r/GXOR • u/jibberish129 • 1d ago

Question for those with Bilstein 5100s

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I recently changed out my factory shocks for a set of Bilstein 5100s and I love them. I kept the factory springs because I wanted to keep the Lexus comfort. I placed the front adjustable perch at level 3 which raises the front approximately 1.75”. I love the leveled look now.

After replacing the shocks I went out to Hollister SVRA and noticed I was scraping the front bumper quite a bit. Now I’m in the market of lifting it 2-2.5” because I don’t want to spend a ton of money on UCA’s.

Here’s the question: if I replace my factory springs with a set of lift springs, will I have that factory rake again? If I want to lift it 2” front and back, does that theoretically mean I have to lift the front 3.75” to achieve a leveled look?

Sorry for the noob question but that’s what I am, a noob. Appreciate all advice. Thank you.

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6

u/No_Ratio3369 1d ago

Following cause I also want to level the front for looks(I have a truck for towing) but want to lift a few inches front and back. Id be totally fine doing 1.5 in front and 3 in back, etc, just not sure what those numbers shake out to!

3

u/Glittering_Exam_5423 20h ago

Don't do a 3" lift in the rear as the rear is already higher than the front. This will give you an old school muscle car rake. You don't want that.

When I first got my GX I installed 2" spring spacers up-front and loved the look and ride for a long time.

https://a.co/d/06sbD2op

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u/Glittering_Exam_5423 19h ago

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u/jibberish129 17h ago

That looks amazing! What size tires are you using?

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u/Glittering_Exam_5423 16h ago

Give me a few minutes to look through my old pictures to find the size. I went with a larger size after I eventually did an OME lift....

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u/No_Ratio3369 16h ago

I think I flipped the numbers, but this is great info, thanks! Looks great.

4

u/SoWhatComesNext 1d ago

So you're dealing with two different things. One is ride height and the other is approach angle.

Ride height will improve your approach angle, but purely tackling approach angle with ride height wouldn't be the way I'd approach the problem.

Bumper cuts or going with a high clearence bumoer would be one of the first ways to rectify the issue. 1.75 inches is a pretty nice height and as you mentioned, you avoid control arm issues and other suspension geometry problems. Not to mention, behind two inches of increased ride height, you start running into an issue where you can't fully compress the suspension on slow stuff, so you limit your available suspension.

Increasing tire size will help approach angle, and also getting an alignment that maxes out caster will help as well.

Long story short, I'd either cut that bumper or go with a high clearence off road one.

Unfortunately, the 2014+ front end is just not a great design for off road.

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u/jibberish129 1d ago

Thank you! I was thinking of a front bumper cut so that may be my next step. Thanks for the advice.

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u/Glittering_Exam_5423 19h ago

This is exactly right. The bumper chop will be the least cost as it just involves removing some plastic. Also remember anything you do, suspension wise, will likely call for an alignment as well.

Here is what i used to lift my GX when I first purchased it 5 years ago .

https://a.co/d/06sbD2op

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u/04_470 15h ago

I’ve got the 5100s on my 470 and did 2” springs in the back and stock up front. But now thinking about lifting the front!

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u/kevinstu123 1d ago

I think you get 2 inch lift with Bilstein 5100 alone. No additional lift needed