Initial review of Bilstein 4600s on my First Gen Tundra

Hey everyone, in this video I wanted to give my initial impressions of the newly installed Bilstein 4600s on my 2002 Tundra. I also have a quick discussion about why I opted for the 4600s with a leveling spacer over the 5100s and upgraded springs. Let me know what you think about the two options down below, but I hope the video was helpful and thanks for watching! - Sal

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00:00 - Intro
00:29 - Initial impressions
01:51 - Mystery rattle
04:23 - Lowerworx
07:00 - 4600 vs 5100
10:11 - Why are leveling spacers bad?
11:39 - Final thoughts / outro

[skipmiller]

I know exactly what that rattle is. I have a 2003 Trundra with 412K on it and I have that rattle on rough roads as well. The rattle is your brake pads rattling inside the calipers. The next time you hear that rattle lightly step on your brake peddle. Just enough to lightly engage them on the rotor and your rattle will go away. Good luck and I hope this works for you as well!

[noahsutton]

I enjoy your videos. I just got an 02 tundra. I like how real you are with repairs and maintenance. What I mean by that is you're not always getting the most expensive part for everything. I like how you recommend what to go oem on and what to go aftermarket on. I'm getting my timing belt done. Next on the list is lower ball joints.

[davidward]

I had sway bar links changed at my local garage in the past that didn't tighten the bolts all the way which created the same sounds and rattles. Great video.

[narwhal]

Thanks, I just got new struts w 6112’s for the front and I’m going with 4600’s in rear ( they were out of 4600 for fronts). My 2005 w 119k is in great shape except the owner lowered it. I’m going stock. And all ball joints.

[gavinwinram]

Hey Sal my 06 Tundra has the same rattle. I can understand why it seems like a suspension issue, because you can feel it vibrate your feet while you’re driving. Try checking the heat shield above the driver side catalytic converter. It gets blasted with water, and heated up from the cats, so over time a couple of the mounting points snapped or raddled off from the thermal shock and rust. When it’s loose like that it could be bouncing up and down between the floorboards and your exhaust, causing the vibration if your feet. I just left mine and figured it wasn’t causing much damage but since then it has completely fallen loose. Thankfully the design won’t let it fall out from under the truck, but I’m sure I could yank it out if I tried. Hope this helps

[creedk]

Check the bracket that holds the fog lamp in place. My 03 drivers side lamp bracket was the culprit in my case.

[nghnjkb]

All ur bushings an joints are good. Check ur fender or hood make sure it's all snug an the skid plates an fender flares. Check all that. Under the hood. Check battery mount bracket. Etc

[Guitarsforhigher]

Hey Sal, I can't really hear the rattle on my speakers but just wanted to provide some other places to poke around based on a bunch of little things I found on my truck while troubleshooting over a few months... Check on the wheel well liner (this is usually more of a slapping/fluttering sound, but still worth a look), while checking there also check on the screws connecting the rear edge of the bumper to the fender quarter panel (probably a little different from mine since I have a 2004 limited, but mine was getting loose and rattling over bumps or even just from wind), doublecheck that you have all the hood isolators/bumpers (mine was missing one right next to the grill, and heavy wind would also cause some banging/rattling), lastly also check on the fog light housing since those can make some noise too. Lots of things can make noise because of bumps, and I made the mistake of being TOO dialed in on suspension when I was trying to find my rattle.

Sorry for the wall of text, but hopefully it can help someone even if it has nothing to do with your trucks rattle. Cheers!

[zelepuza]

Little idea for ya. I’m thinking about getting your style bumper for my 05 and lots of people like putting light bars/pods in there but I was thinking maybe I could fit a winch inside. Maybe make a platform for it that attaches to the frame. Also I got a rattle on my front end as well. My best guess is that it’s my skid plate since it’s only held in by 2 bolts and the front of it rest on the frame. But I don’t worry about it since everything else underneath seems to be fine.

[ronaldrussell]

Almost any shock would feel better than what you had with basically no bushings! I've had the 4600s on my '03 4Runner for 4-5 years now and they are a good shock, however, Bilsteins are a digressive valved shock and so are a bit harsh over small road bumps and I'm looking to improve on that. So I have some new Dobinson IMS shocks that I will be installing when weather warms up. They are progressive valved and should smooth the ride out a bit on the street, we'll see!

[izuksammy]

It’s a long shot but I had a similar sound on another vehicle I had and took it in to be checked out because I absolutely could not figure it out. Long story short, I had a worn out motor mount and that fixed it. I was surprised because it sounded like suspension issues.

[StormLaker]

i just put a set of Bilsteins on my 03' Ford F150. It still had the original "off road" fx4 rancho knock-offs on it that came with it off the assembly line and they were beyond f**ked, I could see the piston through holes in the outside of one of them, haha. Driving 100% better, but I still am planning on replacing all the front/rear suspension comonents- control arms, tie rods, sway bar bushings, hubs, front CV axles, rear leaf springs, and add a sway bar to the rear- I pull my 16' Alumacraft fishing boat with it, hoping the upgrades will assist in getting back to the factory ride of the vehicle. Shocks were a significant improvment.

[darylhaack]

Thanks for the follow up video and your thoughts on the comparison. I like your Jesus moment and how it influenced your choice.
Cheers

[beejc]

The rattle my buddy got after changing shocks on his 4Runner will bilstiens was the shock boot sleeve thing, he also forgot to put the bushing under the top hat, so those things combined made a crazy rattle that made us rack our brains for days.

[leonhaku]

Hey Sal, I had the same dilemma when I was choosing the shocks for my 02 tundra. I opted for the 5100's despite my truck being a RWD. I haven't racked them in just yet (waiting on some eibach springs and a hellwig sway bar) but after putting a set on both yukons my folks own (we have an 04 and an 01 Yukon XL's) I can tell u that the 5100's dampen noticeably more on uneven terrain. You feel the extra money you spent when you go over potholes and other uneven terrain but I understand people not wanting to spend the extra $20 per shock on it (roughly $100+ more per set), the difference would be very superficial if ur driving on maintained roads and highways. All in all, for a commuter like my folks suv's, id just stick to the 4600 for the ride quality and bump up in quality over oem.

[futurefinance]

You can get adjustable 5100s and reuse the stock springs and ditch the spacers. Thats what I did. Almost no cost difference. No need to get new springs. Supposedly you get more travel and my ride has been great.

[CubNole]

Whees off the ground, stick your pry bar between the lower control arms and your knuckle/lower balljoints. Pry gently to reveal any possible slack in the lower joints; the weight of the vehicle can hide the play but bumps will make a racket

[alexstraz]

I had mine replaced as well, only on the driver side as well there is a popping sound rather than the noise you are experiencing. I'm not certain what the source is either. It seems when turning far left

[nghnjkb]

Check the two side skid plates. Where the tow hook points are. An ur body panels. For vibration..

[GhostAutomotive]

I have a 2006 double cab and i almost pulled the triger on the 5100 but with the need of buying springs and top hat it came up to 850 so i went for the 6112 for olny 900 best ride quality