Bilstein shocks thread

MRTMotorsports · January 21, 2016

We were talking about comparing the 5100's to the fox 2.0's

Not even a comparison, if you can swing it between the two then Fox all the way, but the price of the 5100 is less than 1/3rd of the fox kit and is a great option for those just looking to bring the nose up a bit.

Edited January 21, 2016 by MRT Motorsports

nadrojcote · January 21, 2016

The 6112 will not require new arms, but it is always a worthwhile upgrade.

Your posts are not very clear, so I am not sure what you are referring too.

The Fox 2.0 is a 2" Diameter shock. The 6112 is a 2.65" Diameter shock. The 5100 is a 2.0" diameter shock.

The Fox 2.0 and Bilstein 6112 come with new springs, the 5100 does not.

From over a year of testing the 6112 and from personal experience with both systems, the Fox 2.0 are no where near the performance level of the 6112, but are a big upgrade from the 5100, which is much better than stock.

The cost is very reasonable for what you get, a 2.65" shock that costs half of all of the other 2.5 options out there. If you want a billet top hat, threaded shock body and all that race level awesomeness you should be looking at a Fox, King or ICON 2.5" coilover system.

My posts arent very clear because you edited yours and now I look like Im talking to myself. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO COMPARED THE FOX 2.0'S TO 5100'S.... I was simply disagreeding with you, and clearly you disagreed with yourself because you edited your post and removed what you said. Also I got my full set of fox front and rear for $890. How much do a set of 6112's with 5100 rears cost?

So is the Bilstein 6112 a 2.5 in level then? If this is the same setup as the Tundra TRD PRO I'm getting it. That is an amazing setup

The 6112 is pretty much identical to what comes on the Tacoma & 4Runner Pro Models. The Tundra PRO has a different one-off shock which has a reservoir on it, while the aftermarket Tundra 6112 does not have one.

Not likely, it will be the same as the 5100 lift at 1.8-2". Toyotas can have more front end lift before UCAs become a requirement, the Silverado can't go much above 2" without it being necessary. In order for the Bilstein to perform as a standalone, it can't exceed the tolerances of the suspension geometry. I'm getting sick of waiting and may go for the fox 2.0 for steel arms

Yes, it most likely wont be over 2". Fox makes a good shock its probably our second best selling brand. The 2.0 from fox is more like a bilstein 5100 than a 6112 tho.

We are still looking at an April release.

Edited January 21, 2016 by projectsummit

oscyjack · January 21, 2016

We were saying that the Fox 2.0 is better compared with the 6112, rather than the 5100. Unfortunately, you're the only one with experience on the 6112. If it's like the 5100 time frame , I don't want to have to wait for months on the backorder list, i'll likely get the fox 2.0 system instead. The 6112's i'm sure will be sweet, but I do wish they'd give you a bolt on package like Fox/king/icon/camburg

Edited January 21, 2016 by oscyjack

nadrojcote · January 21, 2016

We were saying that the Fox 2.0 is better compared with the 6112, rather than the 5100. Unfortunately, you're the only one with experience on the 6112. If it's like the 5100 time frame , I don't want to have to wait for months on the backorder list, i'll likely get the fox 2.0 system instead. The 6112's i'm sure will be sweet, but I do wish they'd give you a bolt on package like Fox/king/icon/camburg

Exactly I wanted the new 6112's for my new truck, but I've been waiting too long already so I ordered the fox 2.0's. When I found out that the tundra application uses the same coil as the fox 2.0's I figured they couldn't be that much different. I find a lot of people talk up bilstein big time on forums, while they are good shocks, some people make them seem like they're the superman of shocks.

MRTMotorsports · January 21, 2016

Crap so that means if I would buy the 16 AT with the aluminum UCA's when the 6112's come out I will need to replace the U/LCA's. Dang. I was trying to avoid that...

Nope, the Bilstein systems are designed to be a bolt in replacement, no aftermarket arms required.

Does the 6112 for this application have position sensitive valving like the Tundra Pro shocks?

No, the Tundra PRO shock is an Internal Bypass similar to the raptor. The 6112 is a standard shock.

codman232 · January 21, 2016

Nope, the Bilstein systems are designed to be a bolt in replacement, no aftermarket arms required.

No, the Tundra PRO shock is an Internal Bypass similar to the raptor. The 6112 is a standard shock.

Thanks MRT Motorsports

oscyjack · January 21, 2016

Exactly I wanted the new 6112's for my new truck, but I've been waiting too long already so I ordered the fox 2.0's. When I found out that the tundra application uses the same coil as the fox 2.0's I figured they couldn't be that much different. I find a lot of people talk up bilstein big time on forums, while they are good shocks, some people make them seem like they're the superman of shocks.

I'll be doing the Fox 2.0 as well, with UCA's to follow later. Bilstein wait seems excessive in general, then again they sell more shocks than anyone.

Bilsteins are great, but they are never the best of breed in each application. Their benefits lie in their lifetime warranties, and since they aren't rebuild-able they are marketed more towards mainstream buyers; as opposed to fox/king/icon etc... who are marketed to drivers who want the complexity, specialty associated with each brand. I would assume the performance of the Fox 2.0 system is right within line of the 6112, and most of us do not need the cooling capacity of a 2.5/2.65" diameter shock. The bolt on aspect of the Fox is what tops the cake for me

MRTMotorsports · January 21, 2016

My posts arent very clear because you edited yours and now I look like Im talking to myself. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO COMPARED THE FOX 2.0'S TO 5100'S.... I was simply disagreeding with you, and clearly you disagreed with yourself because you edited your post and removed what you said. Also I got my full set of fox front and rear for $890. How much do a set of 6112's with 5100 rears cost?

I didnt remove anything from the post, I edited a misspelling. What you quoted me as saying, is still in the original post. You were responding to oscyjack's comment in post #210 I believe.

6112 w/5100 rears for the 4runner, tacoma and tundra are selling for about 860 delivered and right under 1k for the 6112 w/5160 rear.

MRTMotorsports · January 21, 2016

I'll be doing the Fox 2.0 as well, with UCA's to follow later. Bilstein wait seems excessive in general, then again they sell more shocks than anyone.

Bilsteins are great, but they are never the best of breed in each application. Their benefits lie in their lifetime warranties, and since they aren't rebuild-able they are marketed more towards mainstream buyers; as opposed to fox/king/icon etc... who are marketed to drivers who want the complexity, specialty associated with each brand. I would assume the performance of the Fox 2.0 system is right within line of the 6112, and most of us do not need the cooling capacity of a 2.5/2.65" diameter shock. The bolt on aspect of the Fox is what tops the cake for me

The 6112 is rebuildable and Bilstein offers custom valving if you are willing to pay for it. The Fox 2.0 system is in line with the 6112 on road, but offroad their is no real comparison.

What you said is true regarding Fox, King & ICON as they are high end shock builders. Fox has two lines of product, the budget based and mainstream Performance Series and the higher end Factory Series.

I am not bias toward any brand (I run ICONS now actually), I am just trying to clear up a lot of the misinformation in this thread regarding the 6112 as I helped develop them.

EDIT: Any edits I make will now feature a footer explaining the edit. To avoid any confusion and to keep people from claiming that we are changing previous posts - nothing discussed in this thread is set in stone yet and everything I post is subject to change.

To expand on the Bilstein wait - the 6112 (and 5100) is made in Bilsteins Kentucky factory, which is much smaller than the mega production centers that pump out the OE units seen on most cars today. Bilstein is a subdivision of Thyssenkrupp AG, one of the largest hydraulic systems manufacturer in the world. Its very corporate and while the guys in Poway, California can design badass systems in a few months, it takes at least a year to get into production.

At this time, BIlstein has only ever made 100 Tundra 6112 shocks, and 50 rear 5160 shocks. Its been months since we got a shipment... And those came out a year ago.

Edited January 21, 2016 by MRT Motorsports

nadrojcote · January 21, 2016

Sorry my bad, I for some reason didnt see it when I went back and looked at it. So I copied it out of my email.

Id still like to know what the 6112 kit with 5100 rears is going to run in comparison to the fox. Fox has high retail, but are found online usually through forum reps for a lot cheaper.

For me Ill mainly be riding on streets, but canadian roads are brutal so its nice to have something to take the hits. I would never need a larger diameter for cooling because I wont be beating on them.

$697 for tundra front 6112's http://shop.totalautomotiveperformance.net/bilstein-6112/6112-series-shocks/46206084/i-2110476.aspx

$189 for pair of 5100's http://shop.totalautomotiveperformance.net/bilstein-5100/bilstein-5100-rear/24186971-pair/i-1791209.aspx

$886 total, but I'm sure they will go for less.

I've had 5100's in the past and they corroded really bad in canada, to the point that after two years when I went to lower them down, they had to be hack sawed off the vehicle and I bought a new set. I like the idea of the clear coat that fox uses.

Edited January 21, 2016 by projectsummit

southern_sierra · January 21, 2016

We were talking about comparing the 5100's to the fox 2.0's

Gotcha my bad

MRTMotorsports · January 21, 2016

FYI I am a partner in the Total Automotive Performance links above and while I do not post them as I am on this forum as an individual and not a vendor, I can say that those are the jobber prices we created when they first came out. Consider that the normal MAP price and realize that they are often discounted off that price for forum members, during sales etc.

MRTMotorsports · January 21, 2016

I've had 5100's in the past and they corroded really bad in canada, to the point that after two years when I went to lower them down, they had to be hack sawed off the vehicle and I bought a new set. I like the idea of the clear coat that fox uses.

Oh man, with out a doubt! I had the same issues on my 5100s a couple years back and I had to hack them out. As of Feb or so last year, Bilstein stopped using a ZINC coating and has switched to a much nicer CAD plating on their shocks. Some of the big box vendors (retail stores) like AutoZone who are sitting on a lot of stock may still have the old version so double check!

ICON also stopped offering their IVD coating as they switched to a similar CAD plating method.

Edit: I really need to fully think out my posts as I always seem to want to add more.

How do you know between the two? The CAD plating is almost like a polished stainless finish with a clear coat, while the zinc shocks have a slightly softer coating and are more matte in texture and gray in color.

Edited January 21, 2016 by MRT Motorsports

jrob56 · January 21, 2016

Oh man, with out a doubt! I had the same issues on my 5100s a couple years back and I had to hack them out. As of Feb or so last year, Bilstein stopped using a ZINC coating and has switched to a much nicer CAD plating on their shocks. Some of the big box vendors (retail stores) like AutoZone who are sitting on a lot of stock may still have the old version so double check!

ICON also stopped offering their IVD coating as they switched to a similar CAD plating method.

Edit: I really need to fully think out my posts as I always seem to want to add more.

How do you know between the two? The CAD plating is almost like a polished stainless finish with a clear coat, while the zinc shocks have a slightly softer coating and are more matte in texture and gray in color.

Thats great to know, thank you! I was worried about coating them if I picked some up. What rears should be run with these 6112's? If you got some 5100's in the mean time could you just swap the front and leave the rears?

MRTMotorsports · January 21, 2016

Thats great to know, thank you! I was worried about coating them if I picked some up. What rears should be run with these 6112's? If you got some 5100's in the mean time could you just swap the front and leave the rears?

While Bilstein suggests the 5160 reservoir shocks to be used with the 6112, its about 50/50 in the Toyota communities what people run out back. Yes, we have several people who only buy the fronts and keep stock rears, or those who run them with 5100s in the rear.