Finally done. Bilstein 5100 up front, set at 1" lift. Bilstein 5100 in rear, gave me 0.5" lift. Installed 275/60r20 cooper zeon ltz. Rides like a car, zero road noise.

 

That stance looks great! I always worry when people lift that they'll end up nose high, yours isn't.

Great job!

 

Thanks. Nothing to aggressive but wanted a setup for good gas mileage and also a good ride with tires that will last on the highway.

 

I've never been into super aggressive. That stance and tire size on your truck is just right.

Did you need to re aim the headlights?

 

Is the ride really that much better than with the stock FX4 shocks? I've been thinking of replacing my shocks at 100k.

 

Anything will be better than your shocks that have 100k on them. At that mileage, they are shot.

 

Yes it rides much better.

As far as the headlights, no I didn't re-aim them, but I think I should. I can tell they are slightly higher.

Brian

 

Truck looks great. I like the tread pattern on the tires.

 

Awesome truck!

 

it looks good !!

 

I don't know how you can claim someone's shock are "shot" without looking at them/testing them. If there is obvious leakage from them, that's one thing. Mine are original and have no signs of leaks and perform just fine. If I replaced them with an aftermarket set would I see a difference? Sure. If I replaced them with OEM units? Eh, I doubt it.

 

Take a brand new OE shock and compress it with your hand. Do the same thing with a shock that has 100k miles and you'll feel how big of a difference there is.

I bet if you changed your shock to a brand new OE unit (if you have around 100k) you would notice a difference. At this point, your spring is doing all the work and your shock is doing just about nothing.

100k on a shock is a lot of miles and I can bet they're past their service life. I stand behind my statement.

 

Did you use your stock springs or do the 5100's come pre-loaded?

 

stock springs.

 

There are several trustworthy sources about it, but here is one from CarTalk:

http://www.cartalk.com/content/today...-change-shocks

Basically, if there's no excessive bouncing, or no damage/evidence of leaks, there's no reason to think the shocks are "bad". They generally don't degrade, they're either good or bad. Replacing them every 50K or 100K miles is akin to changing your oil every 3K miles . . . mostly automotive folklore. You may have your own method of determining your shocks, but I have read the above from several sources who aren't trying to sell shock absorbers. YMMV