Installed bilstein 5100 and ride is rough

installed billstein 5100 and ride is rough i can feel every little bump in the road i also had to lower pressure to 30 psi i know this is low for 10 ply tires so my question is
1- is it because im at the top setting? will middle setting help?
2- is it the toyo at e rated 305/55/20 tires ?
any help or suggestions thanx in advance

 

1) Yes
2) Yes

I have 10 ply tires and run my psi at 30.

 

Middle setting could potentially help but it could be more bed bounce that you are feeling that translates to the overall feel of the truck. When you are going over bumps look at your rearview and see if your bed is jumping up and down with each bump, if that is the case, that's probably what you are feeling more so than the front. I have a 3/1 lift kit with a spacer in the rear that once i took it up that one inch in the back caused a fair amount of bed bounce. I had factory shocks so I switched to bilstein 5160's in the rear which helped reduce the bed bounce considerably and now my plan is to get in the group buy for the coachbuilder rear shackle with a new leaf spring bushing which is supposed to help even more. 10 ply tires definitely don't help, but i think with the right set up they shouldn't make that much of a difference. I just put on 10 ply tires last week from my stock tires and haven't noticed any more bed bounce as a result. You can also add some sand bags in the back if it is bed bounce. I know when I swapped my tires, I kept the rims and wheels and having that extra weight in the back on the drive home made it ride like butter.

 

Mine are set at top setting as well and ride is much stiffer but not nearly what you are describing…. It would definitely improve ride if you brought setting down to middle setting. You don’t have any spacers installed correct?

 

Could be the 20 inch wheels as well in combination with the top setting, a little less rubber means a little less cushion.

 

Yup, 20” wheels, oversized 10 ply tires, and max pre-load all play a factor.

 

Welcome to the forum.

My 6112/5160 ride is stiff as f*ck.
I've never been happy with it and I've posted it all over this forum.

My ride is exactly what you describe, I feel every bump on the road.
The truck feels like it is hopping over bumps.
The ride is very harsh, a majority from the front end.

6112s are on the second setting from the bottom, Toytec shackles on 1" setting.
It was stiff ride before I ever got the shackles.
I first had 5100 rears, then got the 5160s, didn't change the ride at all.

I was running D rated KO2s.
The last tire purchase was a Goodyear SL rated tire.
Helped a little, but I still don't like the ride.

Trying to figure out where to go with it.
But I'm not buying anything until this gas price BS evens out.

Good luck..

 

Don’t think it’s the bed bounce cause I haven’t installed the rear shocks yet still have stock ones on rear

 

That probably isn't helping the ride either.

 

That sucks.....hearing mixed reviews on the 5100's is what made me just go with a leveling kit and the spacer over the springs on the front. Seems to retain more of the factory feel-although it supposed to shorten spring life. I've seen lots of good things about the 6112's though, shame it didn't help with your ride quality.

 

I have standard factory Michelins tires with 5160 in front on middle setting and 5160 in the back with air bags at 5lbs. Ride just fine.

 

@Coachbuilder1 I think I read last fall someone had a similar complaint and David said to make sure you loosen and retorque the UCA bolt with the truck back on the ground, as that could be the problem.

or I could be wrong… I don’t remember what I had for dinner last night.

 

I agree.
I only bought the setup for the lift/level and I bought into the hype when the 6112/5160s came out.
They were touted as the best setup for the price when they came out.

As much as the spacer lifts are shit on, that is probably the route I should have taken.
I rarely go offroad, don't tow anything, I only wanted/needed a slight front and rear lift/level.
Although the stock black shocks are a bit floaty, the ride was better than the rough ride I have now.

I've even considered putting the stock shocks back on with a spacer lift on the front and leaving the rear shackles.
But I don't think the rear stock shocks could handle a 1" lift.
My current tires would rub if I took the suspension down to stock levels.

Actually, with a front spacer, that would give me 2.5 of lift, and leaving the rear stock, it would make the truck almost perfectly level.
This was before the shackles with stock rear, front looks a little high because fo the incline.
It measured out level.

 

I have 5100s on our Sequoia and it rides like a dream. I have the fronts on the lowest setting.

 

I drove a bunch of different Tundra's back when i bought mine and have to say the 20" wheel thing is completely overblown. At proper inflation on the asphalt you're not going to notice jack.
I'd be sooner to blame sidewall thickness than wheel size.

 

Yeah it seems that stock rear shocks and the shackle can be used together but not recommended. I know my black rears didn’t like the 1inch block spacer for sure. Maybe others have had different results with the shackle though if they kept the stock black shocks.
A 2.5 spacer and stock rear may be your next best bet. Or even keeping the 5160 rears and the shackle with the stock front and spacer. Why replace both if only the front is the problem.

 

I have the 5100 on our Sequoia also, rides good to me. I also had the 5100 top setting on my other Tundra that rode fine (I wouldn't say it was the best ride but I was ok with it). In fact, I got them on my Sequoia because I was happy with them on my Tundra. I have the 6112 top setting on my Tundra now. I am happy with them also, rides better than 5100. I'm sure there are other suspension that may ride better but I'm happy with the bilstein.

 

I was never impressed with the 5100s regarding ride quality. Add in the fact of a compressed stock spring and added Pre load and they make the truck feel like it’s riding on wagon wheels. Went with the 6112s last time and they ride so much better. Little over 40k miles on my 6112s and still no complaints about rude quality.

 

The higher you set the front shocks, the rougher it rides.

 

What size tire do you have in this picture? Thanks

 

I think those were my stock 285/55/20 KO tires.
I now run 275/60/20s.
I wish I had a better pic of them..

 

I have 5100s in the rear, lifted at three inches (2" shackle, 1" RAS). Not broken yet. haha

 

For those who installed 5100 on their sequoia on the lowest setting , does it still look stock or is the slight lift noticeable?

I’ve got a 2018 trd sport sequoia and was going to replace the stock struts and shocks with the oem red bilstein that come on it but am curious about the 5100s .

Any pics on stock sequoia?

Thanks

 

Looks leveled to me. It will settle a tad so even if you see a little reverse rake, don't freak out. Here's a little of what mine looked like once we got er done.

 

Try less tire pressure, then less preload

 

Then less rim diameter and less tire weight. Less belts in the tire (P rated or Less than E rated LT tire) to get a softer sidewall. Less lift also helps with center of gravity to improve ride and handling. Basically everything done here to make the trucks “look tough”. The lift / level / big tires hurts all the things we complain about, ride quality, cost to repair, MPG, reliability.

 

Agreed 100% more tire less rim. Lift kits are for looks and screw up geometry and handling and stress key suspension parts. Always been a fan of no lifts and aftermarket suspension with more droop and articulation. That’s exactly what I run. Kings with no lift

 

I have front leveling spacers with stock suspension and tire size (Falken Wildpeak LT). I've read on here that using aftermarket shocks to level is a better approach than a spacer, so I have been considering updating to Bilsteins. Based on much thought and information like this link: https://www.shocksurplus.com/blogs/news/5th-gen-4runner-shootout-bilstein-5100-vs-6112, I believe the 5100's are the way to go for me (mostly a pavement pounder with some light off-road activity).

My question is regarding the stock front spring. If the front 5100s were set to the middle (leveling) setting, and since that causes preload and degrades the ride quality... what other spring could be used in the front with the 5100s? Or, at that point, should I go with the 6112s due to cost or some other factor?

 

So I installed 5100s on our '15 Sequoia so the OEM springs were used. I have it on the lowest setting without an issue on ride quality. I wanted to maintain stock ride height. I don't feel like setting it at mid-rung would make a difference.