Lift with bilstein shocks?

[BlueCollarTahoe]

i read on another thread that someone said you can get 3 inch lift off using bilstein shocks versus putting in keys or a lift kit. which shocks can do this? pros/cons? asking for a 2004 tahoe LT. not trying to be cheap but its an older truck and i save little by little for all the upgrades everytime i get paid lol whats the full set of stuff needed for a basic inexpensive lift for 3 to 4 inches? i hear about shocks, keys and extenders etc. Kind of confusing but if someone lays it out i will def appriciate it )))

 

[huffster329]

3 inches with just shocks? That seems a little extreme. You will most likely need keys and spacers. You can get them cheap off ebay.

 

[PWMac]

I'm working on installing the Bilstein 5100s on my 2008 denali. Here's a picture from the install sheet showing the 4 different settings for the front shocks. They range from stock to 1.77" lift so you can get some lift but not 3". I tried the 4th setting and had a hard time getting the shocks back in so I switched it the 3rd position or 1.18". Up front my fender height was 36" and now with the new shocks and 285/70r17 tires it sits at 38".

In the rear the shocks were a little longer than stock and I put in some z71 moog springs which were a little taller. Before my rear fender was at 37" and now with the shocks, springs and a little bigger tire it's 39" at the fender.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Since the Bilsteins are by far the most expensive part, you won't save much $$ by trying to lift with shocks alone.

Just to give you an idea: My keys were about $35 and my Z71 springs were about $50.

That's $85 which is the cost of ONE Bilstein shock.

If you're going to be pulling the suspension apart anyway there's no need to cut corners - get either spacers or taller springs (i've heard people say that H2 springs will give you even more lift than Z71 on an LS/LT, but I haven't confirmed that.)

Also consider that your springs are pretty "tired" by now so putting on brand new springs should give you a better ride.

 

[BlueCollarTahoe]

thanks for the replies. so what from what i gather it goes like this:

keys, spacers, springs and shocks.

for the 3 to 4 inch lift anyone got links to the right parts for this group of equipment? gonna order them little by little. i see the parts in the post above )

 

[BlueCollarTahoe]

Since the Bilsteins are by far the most expensive part, you won't save much $$ by trying to lift with shocks alone.

Just to give you an idea: My keys were about $35 and my Z71 springs were about $50.

That's $85 which is the cost of ONE Bilstein shock.

If you're going to be pulling the suspension apart anyway there's no need to cut corners - get either spacers or taller springs (i've heard people say that H2 springs will give you even more lift than Z71 on an LS/LT, but I haven't confirmed that.)

Also consider that your springs are pretty "tired" by now so putting on brand new springs should give you a better ride.

thanks can you link me to those pieces? and yes youre right ive seen the springs on the rear theyre rusty looking.

 

[Martinjmpr]

thanks can you link me to those pieces? and yes youre right ive seen the springs on the rear theyre rusty looking.

Rear Shocks:
Bilstein (24-185783) 5100 Series Shock Absorber

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FU66FO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Front shocks:
Bilstein (24-186643) 5100 Series Shock Absorber

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BYNJAVW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Z71 springs:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00498ZR7A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Moog front stabilizer bar ends:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00180G31G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Lift keys were from eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Torsion-Bar...ash=item19fe4372aa:g:L9IAAOSwRQlXfQzy&vxp=mtr

NOTE: He's asking $53 for those which is a 62% price increase in 1 year ! Not sure why he wants so much for them but I guess they're popular. You can find others in the $30 - $40 range if you shop around.

Hope that helps!

 

[BlueCollarTahoe]

Rear Shocks:
Bilstein (24-185783) 5100 Series Shock Absorber

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FU66FO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Front shocks:
Bilstein (24-186643) 5100 Series Shock Absorber

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BYNJAVW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Z71 springs:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00498ZR7A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Moog front stabilizer bar ends:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00180G31G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Lift keys were from eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Torsion-Bar...ash=item19fe4372aa:g:L9IAAOSwRQlXfQzy&vxp=mtr

NOTE: He's asking $53 for those which is a 62% price increase in 1 year ! Not sure why he wants so much for them but I guess they're popular. You can find others in the $30 - $40 range if you shop around.

Hope that helps!

yes! thanks thats exactly what i needed. i can order it part by part as i get the money each paycheck. thanks!!

 

[BlueCollarTahoe]

Rear Shocks:
Bilstein (24-185783) 5100 Series Shock Absorber

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FU66FO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Front shocks:
Bilstein (24-186643) 5100 Series Shock Absorber

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BYNJAVW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Z71 springs:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00498ZR7A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Moog front stabilizer bar ends:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00180G31G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Lift keys were from eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Torsion-Bar...ash=item19fe4372aa:g:L9IAAOSwRQlXfQzy&vxp=mtr

NOTE: He's asking $53 for those which is a 62% price increase in 1 year ! Not sure why he wants so much for them but I guess they're popular. You can find others in the $30 - $40 range if you shop around.

Hope that helps!

still buying the parts little by little, had some repairs that needed to be done that slowed me down...but can someone tell me some things i came across would appriciate the help.

do you need some sort of brackets/screws for the keys? i seen some come with brackets dont know if i needed them. if i do can someone link me some reliable ones?

also should i change those cushion things that are around the shocks? taking a look under mines are toast, they look like foam pads in the shape of a hershye kiss or something lol
part number for a good placement considering this lift im doing? also do i need special shock extender brackets for what im doing? i seen it mentioned on other threads but not sure if it applys here with these parts and this limited lift

can someone link me good spacers and the right size to use with all the parts above in the quote?

also is there an alternative part number for the moog bar ends? amazon taking forever to restock those and buying them from another party is almost double the price.

 

[BlueCollarTahoe]

bump to the top please...waiting on responses to order parts