Smooth drive, minimize float, 33" Tires--what leveling or suspension to choose?

[Gren71]

I have a set of +1” core 4x4 rear sway bar end links im looking to sell. Just saying

 

[Josey wales]

I've had the 5100s, rough country 3.5" N3s and fox 2.0s.
If you go down rough dirt roads a lot I dont recommend 5100s. Once in a while is fine.
We drive 50 miles on rough roads every weekend in the low desert. The rough countrys and fox's handled it better. Specially the fox.
For street I dont think you can beat bilstein. They Felt good towing and fully loaded on pavement.
I have Cooper all terrains 275/70r18 they're really quiet and smoother on highway but have beefy sidewalls for when I air down in the desert. Ill be buying them again when they wear out.
Best of luck man.

 

[Ready Go]

This is me leveled at +1.625" Front on Eibach Pro-Trucks (Clip #2 with ORP 1" springs)..and Eibach inverted rear shocks. OEM rear coils have Airlift bags in them set at 5psi.

The 285/60R20s Bridgestone Dueler AT Ascents are running 39psi Front and 35psi rear.

I now have Thuren rear U/L CAs and Trackbar on it and an Eibach 25mm rear swaybar set on the tightest setting also.

I have Fox 2.5 PE DSCs waiting to go on, but truth be told..they aren't really necessary anymore for street use now that the Thurens are on. This set up is actually very comfortable and well mannered, and even when I was bringing the new wheels/tires home in the bed (~340lbs), the rearend wasn't "Carolina'd" at all thanks to the Airlift bags..even at the minimal 5psi.

Bilstein or Eibach are very similar overall in ride and handling..B's maybe a bit tighter, E's maybe a bit looser..but very close.

Good luck!

 

[Gren71]

View attachment 205453

The 285/60R20s Bridgestone Dueler AT Ascents are running 39psi Front and 35psi rear.

Im still searching for the right psi for these ascents. Had them at 38, then found out about the difference in weight rating between E and P rated tires. So i pumped them up to 52. They run fine but are rough like an e rated tires is expected to be. So i just dropped to 46psi, well see if I can find the sweet spot and just pump em up for towing.

 

[Ready Go]

Im still searching for the right psi for these ascents. Had them at 38, then found out about the difference in weight rating between E and P rated tires. So i pumped them up to 52. They run fine but are rough like an e rated tires is expected to be. So i just dropped to 46psi, well see if I can find the sweet spot and just pump em up for towing.

I started at 39 all around, then 38 all around, then 39F/35R and am pretty happy. I've debated trying 40F/36R at some point, but may not "chase" it much further until I swap in the Fox PEs soon.

The 35R does make the rear tires look a bit flat-ish, but they ride good, so

When I did the PSI Calculator from P275/55R20 (39psi Factory setting) to LT285/60R20, it told me 40psi.

Don Thuren has a great YT video on Tire PSI. He suggests higher F psi and lower R psi..which is how I started splitting the psi F/R. The Rebel have something like 55F/45R, but I feel like they ride stiff. Don says for unloaded street trucks, rear psi should be low or the ride will suck..and I concur with that.

 

[drmoreau]

For what its worth 33's fit stock ride height with no rubbing

Thank you. I have the offroad package which already provides about a 1" lift. I'm swapping out the stock 20" wheels to 18"s so that I can have 80 sidewall tires and be able to lower the tire pressure for offroad. The BFG 235 80/18s I am looking at come in at about 33''. This is great info - with the new tires and wheels running 2K already, I don't need to spend even more for lifting. Not all of us are tech bros with unlimited funds for offroad upgrades!

 

[drmoreau]

If your “leveling” then youre making the front height the same as the rear..for example the ground to center of wheel well height is the same front/rear.

Id suggest keeping a little rake..say 1/2 - 1
Inch. That way you don’t look like a dog running while pooping as you drive. IMO a common mistake folks make is the be perfectly level while parked…and not knowing they look stupid driving..not to mention the whole headlight misalignment issue that comes with “level”.

As far as the 5100s go..you can do the front and the rear at the same time. But be aware you’ll notice a slightly stiffer ride as the billsteins are a little stiffer than oem. I THINK if you do only the front you wont notice the difference much if at all since the majority of the truck weight is on the front.

So you guys don't actually carry loads in the truck? I carry camping gear + water + extra fuel + wood + a weeks food and beer. Easily lugging around 600 lbs stuff plus a few dogs and the tolerant wife. Total load maybe 900 lbs. That is why some of us own a truck. If you run around empty drive a Subaru WRX. They are fun - I've had several. But not a truck.

 

[Ready Go]

So you guys don't actually carry loads in the truck? I carry camping gear + water + extra fuel + wood + a weeks food and beer. Easily lugging around 600 lbs stuff plus a few dogs and the tolerant wife. Total load maybe 900 lbs. That is why some of us own a truck. If you run around empty drive a Subaru WRX. They are fun - I've had several. But not a truck.

Nobody tells me what to do..having said that, I do carry beer

 

[Gren71]

So you guys don't actually carry loads in the truck? I carry camping gear + water + extra fuel + wood + a weeks food and beer. Easily lugging around 600 lbs stuff plus a few dogs and the tolerant wife. Total load maybe 900 lbs. That is why some of us own a truck. If you run around empty drive a Subaru WRX. They are fun - I've had several. But not a truck.

Im with you on actually using my truck as a truck. I run near or at payload when im pulling the camper. But a lot of folks run em as just grocery getters