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5100 Bilstein Regrets?

f1loco

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5100's transformed a former F150 4x2 I had - night and day as a DD around town.
 

Langwilliams

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I installed the 5100's in front at 1.8" height an I'm happy with the results. I would have liked the Fox 2.0 coil over set up but it was 4 times the cost.

Measure your rear fender to ground distance then hook up the trailer an measure it again. My understanding is in stock form the rear of the ranger is 3" higher than the front. Measure the drop with the loaded trailer attached an subtract that from 3 an that's the max lift you can go in the front. I bet the lowest lift up from stock (.75") would be fine in your case but it wouldn't hurt to try an measure it.
 


Blmpkn

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That I recall anyone that gets Bilstein shocks for thier vehicle usually isnt disappointed regardless if its a ranger or not. When I had my 2016 Nissan Frontier it had the 4600 shocks from the factory and they were nice. They are very similar to the 5100 except the 5100 is meant to take some lift.

Since you are planning to tow I do agree with keeping Rake on the truck. Also you can go a little bigger on the tire size without the shock and strut change up to a 32 inch tire. Plenty of options for you and personally I would stick with a good All season tire.
If someone doesn't like bilstiens, they're wrong ?‍♀

It's just science.
 

philanderer

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i love my bilsteins. i stare lovingly at them every day. i hope to someday provide them with a good home

1651602767754.webp
 

MountainGoat

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Some wonky website had it as May 2nd and got me worried for a minute.

Bilsteins are great and I'm glad I set the fronts at 2.5" instead of 1.8". It made the front a little higher than the rear but then I added the BDS shackles which brought the rear up and it's perfect with that. The shackles are a cheap and easy install too.
 

Muffin1

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I recently installed the Bilstein 5100's at the rear and that helped the ride a bit but still feel the fronts are to soft and a lot of 'float' so i ordered the pair for the front and have set up an appointment for a local shop to do install and align.
Question about the adj height i know it's a personal preference as to the look, i am not looking for a total level just to take out some of the rake out, for those who have done it how much did you raise it by ?
TIA.
 

Frenchy

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I recently installed the Bilstein 5100's at the rear and that helped the ride a bit but still feel the fronts are to soft and a lot of 'float' so i ordered the pair for the front and have set up an appointment for a local shop to do install and align.
Question about the adj height i know it's a personal preference as to the look, i am not looking for a total level just to take out some of the rake out, for those who have done it how much did you raise it by ?
TIA.
Assuming you are planning to tow and/or load the bed with stuff from time to time I suggest no more then an inch of leveling. Rake is important for that reason.
 

Muffin1

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Assuming you are planning to tow and/or load the bed with stuff from time to time I suggest no more then an inch of leveling. Rake is important for that reason.
A good point, the boat i tow is a 21' CC single outboard, that i literally tow around the corner from my house to the ramp, spring & fall , as far as hauling I'm done reno'ing my house which I've been hauling a lot of HD, Lowes stuff including 3 trips @1,500lbs of palletized flooring from a flooring store.
(which the Ranger hauled easily i posted pics somewhere else here on the forum about 'bump stops' ), from here on in it's just seasonal stuff (mulch / top soil and such).
 

GitRDone

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No regrets here on my 4x2. I tried the 5100's on the rear and liked them so much I added them to the front. It definitely transformed the ride and handling for the better. My truck seemed to have so much rake I went with the full 2.5" of available lift which leveled it nicely. I also tow a 17' center console about 100 miles round trip weekly, zero issues.
 

Strobes

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i just replaced the rears about a month ago and it’s helped a lot. I plan on doing the fronts by the end of year, or before winter.. but yeah, it’s been good so far. Less bouncy and a bit more firm on uneven roads (we have a lot of them up here in Alaska.) I don’t do any off-roading for fun, but on gravel roads I’ve had a better time.
 
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Wytchdctr

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Not one angry person on the internet. Wow. Not even a "this was broken when it shipped!" Or "I hate the blue and yellow color scheme!". I've always run eibach or KYB stuff on my cars in the past. So not familiar with this brand.

So. 5100s with a bit over an inch (not sure of the options) lift on the nose it is.... Once I'm out of the dog house.
 

Stewthebassman

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I wanted to love the truck from Day 1 but the stock shocks made towing my 3500lb horse trailer too scary. I slapped on some 5100s and it made all the difference. No hate here!
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