Billstein 5100. Can I lift front w/o lifting rear, What's the best set up?

[badmc]

2012 Xterra Pro4x.
Everything is stock, except I'm running 285/70/17 tires.
Installing 5100 front and back soon, with adjustable front 5100s.
Question is, my rear is all stock, is it ok to lift the front only as this 5100 is adjustable?
I believe rear is a bit higher at stock, so wondering if lifting front will affect the ride, safety, balance, swaying or anything what not.
I'm looking to do just 1 inch but i'll go stock height if this will do any harm to my x.

AND -
Wondering what is the best lift height front vs rear?
Do you usually go same height front and rear? Or is it better front being higher or rear being higher,
Newbie here in mods, wondering what the common but best set up is.

Let me know ur expert opinions,
Thank you.

 

[Deleted member 14476]

2012 Xterra Pro4x.
Everything is stock, except I'm running 285/70/17 tires.
Installing 5100 front and back soon, with adjustable front 5100s.
Question is, my rear is all stock, is it ok to lift the front only as this 5100 is adjustable?
I believe rear is a bit higher at stock, so wondering if lifting front will affect the ride, safety, balance, swaying or anything what not.
I'm looking to do just 1 inch but i'll go stock height if this will do any harm to my x.

AND -
Wondering what is the best lift height front vs rear?
Do you usually go same height front and rear? Or is it better front being higher or rear being higher,
Newbie here in mods, wondering what the common but best set up is.

Let me know ur expert opinions,
Thank you.

Yeah you’ll be alright, this won’t be enough to be noticeable. Generally speaking, you want your vehicle to ride as level as possible. With you saying your Xterra rides with a little rake, these should help you out and I’d say to go ahead and purchase them if you haven’t. Hope this helps.

 

[NorCalRam]

I did a leveling kit on my ram to get the level look and to fit 35" tires but that just led to the rear end looking lower when loaded. I remedied that with stiffer rear springs so the truck still looks fairly level. I'd recommend doing both front and rear, plus matching suspension components front and rear will give it a better ride.

 

[Viking1204]

When I leveled the front on my F-150 with the adjustable Billsteins I added another leaf spring in the back which raised the back up a bit but also made it better for towing and hauling heavy loads.

 

[Shakes355]

It's highly unlikely an inch will cause any problems. The 5100's add lift through raising the lower spring perch, in essence preloading the spring. By all accounts, many folks actually find they like the handling better. I myself (Silverado) find it more responsive in rough conditions and consider it an improvement over stock. The effect is more noticeable with larger than stock tires.

We could get into a deep technical discussion regarding rake and pitch and whether there's an effect on braking for safety, but it's moot. 1" is not enough to make any difference that you would notice.

Best of luck on the install and let us know how you like it when you're finished.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Leveled my 2014 GMC Sierra with the Bilstein 5100's. It's just about level but it does shift some weight to the rear. I added a Leer canopy and when I am loaded for travel and camping, seems like the front is a bit higher than the rear and the steering is a bit light.

Now I want to bring the rear up at least an inch, maybe 2, whether it be a taller axle block or Deaver springs or what.

Keep the slight rake and you wont be sagging a$$ when fully loaded.

 

[grubworm]

I did a leveling kit on my ram to get the level look and to fit 35" tires but that just led to the rear end looking lower when loaded. I remedied that with stiffer rear springs so the truck still looks fairly level. I'd recommend doing both front and rear, plus matching suspension components front and rear will give it a better ride.

When I leveled the front on my F-150 with the adjustable Billsteins I added another leaf spring in the back which raised the back up a bit but also made it better for towing and hauling heavy loads.

ok...i leveled my tundra and went with a bigger tire and the back is really low now. add a little weight to the back (camper shell and deck platform) and it looks like its trying to do a wheelie. i went to a pro shop to install a level kit, so i have no idea how to fix it. the billstein shocks are adjustable? i could add those to the back and raise the back without adding a block?

someone told me i had "california lean" so i looked it up on google...



ha! guess that is a thing. i just want to be close to level without having to do too much work to the vehicle
oh, and also when i hit bumps or even low dips in the road, the truck is all over and acts like its on giant skinny springs wobbling all over...aggrevating and a little unsafe feeling

 

[ThundahBeagle]

ok...i leveled my tundra and went with a bigger tire and the back is really low. add a little weight to the back (camper shell and deck platform) and it looks like its trying to do a wheelie. i went to a pro shop to install a level kit, so i have no idea how to fix it. the billstein shocks are adjustable? i could add those to the back and raise the back without adding a block?

The 2014 GMC Sierra and Silverado are coil-overs in the front. So the perch, upon which the spring sits, can be raised or lowered.

The rears are leaf so they need a block. Unless the toyota rears are different

 

[grubworm]

The 2014 GMC Sierra and Silverado are coil-overs in the front. So the perch, upon which the spring sits, can be raised or lowered.

The rears are leaf so they need a block. Unless the toyota rears are different

mine has leaf springs in back. so add the billsteins or a bigger block?

 

[ThundahBeagle]

mine has leaf springs in back. so add the billsteins or a bigger block?

The Bilstein 5100 front shocks are the only ones with a spring perch. The rears just ALLOW for an added inch in the back. So a taller leaf block, or stronger springs/helper springs to raise the rear an inch and make it look closer to right

 

[Shakes355]

Most pickups/SUVs have a rake so the truck is close to level when at payload/tongue weight capacity. So the amount of lift one would need for the front to level out is directly correlated to the amount of weight *normally* being carried and the strength/rate of the rear suspension.

Since suspension packages change even across like-models and most folks don't measure before they order, it's become super common to over do the correction. Couple this with the fact that *level* is now a buzz term for sales, we get full-on lift kits upwards of 3" being marketed as a "level".

I suspect a combination of both is contributing to your *California lean* @grubworm .

The correction is to raise the rear up to match. I prefer add-a-leaf kits, myself, over block kits because blocks only add height. Where as adding a leaf or two to the spring pack provides lift and spring rate. So the suspension is higher and it won't sink as low when adding weight. (And I personally think most trucks outside of the 3/4 ton market have undersized leafs for comfort.)

When I bumped the front up on my Silverado, I coupled it with a set of rear leafs from a 2500HD. It was the more expensive route vs add-a-leafs, but my factory mains were saggy from age/repeated overload.

 

[9Mike2]

Just remember Shocks do not "lift" your vehicle.

 

[Deleted member 14476]

Just remember Shocks do not "lift" your vehicle.

I mean would you consider the 5100 adjustables technically lifting the vehicle since the body of the shock has the grooves for the spring? Lol

 

[9Mike2]

unless the shock is too long for the suspension, they just dampen the suspension's movement, if a gas shock lifts your suspension your springs or leafs are worn out...

 

[smritte]

I mean would you consider the 5100 adjustables technically lifting the vehicle since the body of the shock has the grooves for the spring? Lol

You confusing a "shock" with a strut. The shock controls suspension speed, spring controls height (support). A strut is a spring/shock combo. The adjustable part is the spring. If you have an adjustable shock, you would be playing with dampening. An ideal strut is to have a height and preload adjustment on the spring and rebound/compression adjustments on the shock.

 

[smritte]

I forgot to add, "Coil Over".

Coil over is another name for a strut (coil over shock). They fall into two diffrent categories, Macpherson and Chapman. Macpherson does not have an upper arm or upper ball joint. The top has a bearing and the whole strut turns with your steering. The chapman is commonly used on SLA suspension ( upper and lower arm and ball joints) and does not turn with steering. In reality, no one calls this a Chapman, they just say strut or coil over.

What's funny is when I have someone tell me they removed their strut and installed a coil over. I don't correct them but ask if they lowered/raised the vehicle and if any part is adjustable. My favorite was one of my students telling me he installed an "Air Coilover". I just smiled and asked about what compressor he was going to run.

Point is, it doesn't matter what it's called as long as everyone knows what your talking about. I assumed the original question was regarding an adjustable strut. In this industry, terminology sucks. I don't correct people as long as I know what they mean. Putting "Air Bags" on doesn't necessarily mean the part that jumps out of the steering wheel and hits you in the face.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Just remember Shocks do not "lift" your vehicle.

No. Shocks do not lift your vehicle. But in a coil-over system, the shock has a "perch," on which the coil spring sits. Stock sets have the lowest part of the spring sitting at x level. Levels and lifts come with multiple rings around the shock, and you can select the height at which to set the perch.

So in a coil-over system, the rings around the shock are what allows the spring perch to sit higher

 

[Wellspring]

My 2020 Toyota TRD DCLB Off Road is going to get the Bilstein 6112's with a 2" lift up front, and the 5160's in the rear with possibly an A.A.L. (brand to be determined), as I have a Leer truck cap, with a full Sherpa rack on the cap on it full time, and that is a constant load of 250 pounds. I won't have a roof top tent, and I plan on keeping my current 265/75-16 tires on it. I may just skip the A.A.L., and just install a full Stage 2 leaf pack with extended rear brake lines if the rock sliders show some weight issues. That too should raise the back end about 2"+, as well.
Only other items up top will be a 270 degree awning which will only be mounted when my wife and I are traveling long distances on an Overland trip, and in the bed, a 12 volt fridge which we already have with a Lithium battery solar charger for fridge/camp power, other than that, just camping gear (tent, chairs, sleeping bags and pads, etc.), food, and personal belongings.

 

[KD7WCD]

Lots of experience and info so far. I drove an Xterr OFF ROAD for 14 years and it took me a lot of places I probably shouldn't have gone and always got me home.

I did a little lift in the front with a spacer that gave me a out 1.8" lift in the front and an Add-a-Leaf in the back that gave me a little bit of a lift in the back. I did this all so I could run the bigger tires. The Add-a-Leaf was a huge improvement in the ride and highly recommend it. If you are overlanding you are probably loading up the back.

With all that I gained in and around 2" of clearance. I found this to be just right for romping around the Southwestern Deserts and Rocky Mountains.

Do a search for PRG Xterra suspension parts. They are a great resource. I talked to Paul the owner and he really knows the Xterra. He steered me in the right direction and saved me from over doing it $$.


The Xterra OFF ROAD (rebranded as 4xPRO) is an underated mountain goat. If e could have found another one I would have picked it up without a second thought.