I have an '06 XL 2wd. I want to put P285/70/17s on it so I believe I'm going to need to level/lift it slightly. Currently, rear is 1 3/8" higher than the front. After much searching here and researching vendor sites, I think I'm going with the Bilstein 5100s instead of a spacer type level kit. I understand how the fronts work - move snap ring to adjust from 0" - 1" or 2" of lift. But how do the rears work? Some sites say 0" of lift, others say 0" to 1" of lift. Do these actually lift the rear? Or are they saying if you lift the rear 1" by other means, i.e. blocks, these shocks will adjust for that. I'm specifically talking about part no. BE5-C301-H0.

I see the kit for about $450. Is that about the best I'm going to be able to do? And after reading the other current 5100 thread, I'm think I'm going to have a shop do the install. How many hours will I be charged for?

Thanks for your help. A lot of great information on this site.

 

There are no adjustment for the rear shocks, just put them in and it'll be what it'll be. Front Struts on the other hand have the snap ring you can move to the different grooves.

 

Yeah, looking at it that's what i thought. But some vendors advertise the rear shocks as 0"-1" of lift. I'm wondering if I put a 1" block in the back if the Bilstein shock will be too short.

Or any shock for that matter. If you raise the back by putting a block between your axle and leaf spring, do you need to increase the length of your shock?

 

If you get the rears that come in the 0-2" kit, you would have to add a 2" block (or 1" if that's all you wanted) in the rear to get any height. The shocks will adjust for the extra 2" but you won't get any lift without adding a block.

 

Thanks for the responses. Did a little more research at the Bilstein site and I think i have it figured out. Except, do I really want to spend the $$$ for the Bilsteins (4) plus the install? This is a 2wd truck that will never be off the pavement and basically be used to haul 2x4s from the hardware store, the occasional trip to the dump, and a summer time trip the landscape store for a load of beauty bark. People that have the Bilsteins seem to like them but maybe a $200 level and rear block it is all I need. My goal is just to put some bigger tires on, like some 285/70/17s.

 

Installing rear shocks on a 2wd is a 20 minute job, with 2 wrenches. You do not even have to jack the truck up, or remove the wheel/rims to do it!