tlaverdiere

I have a stock 94 4runner with the exception of the 3.4 swap. Suspension is completely stock. I just purchased a pair of bilstein 5100 shocks for the front as it drives like a boat. What would you guys recommend for the rear as far as shocks go? I know i will be buying new coil springs soon but want something comparable in ride height to the 5100 so the rear doesn't sit lower and i cannot find 5100's for the rear. Thanks in advance.

Dylan86

If I recall, the 5100 Bilsteins for second gens are designed for 3-4 inches of lift up front. Therefore they wont fit in a stock setup. Believe me, I've tried and I also have a 94. I ended up going with Bilstein HDs since I only have 1.5" lift over stock via BJ spacers up front.

As for the rear, I would recommend the HDs as well if you are keeping the stock ride height. I have the 2" OME lift in back, and the HDs fit perfectly.

tlaverdiere

Okay Dylan, so is there any way I can lift the front a few inches for under $200? I can do ball Joint Spacers and diff drop pretty easily but will that be enough? also what to do with the rear if I do chose to lift the front? Are you happy with the HD's? I'm looking to buy 33-35" tires late this year will i need longer shocks again at that point if i choose to go with the HD's?

Dylan86

You could probably find large enough BJ spacers to warrant using the 5100s, again at least 3" if I recall. Diff drop would be necessary as well. For the rear, I cannot remember if 5100s are available. I do know the HDs will work with stock height up to 2" of lift. I bought my shocks from shockwarehouse.com and they list whether the products are compatible for your vehicle and if they require a lift or not.

As for the quality of the HDs, they're great. Bilstein makes a great product and these are no exception. The 5100s are more designed as "race series". The HD are designed to handle every day performance as well as off road use.

Rasteirinho

Hi,

The HD's are indicated only for original height or they can also be used with 2" lift?

Thanks.

Regards,
Pedro

Dylan86

The HDs are designed for stock height up to 2" of lift. Beyond 2" you will need something like the 5100s. Put it this way, I have the OME 2" lift in rear and I'm running the HDs. They would work if I had stock height too and the same goes for up front.

BTW, I have an unused front pair of 5100s for a 2nd gen that I plan to list once I hit the 15 posts I need.

Rasteirinho

Any suggested place to buy a set of Bilstein HD to my rig?

Thanks.

Dylan86

www.shockwarehouse.com is where I bought mine. They tell you which shocks fit your vehicle.

Pay attention to which ones you buy, they will indicate if they require a certain amount of lift.

tlaverdiere

Thanks for the info, so sounds like ill be going with 1.5" bj spacers and diff drop from 4crawler, and ill just have to crank the tbars to get another inch or so... i looked at napa and their stock shocks are 9.3 fully compressed, the bilstein 5100's are 11.6 compressed so it shouldn't be to hard to get that extra inch out of the torsion bars... already lifted the rear 2" with coil spacers, and have a set of HD's on the way to replace the stock shocks back there. hope the front end isnt too much higher looking than the rear when i'm done...

Rasteirinho

Thanks.

Already sent an e-mail to them to see if they can ship the shocks to Europe.