat spacer, UCAs and rear blocks.

No I do have the preload spacer and UCAs. No top hat.


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[VaBeachRam]

No I do have the preload spacer and UCAs. No top hat.


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You have the preload spacer with the Bilstein struts? The bilsteins already compress the spring so much and you are on the 7th setting with an additional spacer in there? What is your reasoning for that instead of just the bilsteins and the tophat spacer?

 

[IowaRam]

Sorry for being picky but could I get a direct side shot? I 've been sitting on my RL kit for a year and have been torn between doing the RL 3.5 w/ 5100's and the BDS 4" Kit. Finally decided on the RL since I already have the parts. Gonna do 5100's and 5160's and RL 3.5 kit w/o preload spacer. Another member on here put the 5100's on #5. Do you have center of hub to fender measurements?

I just installed something very similar to what you are discussing. I installed bilstein 5100s on clip 5 (1.7") with a 1.5" tophat spacer and 1.5" rear spacer. However, my front ended up being a higher than I expected initially when I dropped it down from hoist. I jumped one front end in an attempt to cycle the suspension.

Beginning measurements hub to fender flare lip: DF: 22", DR 24", PF: 22", PR: 24"
Measurements off the hoist: DF: 26.25", DR: 25.5", PF: 26.25", 25.5"
Measurements after 60 miles of driving (pre-alignment)- 25.5 on all corners.

I was hoping my front lift would be 3.2" and have little rake so i might need to swap out the rear spacer to a 2", or drop the bilstein to clip 4" but not sure I want to disassemble the strut again. Or I may try to get some rough road driving in to see if it settles any more.

 

[VaBeachRam]

I just installed something very similar to what you are discussing. I installed bilstein 5100s on clip 5 (1.7") with a 1.5" tophat spacer and 1.5" rear spacer. However, my front ended up being a higher than I expected initially when I dropped it down from hoist. I jumped one front end in an attempt to cycle the suspension.

Beginning measurements hub to fender flare lip: DF: 22", DR 24", PF: 22", PR: 24"
Measurements off the hoist: DF: 26.25", DR: 25.5", PF: 26.25", 25.5"
Measurements after 60 miles of driving (pre-alignment)- 25.5 on all corners.

I was hoping my front lift would be 3.2" and have little rake so i might need to swap out the rear spacer to a 2", or drop the bilstein to clip 4" but not sure I want to disassemble the strut again. Or I may try to get some rough road driving in to see if it settles any more.

what rear kit did you use?

 

[IowaRam]

what rear kit did you use?

StreetRays 1.5"

[SR] FOR 09-21 RAM 1500 4X4 2X4 1.5" REAR LIFT LEVELING KIT SPACERS (BLACK) | eBay

Is the main ingredients of all our parts. Our spacers are machined from solid AL6061-T6 billet, so you won't have to. Dodge RAM 1500 2009-2020. Color: BLACK. ever worry that it will fail. CNC Machined to a clean finish.

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It does fit 5th gen.