Topic: Newbie suspension question....

[TurboChris]

So, my Xterra has Bilstein 5100's that were installed by the previous owner. I pulled em out this weekend and raised them up from the bottom groove to the next to the highest one (1.5")

The truck is now nice and level....looks good. The ride is noticeably firmer. about what I expected. The ride when it was on the stock height setting was of course, really nice. I could take speed bumps at 25 mph and it just soaked them up. Now, it rides like a lifted 4x. Not that it's bad, but I'm thinking that when I get it out in the desert I'll notice it even more and I'm wondering now if I can't have the best of both worlds. I've read everything out there and I think I have it straight but I'm gonna ask just to clarify.

Can I get the nice ride  and still maintain the lift by taking my shocks BACK to the lowest groove and adding in 2" shock spacers? Is that when I might/will get Coil bucket contact and may have to get aftermarket UCA's?

Thanks guys!

[knightrider]

The 5100 perform much better when used at a lower setting and using spacers to lift, using them at the higher settings causes very harsh top out because the preload is too high IMO.

[beedee]

I had 2" spacers for about 3 months, it was terrible. CBC on any speed bump taken over 2 mph or so.

A few months ago I installed the Bilstein 5100's and set them at 1" (the third/middle ring groove) and they have been fantastic. Levels out the ride and no CBC at all.

[TurboChris]

I had 2" spacers for about 3 months, it was terrible. CBC on any speed bump taken over 2 mph or so.

A few months ago I installed the Bilstein 5100's and set them at 1" (the third/middle ring groove) and they have been fantastic. Levels out the ride and no CBC at all.

Noooow you tell me . Well I ordered a set of 2" spacers ($40 so not the end of the world) and am gonna try going back to the first groove and see where I end up. If that's not enough I'll try the second one. But if I get significant CBC then I'll yank em back out.

Thanks!

[TurboChris]

FWIW, I did the 2" spacer and dropped down to the lowest groove.....love the ride now but I do get CBC. So I ordered and got a set of SPC UCA's and will install those as soon as I get the chance. Learning fast!

[JeffBett]

Is it possible to get by with using less lift in the 5100's but not the lowest and a smaller spacer, like 3/4" or something?

[knightrider]

Yes if you use the lower settings the 5100 are fine( I forget how many settings there are but the bottom 2 or 3 setting are safe), it's when you use the highest setting they really get rough,  also a 3/4" spacer nets about 1.5"-2" lift.

[JeffBett]

Just to confirm, are you saying the bottom 2 or 3 settings + 3/4 spacer = 1.5-2" lift with better ride then second from the highest?

[TurboChris]

There are 5 groves to choose from with the bottom one being "stock"

Then moving up each groove raises the truck .5" with 2" being the max.

Generally people say you can get away with 1.5" without sacrificing ride quality too much. I, however found that at 1.5" it was pretty firm. About like what you'd expect a lifted SA 4x4 to feel like. And if I'd gotten it that way I probably wouldn't have thought much about it and just left it.......but having seen how nice and soft the ride was on the lower settings...I wanted 2" of lift AND a soft ride. Especially since with  the firmness it had at 1.5" on asphalt......it felt like it would have rattled some fillings loose on a dirt trail out in the desert.

Now could I have gone up 2 grooves (1") and just used a 1" spacer and avoided CBC? I don't know......maybe......I searched long and hard and don't recall seeing any examples of others doing that, but I just went ahead and ordered UCA's and will grind the coil bucket to fix the issue and retain my cushy ride.

[knightrider]

Just to confirm, are you saying the bottom 2 or 3 settings + 3/4 spacer = 1.5-2" lift with better ride then second from the highest?

a 3/4" spacer alone should net around 1.5" of lift, the suspension ratio is about 1.5-1.7:1(i've heard a range of numbers) so I really wouldn't go above the .5" setting on the 5100 with stock UCA, 2" of lift with stock UCA is about the max you really wanna go to retain ride quality(proper amount of down travel)  If you have UCA you can go to 3" and retain ride quality since UCA net about 1.5-2" of additional wheel travel.

[richie]

I have bilstein 5100's with the fronts set to 1.5" lift however, i have the stock 2wd springs because i wanted to leave the stock suspension alone (i bought replacement springs) So the spring rate is a bit softer than the 4x4 springs. That being said, it feels stock in terms of stiffness.

That being said my engineering back ground says that increased preload doesn't change the ride quality too much. It changes the amount of weight the spring can oppose when the corner weight is applied. It changes your ride height by changing how much corner weight it can oppose by a linear constant K. Once its in a dynamic setting the springs job is to only hold the car up while the shock valves do everything else. For a Linear spring it does have an adverse effect to the amount of force being applied to the shock, for a progressive spring it has a favorable effect.

but because static preload has no effect on dynamic loading and combined loading on the shaft its completely different when driving. What i say is, listen to your butt. Everyone likes something different. I would prefer my xterra to be stiffer tbh.

[TurboChris]

  If you have UCA you can go to 3" and retain ride quality since UCA net about 1.5-2" of additional wheel travel.

Interesting. So.....I wouldn't mind another inch of lift....I have (but installed) SPC UCA's sitting in my garage......

If I want 3" total....then would it be better/smarter to just buy new springs instead of a bigger spacer? And is there a stand out favorite that gets me 3"?

Also, do I then possibly need to shim diffs or anything?

Thanks!