I emailed Bilstein about their 5100's and why some have 2 settings and some have 3. I also asked them to settle the dispute on which way the rears get mounted. Boot up or boot down.. Here is their reply..
----- Thanks for you inquiry for Bilstein shock absorbers. You have made a wise choice with your decision to use Bilstein 5100 Series to level your F150. I am sure you will be very pleased with the end result.
As for your questions. First, Bilstein produces two different shocks for this application. One of which, is proprietary through RCD Suspension. The other is Bilstein's general aftermarket offering. Both shocks are exactly the same with the exception of the snap ring grooves.
Part# BE5-C298-H1 is Bilstein's standard product. This shock has 3 grooves for 0" - 1" - 2" ride height options.
Part# BE5-C293-T0 is the RCD product. This shock has 2 grooves, 0" & 2".
As for the rear mounting orientation. The rear is designed to mount body up with the boot down.
So I look around for the 5100 with the 3 grooves # BE5-C298-H1 and several sites and end up at Summit Racing Equipment (free shipping).
They have the front 5100 but cant give me the rear PN and try to sell me the HD rear shock insisting that the Bilstein part numbers dont show the rear 5100 for my truck.
So then I email Bilstein directly and ask a few questions like, what is the difference in the 5100 and HD and can I mix them since the HD's are a few bucks less and this is the response:
Quote:
There is no problem mixing the Bilstein 5100 shocks and the HD’s. Internally, the basic design of the shocks is the same, and though there is a slight difference in the shock stiffness between the HD’s and the 5100’s, it is minor. The HD’s will be slightly more comfortable, but the 5100’s will handle slightly better, but on normal roads at normal speeds, it will be virtually impossible to tell any difference. It is far more important to get the shock that is the proper length, which in your case would be the BE5-C299-H0 shocks.
Okay so I'm not understand exactly what/why you are trying to do. Instead of ordering a set of the 5100's, your trying to save a few bucks and buy the HD's?
Four of the 5100's (with only the factory height and 2" setting) from topguncustomz.com is $389 shipped I think.
Technically there is probably nothing wrong with mixing the shocks but it will look funny having a shiny shock up front and a blue/yellow shock out back.
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2006 F150 FX4 Super Crew - 5100's leveled 2", 35" BFG KM2's, AEM Brute Force Intake, Xcal 2 (VMP), 15% tint, bakflip G2, Hella Heads...
2003 VW Jetta GLI VR6 six speed, 2" drop on 18's, eibach sway bars, magnaflow catback
Okay so I'm not understand exactly what/why you are trying to do. Instead of ordering a set of the 5100's, your trying to save a few bucks and buy the HD's?
Four of the 5100's (with only the factory height and 2" setting) from topguncustomz.com is $389 shipped I think.
Technically there is probably nothing wrong with mixing the shocks but it will look funny having a shiny shock up front and a blue/yellow shock out back.
Originally I wanted a set of 4 with the front having the settings of 0-1" and 2".
I found the front 3 position shock but they didn't have a part number for the rear 5100.
Then after research I found out the HD is a tad softer than the 5100 and I considered putting it on the rear instead of the firmer 5100 but I didn't know if there are any unintended or unplanned consequences to different types of shocks in the front and rear.
A pair of 5100's for the front are $50 more than the HD's and I assumed the rears were also more but they are the same price for rear HD or 5100's shocks.
I have seen 3 different sets of front shock part numbers and 2 different PN for the rear 5100.
Since I posted someone showed me some photos of their shock with a good number so I will end up going with a set of (4) 5100's
Old Dog, I have the HD Bilstein's front and rear on my truck. I wanted a little heavier shock's in the rear is because I pull trailers every once in awhile. Also my leveling kit is still in good shape so I put the HD's in the front also. Also I read that the 5100 series are a longer travel medium duty shock designed for leveling out or using with a full suspension lift. Also the HD's I have are mounted with the boot up, toward's the truck bed. I find they ride firm but not rough and handle the side to side roll a lot better than the stocker's. I've put about 3k miles on them and so far well satisfied with them. Either way both are great shock's.
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2004 Lariat 4x4 Screw, 2 1/2" Daystar leveling kit, K&N drop in, American Racing "Crush" 17x8 wheels with 315x70x17 BFG AT's, SI/DO Magnaflow exhaust with 3 1/2" SS tips, PE Jackrabbit Cover, Edge Evo Programmer, Delphi XM converter, Bilstein shock's.
Also my leveling kit is still in good shape so I put the HD's in the front also. Also I read that the 5100 series are a longer travel medium duty shock designed for leveling out or using with a full suspension lift. Also the HD's I have are mounted with the boot up, toward's the truck bed. I find they ride firm but not rough and handle the side to side roll a lot better than the stocker's. I've put about 3k miles on them and so far well satisfied with them. Either way both are great shock's.
Thanks for the response!
Did you buy your truck new? I remember when my truck was new and unloaded the rear was bouncy and I wished for a softer shock out back. The Bilstein tech said the 5100 were a bit harsher on an empty truck.
I think I have front and rear torsion bars because I corner hard and never have much body lean.
At least once a year I load up heavy and travel cross country and with the stock rake it looks like my truck is lowered even front to back. Im afraid if I set the front 5100 on 2" when im loaded I will need the firestone airbag leveling kit so I wanted the ability to adjust the front down if I need but under normal conditions I want a bit less rake.
What is the difference in which way the rear shock is installed?
Thanks again PawPaw!
Yes Old Dog I bought it new at the end of Jan. '04, 1 more note and She's mine! Look in my gallery and see how bad the rake was when stock. I had her leveled out about 3 1/2 yrs. ago and have been running larger tires and wheels for a little over 3 yrs. Truck has close to 60k miles and just had the shock's changed out at about 56k miles. Rides a little stiffer than with the stock shock's but handles a lot better.
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2004 Lariat 4x4 Screw, 2 1/2" Daystar leveling kit, K&N drop in, American Racing "Crush" 17x8 wheels with 315x70x17 BFG AT's, SI/DO Magnaflow exhaust with 3 1/2" SS tips, PE Jackrabbit Cover, Edge Evo Programmer, Delphi XM converter, Bilstein shock's.
The 5100's ride GREAT, I love them. They are even better now with the heavier 35's. I would highly suggest them.
You wouldn't want to be adjust the front down anyway, since it requires removing the coilover, compressing the coil, re-setting the spring seat, re-installing and aligning again.
Mine still has some rake, and I may go with a 1" add-a-leaf. If you tow/haul much you will love the airbags, otherwise I would use a small block or add-a-leaf and not worry about it much.
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2006 F150 FX4 Super Crew - 5100's leveled 2", 35" BFG KM2's, AEM Brute Force Intake, Xcal 2 (VMP), 15% tint, bakflip G2, Hella Heads...
2003 VW Jetta GLI VR6 six speed, 2" drop on 18's, eibach sway bars, magnaflow catback
You wouldn't want to be adjust the front down anyway, since it requires removing the coilover, compressing the coil, re-setting the spring seat, re-installing and aligning again.
Mine still has some rake, and I may go with a 1" add-a-leaf. If you tow/haul much you will love the airbags, otherwise I would use a small block or add-a-leaf and not worry about it much.
Im going to probably go with +2 and the firestone helper airbags I guess.
I have a 2006 xlt with 6-1/2" bed, crew cab. I love this truck. 45,000mi. now. I do hate the factory rake though. I am not really very mechanically skilled. I was just wondering if there are any problems with using these shocks to eliminate the rake. I was considering using them only on the front. Everybody talks about the improved ride. Improved how, because I actually don't have any complaints about the ride now. I know I will obviously need an allignment if I put these on the front, but does anything else suffer from the installation of them such as ball joints or any steering components. I would appreciate any imput you could give me. Also your truck looks awesome.
I have a 2006 xlt with 6-1/2" bed, crew cab. I love this truck. 45,000mi. now. I do hate the factory rake though. I am not really very mechanically skilled. I was just wondering if there are any problems with using these shocks to eliminate the rake. I was considering using them only on the front. Everybody talks about the improved ride. Improved how, because I actually don't have any complaints about the ride now. I know I will obviously need an allignment if I put these on the front, but does anything else suffer from the installation of them such as ball joints or any steering components. I would appreciate any imput you could give me. Also your truck looks awesome.
Thank You
The 5100's set to 2 inch lift are a great way to correct the rake. They are better than a leveling kit spacer because they give you more suspension travel. They should not have any adverse affects on your ball joints, cv joints etc. Someone mentioned where to buy them earlier in this thread. If you install them your self I would recommend removing the old ones and leaving the coil on them (DON'T REMOVE CENTER BOLT ON TOP) and taking them to a shop and have them switch the shock out of the coil. You need a heavy duty spring compressor so it is probably easier and safer to take to a shop. Those can be dangerous. I've heard great things about them and am planning on putting them on my 2006 XLT 4X4 Supercab. Do a search for Bilstein 5100 on this site and you will find a lot of info and members that run them.
As Im overseas, there is no shop that I can walk into and pick up a set of the 5100's and have a look at how they work, so can someone explain to me how they level the truck?? I understand the grooves allow the spring seat to be adjusted, so does that mean that the rod that slides inside the shock extends to accommodate the higher spring seat position, hence pushing the truck up and leveling it?
I was talking to a shop here that sells Rancho's and he got me all confused on how their shocks work saying that they would compress my spring and make for a firmer ride. That is not what Im looking for so I need to have it confirmed to me that the 5100's do not work the same way.
Furthermore, as my levelling kit is not offset I am experiencing that the upper control arm hits the spring on occasion. Will the 5100's eliminate this problem entirely?? If so, how?
And finally, I find the back end to be a bit bouncy. I'd like something that will smooth that out. As the only load i carry is a dirt bike and some camping gear, could i get away with a set-up like this?
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Bilsteins 5100 vs HD Confusion...
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