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Suspension or tires?

The BP51s are a good value but come with a lot of downsides as well. Their shock lengths are very conservative, bad if you value travel and articulation, good if you don't want to extend brake lines and want to try to get away with stock UCAs. They come with 720lb springs so they can handle a lot of weight, but will ride firmer than others. You can make adjustments to the preload, but unlike most coilovers, the BP51s require a spring compressor (due to the aluminum body/threads), which is problematic because most spring compressors won't fit in the tiny gap between the shock and the coil. The good thing about aluminum shock bodies means less rust and corrosion in areas that contain heavy salts, and it also helps with thermal management. And the BP-51s do come with compression adjusters standard, but it's tricky to adjust the compression/rebound on the coilover since the coil itself gets in the way.

Just food for thought.
 
Audidood said:
Thanks guys! Time to research on a decent 3” lift. suggestions based on first-hand experience welcome!
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Think about what you want to do in the future especially weight and height wise prior to deciding. Then suspension first, tires second for all the above mentioned reasons.

To share my inexperienced decision and lesson learned...

Front- King 2.5 RR extended coil over with 600 lb springs
Rear- King 2.5 RR extended travel
Springs- Icon AAL (provided about 1.5" lift overall)
Tires- 285/70Rr7

Immediately had to get the cab chop so I could turn. Otherwise it was a 50 point turn to park.

Since, I've decided I eventually want to add a high clearance front and rear bumpers, and I have a small trailer on the way. The added weight and desired height increase will require me to convert to 700 lb springs in front, and full leaf spring kit in back. The full leaf spring replacement will require me to replace the rear shock piston to a longer length to accommodate the additional height.

Granted the set up I have now is perfect for daily driver and occasional off-roading; however, with future planned mods/weight it is going to cost way more than if I would have known/put the 700lb springs, leaf pack, and extended rear shock piston on the first time. So regardless of brand, things to consider.
 
0uTkAsT said:
The BP51s are a good value but come with a lot of downsides as well. Their shock lengths are very conservative, bad if you value travel and articulation, good if you don't want to extend brake lines and want to try to get away with stock UCAs. They come with 720lb springs so they can handle a lot of weight, but will ride firmer than others. You can make adjustments to the preload, but unlike most coilovers, the BP51s require a spring compressor (due to the aluminum body/threads), which is problematic because most spring compressors won't fit in the tiny gap between the shock and the coil. The good thing about aluminum shock bodies means less rust and corrosion in areas that contain heavy salts, and it also helps with thermal management. And the BP-51s do come with compression adjusters standard, but it's tricky to adjust the compression/rebound on the coilover since the coil itself gets in the way.

Just food for thought.
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I currently have the BP-51's, and I'll agree with most all of this.

That said I've driven them pretty hard offroad and they I'm pretty freaking happy.

While yes they are not long travel, and sometimes I wish I had LT, they really don't need to be for my needs. I'm not romping over whoops etc. For my purposes as a daily driver and overland travel rig, they work phenomenal. I can do 50+ over washboard gravel roads etc with weight in the back and not have any issues. As a daily I love that the BP-51's are predictable around corners.

I got the height pretty much right on with the first install, maybe a tad high for when the truck is loaded, but it's good for now. I'll likely pull them off and yes, like Outkast said, I'll need a wall mounted spring compressor to lower them a bit. I've heard of some people being able to lower the shock without a compressor, but raising them is another story.

As for adjustment of the compression and rebound while on the truck I actually found it pretty easy. Turn the front wheels out, put the spanner on the coil, and turn. You may have to adjust where you attach the spanner based on the rotation of the coil, but I can adjust the entire truck in under 5 minutes.

In regards to the original question of this thread, suspension first. Always.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated! The BP-51 kit is definitely out of my budget and a little too much for my needs. the bilstein 888/5100 setup is the direction i’m leaning toward.
 
0uTkAsT said:
The two biggest cost considerations, in my experience, is whether you can happily get away with AALs vs. full replacement leaf packs, and whether or not you can happily get away with stock replacement shocks vs. coilovers. How you use it determines which of those two things applies... from there you can start planning your suspension out based on budget.

Biggest mistake people make is misjudging or disregarding their actual intended use by either assuming they need the absolute best, most bombproof system in the world to drive around town and pick the kids up from school every day or the opposite, thinking they can get away with 5100s and an add-a-leaf to do cross-country off-roading with 600 pounds of gear in the back of their truck.
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THANK YOU for this! Someone suggested to me that all I needed for what I wanted was 5100s... Not so, First of all, I am one that doesn't like to buy and build twice. Also, this truck will be used for long trips, and gear in the back. I DO go offroad and you never know what you find sometimes. Yes, it is also my daily, and there are days I drive a lot, but, it was not bought for grocery trips. My truck is brand new and no mods yet. What would be your suggestion on suspension, and then tires and wheels? I have been driving a Jeep for the last years, and the set ups seem so different! I am a newbie again, and hate it!
 
Ashlie said:
THANK YOU for this! Someone suggested to me that all I needed for what I wanted was 5100s... Not so, First of all, I am one that doesn't like to buy and build twice. Also, this truck will be used for long trips, and gear in the back. I DO go offroad and you never know what you find sometimes. Yes, it is also my daily, and there are days I drive a lot, but, it was not bought for grocery trips. My truck is brand new and no mods yet. What would be your suggestion on suspension, and then tires and wheels? I have been driving a Jeep for the last years, and the set ups seem so different! I am a newbie again, and hate it!
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No problem Ashlie.

If you cover a lot of ground off-road, you will want 2.5" shocks with reservoirs. We just recently switched from a 5100-based setup to a 2.5" ADS resi based setup ourselves, and we're extremely pleased with the upgrade. This weekend we covered over 150 miles on dirt averaging 35-50 MPH, stopping to hit some technical stuff in between, all at ambient temps of 102*F, and we barely experienced any shock fade at all. It wouldn't have been possible to maintain those speeds or be anywhere near as comfortable with the 5100s, not to mention remain in control as well as we did on winding mountain trails. It brought back the fun of driving across long stretches of desert and allowed us to get to the fun stuff faster by speeding up the time between A and B, which, having kids in the back, is a big deal.

If you plan on adding weight, I would go with coilovers with 700lb springs and full replacement leaf packs in the rear like the OME Dakars or Icon RXTs. Icon makes some really well thought out complete kits that are basically plug and play, but I believe you are looking at stage 9 or stage 10 territory to get the full replacement leaf packs so depending on what your budget is, that may be an issue. The OME BP51 kit is gaining popularity as well but it is a standard travel setup and comes with the downsides I mentioned earlier in this thread. You can piece together a great kit on your own using shocks and coilovers from King, Icon, Fox or ADS. They each have their pros and cons but they are all high quality and competitively priced for the most part. I would give Marie at Headstrong a call if you have any more questions, she is very knowledgeable and can get you squared away.
 
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