ReadyLift to 5100 transition

[CE750]

Hello all! First post here. I’m getting ready to ditch the ReadyLift 3/2 setup on my ‘18 FX4 for the Bilstein 5100’s, utilizing the 4WD F-150 fronts and Expedition rears. Any feedback from those running this setup would be greatly appreciated! I like many have experienced the failure of my front OEM shocks after only 13K miles.

 

[Tys expedition]

i would strongly consider the bilstein 6112 lift. the 6112 uses a 60mm shock bodying has better valving. this is the route i will go ass soon as i need to replace my shocks. the f150 kit is 736 bucks at stage 3 motorsports. i believe they are a sponsor or at least preferred vendor. id have to check the list to verify though. maybe they would do a forum discount. i have 5100's on my 1st gen 4runner but it weighs 3400 lbs not whatever an expedition weighs.

larger shock body increases oil volume for cooling.
they are valved for a full size pickup/suv
they have a slightly softer spring and much more dynamic shock valving.
they retain the factory top hat and rubber isolater
they have multiple steps so you can adjust them to the exact ride height you want 0-3"

reviews indicate a much more controlled ride

 

[Shaffer9]

Do they have a 6112 for the rear? The rear 5100 is not the same as the f150.

 

[Black]

Nope on the 6112 for the rear.

When I put the F150 5100s on my 2016 the top ring was about 4” of lift which was too much. Dropped the the 2nd Ring and got about 2” of lift. Big bumps control arms made contact with the coil. I am not sure the same will correlate to the 4th Gen but would not be surprised.
There is a reason Bilstiens made for the Expeditions don’t give 2” of lift as an option as almost all other applications do.

So be prepared to buy UCAs unless you don’t mind the clunk. BDS control arms are unusable with Bilsteins on the 3rd Gen.

Again, no knowledge of the 4th Gens but these are issues I ran into on this venture on my 3rd Gen but would not be surprised if you seem similar issues. So be prepared to take it apart a few times to get it right.

I now have Fox 2.0s up front with BDS UCAs. I still need to drop them slightly as the front end is about a .5” higher than the rear. I want some rake back.

 

[Fozzy]

So be prepared to buy UCAs unless you don’t mind the clunk. BDS control arms are unusable with Bilsteins on the 3rd Gen.

What is causing the actual clunk? Thanks.


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[Black]

Inside of the upper control arm makes contact with the coil at extension.
Not a huge deal except big bumps and off-roading.

 

[Deadman]

The angle of that joint makes me nervous.....

 

[sanman28]

Are

Inside of the upper control arm makes contact with the coil at extension.
Not a huge deal except big bumps and off-roading.

You are posting 3rd gen pics and info in the 4th gen forum? Unless the suspensions are identical, what is the relevance?

 

[Black]

Are


You are posting 3rd gen pics and info in the 4th gen forum? Unless the suspensions are identical, what is the relevance?

Being the suspension setups are pretty much identical and the struts and UCAs are the exact same part from the 3rd to 4th gen just giving friendly advise to what issues to possibly be prepared for.
Not sure on Spring rate differences but he is very likely to run into the same issue as I did lifting more than 1.5” up front.

 

[wakeboarder]

Bilstein shows a slight difference in geometry between 3rd and 4th gens for the front shocks. It shows the 3rd gens are stock height on the second groove while a 0.8 inch lift on the 4th gen.

 

[Black]

That is because the factory spring rates are different.
The shocks are identical.
But again he is planning on using F150 5100s to attain more height (I presume) as I see no other reason for using the F150 5100 since there is an Expedition model now.
I used F150 5100s because when I did mine there were no Expedition 5100s.
If using F150 5100s I would be prepared to buy SPC UCAs (my guess is they would work best as they have an adjustable ball joint mount but don’t know for sure).

I hedged my bets on BDS UCAs because the readings on multiple sites just said for 2” lift. Read the instructions it says they are made specifically for Fox 2.0s and “may” work with some spacer set ups.
BDS with Bilstein put me in a worse predicament the arm no longer contacted the coil buy the knuckle actually slid underneath the coil.


So now I have Fox 2.0s and BDS with decent clearance but I gained about 1.5” over the Bilsteins which is too much for these trucks so I need to bring it down slightly.

 

[Adieu]

That is because the factory spring rates are different.
The shocks are identical.
But again he is planning on using F150 5100s to attain more height (I presume) as I see no other reason for using the F150 5100 since there is an Expedition model now.
I used F150 5100s because when I did mine there were no Expedition 5100s.
If using F150 5100s I would be prepared to buy SPC UCAs (my guess is they would work best as they have an adjustable ball joint mount but don’t know for sure).

I hedged my bets on BDS UCAs because the readings on multiple sites just said for 2” lift. Read the instructions it says they are made specifically for Fox 2.0s and “may” work with some spacer set ups.
BDS with Bilstein put me in a worse predicament the arm no longer contacted the coil buy the knuckle actually slid underneath the coil.


So now I have Fox 2.0s and BDS with decent clearance but I gained about 1.5” over the Bilsteins which is too much for these trucks so I need to bring it down slightly.

Neither of these is quite right, but that first setup was just begging for something to go really wrong

 

[CE750]

Reference 95cobby's setup under the thread "Bilstein 5100 Lift Install", and thats what I'm shooting for. Looks like he had great results using the 4WD F-150 5100 front's set at the stock height setting(apparently netting a 2.5-3" lift) , and the Expedition rears set at the highest 1.5" setting. I also ordered a set of ICON Delta Joint UCA's that come with the Stage 2 ICON coilover lift kit for the '18+ Expedition, for good measure. All will hopefully be installed on Wednesday...will report back.

 

[Black]

Neither of these is quite right, but that first setup was just begging for something to go really wrong

correct. I did not run the 1st setup at all.
The 2nd levels out a bit when weight is put on the suspension. I am about 3.5” of lift currently. Going to drop it to 2” and should be golden.

 

[Fozzy]

What is the purpose of all this “almost works”. What’s wrong with the ReadyLift? Can’t you get Bilstien factory replacement shocks? Does this give you more lift than the RL. Why not just go for it and get the Icon set up? I would have the Icons, but not sure I want to give up the CCD’s.


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[CE750]

Iv'e had no issues with the ReadyLift, other than the fact that I don't want to use the factory shocks anymore after these failed at 13K miles...and some have had them take a dump with way less milage than that. And no, from what I can tell there are no factory replacements besides OEM.

The ICON setup would be amazing, however I don't want to spend $5K for the kit, and on top of that have to worry about potentially re-building those shock down the road.

As I stated in the opening post, just looking to mirror my current 3/2 Readylift setup, and if I can get better handling and more articulation at the same time with the 5100's and ICON UCA's, seems like a win win. The obvious "problem" in going with the Expedition dedicated 5100's all around is the limiting height factor of 1.6" up front.....ya need the 4WD F-150 front's to net the 2.5-3" in front to mimic the Readlift 3" front spacer.

 

[wakeboarder]

Iv'e had no issues with the ReadyLift, other than the fact that I don't want to use the factory shocks anymore after these failed at 13K miles...and some have had them take a dump with way less milage than that. And no, from what I can tell there are no factory replacements besides OEM.

The ICON setup would be amazing, however I don't want to spend $5K for the kit, and on top of that have to worry about potentially re-building those shock down the road.

As I stated in the opening post, just looking to mirror my current 3/2 Readylift setup, and if I can get better handling and more articulation at the same time with the 5100's and ICON UCA's, seems like a win win. The obvious "problem" in going with the Expedition dedicated 5100's all around is the limiting height factor of 1.6" up front.....ya need the 4WD F-150 front's to net the 2.5-3" in front to mimic the Readlift 3" front spacer.

Why can’t the 5100’s listed by Bilstein for the Expeditions be used with the Readylift? Could the snap ring be left in the position for the stock ride height?

 

[Black]

What is the purpose of all this “almost works”. What’s wrong with the ReadyLift? Can’t you get Bilstien factory replacement shocks? Does this give you more lift than the RL. Why not just go for it and get the Icon set up? I would have the Icons, but not sure I want to give up the CCD’s.


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All RL does is add ground clearance. You arguably loose off-road performance somewhat. You aren’t gaining any articulation. You are likely inhibiting some upward movement since essentially your strut is preloaded.
A spacer also does not ride as well comfort wise.
Then RL is about $350 and since many folks develop leaking OEM struts under 20k miles there is not a chance in the world I would run them on OEM struts. So you add the cost of aftermarket struts your cost is now well beyond just buying 5100s.

As for going with ICON if I were starting today that is the route I would go. When I started this venture ICON had nothing for us and they said nothing was coming. There was not even a 5100 available for the Expedition.
And many folks can’t afford 1k a corner. Would be nice if ICON released the 2.5s for us. 99% of us have zero need for a resi.

Why can’t the 5100’s listed by Bilstein for the Expeditions be used with the Readylift? Could the snap ring be left in the position for the stock ride height?

Putting spacers on a 5100 or any leveling strut for that matter is a bad idea.
The bodies and shafts of the leveling struts are longer than factory. Add a spacer you are only asking for damage on hard impact.

 

[Fozzy]

I have taken my Expy off road to the point of dragging and hitting body panels. I have shoved my 35’s into the fenders. If the articulations is in the upward motions I would think I would have wrinkled my front fenders. So I guess this upward limit is a good thing for me. May try some 33’s. I would love a true 4”-6” lift for these things. I don’t intend it be an off road worthy vehicle, but I use it to get my off road toys to their destinations. And the few dirt roads and trails to some place are a little tough at times. I was thinking a 2” body lift would help, but their so sketchy. The stupid axles coming through the frame keeps company’s from making a bigger lift. The Rize kit is to big, still want to pull a trailer.


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[Tys expedition]

im kind of waiting for overland expo west to talk to the bilstein reps there and see if they have a specific 4th gen kit in development. i would be quite surprised if they don't given the products they currently offer on various fords. im totally willing to wait for a 6112 kit until my ccd shocks start leaking. like another poster mentioned ill probably run icon delta joint UCAs. im only looking for two inches of lift. i ran icons on my tacoma and the rears developed leaks, but i got 60-70k out of them and i wasn't terribly nice to that taco Broke the rear leafs and had to go to alcan custom leaf packs). the fronts weren't the resi ones so maybe that makes a difference but i never developed any issues with them which is fairly commendable i think. i don't know if most after market coilovers last that long but i see people reporting they need rebuilds. i just want a stiffer more controlled ride. id keep the ccd shocks if i could get the sport suspension with the normal shift points. the sport shift points are nice on some trails but daily driving they're annoying. if icon makes a ccd delete or compatible kit id almost be willing to swallow the cost of their kit. i really liked the ride they gave me but im positive id be more than satisfied with 6112's and at the price they're hard to beat. i bet with their 2.35 body they'll give me all i need for a 6000 lb suv. the stock wheel travel is pretty laughable. up on jacks at full droop ill have to measure it but it can't be more than three inches. so with the ready lift id guess your almost at max droop to start with. adding a larger range of wheel travel with any aftermarket shock should give a noticeable improvement. maybe someone who installed the ready lift did the measurements and could post that info. next time i get mine on jack stands ill try to measure factory wheel travel.