I want to get some bilsteins for my tacoma. I believ my 4x4 came with a small factory lift, it has slightly oversized tires. What bilsteins should i get 5100s or 7100s, what size stroke, and should i replace the bushings as well? Are there any gotchas for the shade tree mechanic doing is at home? Thanks.

 

Check with Steve @ Sonoran Steel he has been selling the 5100 Bilsteins modified and chosen for Yota's using yota springs for some time now, if you sand down the corrosion on the bottom of the shock body you will find part #'s stamped into it and could order through your local Bilstein supplier as well. They also have a lifetime warranty as long as the shock body wasn't damaged in anyway buy installation or removal, you will need a proper stationary 4 or 6 arm spring compressor to do the front shock assembly without marking the shock body to avoid voiding the warranty IMO.

 

I got the 5100s for my 98 and like them.

If you haven't done a truck with coil over springs, that's going to be the biggest challenge. Rears are easy. For the fronts, I took the entire assembly off (follow the manual instructions), and brought it to a local shop. They used their press to get the old shock out and put the new one in, then I installed the whole assembly.

I'm not going to be replacing shocks again anytime soon so I didn't want to buy a spring compressor. And the cheap ones are dangerous...

Use google. That's where I found instructions on this. Disconnecting the front sway bar/stabilizer bar and using your jack upside down in the wheel well will work for pushing the control arm down for enough to get the assembly in & out. I tried for a while with just the jack and it was sketchy...Once I unhooked the nut from the stabilizer bar, it was easy.

 

You do have a drive side and passenger side front coils OEM and for the Progressive Tundra springs if you run those so don't mix them up, they also need to be lined up so that the coil bows outwards(especially Tundra springs for clearance), you do not need to jack the upper control arm down, just undue and loosen the upper control arm pivot bolt and nut an you will have lots of room to work, and when you lower the vehicle you then tighten the upper control arm pivot bolt and nut, it is a static pivot point you would want set to the height of the suspension installed, so yes there are a few gotcha's you could say.

 

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the info.