2012 Tahoe rear 1.5 lift shock question

[redshift]

I have ordered a 1.5 inch rear spacer set for the rear. I see listed in many places that the bilstein 5100s rear are for a 0-1 inch lift. I have seen plenty of other shock choices: skyjacker, BDS, ProComp, Rancho, Fox etc that offer shocks that will cover the 1.5 inch range.

My question is, does the half an inch extra cause the 5100 to over extend over time? Any other shock choices folks prefer for a decent ride that is not too harsh and "crashy" feeling?

thank you.

 

[redshift]

I just thought of another related rabbit hole: Hydraulic VS gas charged shocks. New thread?

 

[Doubeleive]

usually people do a 2" spacer upfront, is the rear sagging? do you have the standard shocks or is it air ride?

 

[redshift]

usually people do a 2" spacer upfront, is the rear sagging? do you have the standard shocks or is it air ride?

Yup I have a 2 inch spacer up front as well.
I just am not sure about the rear shock sizing. bilstein 5100 goes to 1inch lift supposedly. Is the extra .5 inch going to stress the shock out over time? I know there are alternatives with more travel, like skyjacker, BDS, procomp etc.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

Yup I have a 2 inch spacer up front as well.
I just am not sure about the rear shock sizing. bilstein 5100 goes to 1inch lift supposedly. Is the extra .5 inch going to stress the shock out over time? I know there are alternatives with more travel, like skyjacker, BDS, procomp etc.

@redshift you might be able to get away with it but just in case I would get rear shock extenders to have on hand just in case, when you get it all pulled apart look and see if the shock will reach and if not just install the shock extender. You want to have the shocks ride right in the middle of their travel cycle for them to be the most effective.

 

[redshift]

@redshift you might be able to get away with it but just in case I would get rear shock extenders to have on hand just in case, when you get it all pulled apart look and see if the shock will reach and if not just install the shock extender. You want to have the shocks ride right in the middle of their travel cycle for them to be the most effective.

A shock extender, now why did I not know of such a thing. Ok interesting. Thankyou.

 

[Doubeleive]

I don't know about how much the 5100 can take they are good shocks for the money, sometimes people will put a spacer in the coil springs or you can change the springs out for ones that will give you that extra 1 1 .5 there are some on rock auto that are reasonable.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

A shock extender, now why did I not know of such a thing. Ok interesting. Thankyou.

@redshift They're usually included with cheap lifts like rough country but they should get you by if you need. Best of luck keep us posted.

 

[redshift]

@redshift They're usually included with cheap lifts like rough country but they should get you by if you need. Best of luck keep us posted.

Will do. Thanks again for the extender suggestion. In looking into it I see why they are a thing in some lift kits. Allows you to keep existing shocks, although the lack of travel (especially droop) when lifting something is less than optimal, it does get you by.

 

[redshift]

ok just order a pair of es9000s because they are low cost and I'm curious. I have run Bilstein 5100s before on my Tacoma and yup they are very nice but lets see how these are......dun dun dun!
I almost went crazy and ordered the skyjacker black max HYDRAULIC shocks so I could pretend my Tahoe is from the 70s but I couldn't quite do it. I'm almost regretting not trying to see what it would be like.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

ok just order a pair of es9000s because they are low cost and I'm curious. I have run Bilstein 5100s before on my Tacoma and yup they are very nice but lets see how these are......dun dun dun!
I almost went crazy and ordered the skyjacker black max HYDRAULIC shocks so I could pretend my Tahoe is from the 70s but I couldn't quite do it. I'm almost regretting not trying to see what it would be like.

@redshift I have not heard of those but from Google I can see that a set of 4 costs as much as a single Bilstein 5100 which has me questioning the quality of the es9000s

 

[redshift]

@redshift I have not heard of those but from Google I can see that a set of 4 costs as much as a single Bilstein 5100 which has me questioning the quality of the es9000s

Yup, that is the experiment. I'm familiar with the 5100s so I will try something new, still almost wish I had went hydro to see just how cloud like the ride is and how car sick inducing

 

[Dustin Jackson]

Yup, that is the experiment. I'm familiar with the 5100s so I will try something new, still almost wish I had went hydro to see just how cloud like the ride is and how car sick inducing

@redshift So you have a spacer for the rear, what are you going to use to lift the front?

 

[bill1013]

I would stick with the air shocks as they absorb and disperse the shock better than the hydraulic ones. Fluid would transfer too much of the shock and you would definitely feel it. From a strictly analytical/scientific perspective, fluid & air/gases are basically the same in that they react in the same relevant manner. Fluid is denser, so it transfers more of the motion, or in this case shock/motion, more effectively. Gases absorb the shock better because gases are infinitely compressible. Common hydraulic fluid compresses .01% at 10k psi. It transmits the shock whereas the air/gas absorbs it. Just my opinion...

 

[redshift]

@redshift So you have a spacer for the rear, what are you going to use to lift the front?

Just a standard 2 inch lower strut spacer on the stock components for now.

 

[redshift]

Hi all. Ok I finally got the parts and did the lift. I used motofab's 2 inch lower strut spacer up front and their 1.5 inch coil spacer in the rear. The front went from 36 inches to 38 and the rear went from 37.5 to 39. I also replaced my rear shocks with pro-comp ES9000s. The install in the front was standard stuff although I did need to disconnect the ball joint and tie rod to get enough room to install the bolts the correct way. In the back I ended up using my spring compressor to save time. Since the coil spacers are powder coated aluminum I lined the inside of surface that sits on the frame with some leftover sticky back rubber windows flashing in case there would be any metal on metal noise. So far so good. Although I'm afraid that I must try and curtail my instinct to go bigger/higher in the pursuit of long travel.

 

[GreyStone]

Came out great! - What kind of rims are those?

 

[redshift]

Came out great! - What kind of rims are those?

You know they came with the truck and I had a heck of a time figuring it out, but they are discontinued liquid metal gaitlins 17x9 with, I think a -10 offset.

 

[GreyStone]

You know they came with the truck and I had a heck of a time figuring it out, but they are discontinued liquid metal gaitlins 17x9 with, I think a -10 offset.

I like em!

 

[redshift]

I like em!

Thanks!
There was some rub on the front side of the forward wheel well liner, even with stock tire dimensions (265/70/17). I think it the offset. But a sawzall and a propane torch later, no rub.