Bilstein 5100 shocks installed on Ranger XL 4x4

[superj]

I noticed on my titan, the higher I set the bilstein, the stiffer it seemed to get.

Did you notice that with these?

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[Rediviva]

I noticed on my titan, the higher I set the bilstein, the stiffer it seemed to get.

Did you notice that with these?

There are 6 notches, each giving 1/2 inch of lift (with the bottom notch stock height, top notch up to 2.5 inches of lift). I set it on notch 4 for approx 1.5 inches of lift. I haven't experimented with the other ride heights, but based on reviews I read online from the Ranger 5th gen and Taco forums, this seemed like happy medium for comfort / stance.

 

[Wolfman00]

I noticed on my titan, the higher I set the bilstein, the stiffer it seemed to get.

Did you notice that with these?

yup, since your preloading the spring more it will get alittle stiffer.

i will be doing these myself pretty soon too, next oil change when it’s in the shop
i guess. i think in going to do 1/2 or 1” at most. at that height preload is a minimum so should ride pretty well.

 

[jtj5002]

yup, since your preloading the spring more it will get alittle stiffer.

i will be doing these myself pretty soon too, next oil change when it’s in the shop
i guess. i think in going to do 1/2 or 1” at most. at that height preload is a minimum so should ride pretty well.

Setting it higher doesn't actually make it stiffer once it's installed on your truck. Yes the spring is compressed more on the shock before you install it, but once installed, the weight of the truck preload and compress the spring well past it's uninstalled compression regardless of what height you are at.

What it does effect is limiting the downward travel of the wheel by the amount of lift you set, which can give perceived differences in ride quality.

 

[Rediviva]

Setting it higher doesn't actually make it stiffer once it's installed on your truck. Yes the spring is compressed more on the shock before you install it, but once installed, the weight of the truck preload and compress the spring well past it's uninstalled compression regardless of what height you are at.

What it does effect is limiting the downward travel of the wheel by the amount of lift you set, which can give perceived differences in ride quality.

What’s also interesting is that they seem to have become more comfortable after a few hundred miles. I’ve seen lots of other reviews and feedback from 5100 users on other trucks that say the same. They seem to have a light break-in period.

 

[stemplar]

yup, since your preloading the spring more it will get alittle stiffer..

This would only be true if the springs were progressive, which our factory Ranger springs are not.

 

[Wolfman00]

This would only be true if the springs were progressive, which our factory Ranger springs are not.

ah, that makes sense.

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