As you all know, there are countless ways to lift the front of a 3rd gen 4runner...

Up until recently, I had the Tacoma Bilstein 5100 on the top perch paired with 99 tall coils, and a 1/4 inch top plate spacer (1/2" lift). This setup worked surprisingly well until recently with the addition of 35's and dual batteries (on top of a bumper, winch, and tent). With this additional weight, it was apparent that these shocks didn't have enough valving. However, without the top plate spacers, I believe this would be my favorite setup for a rig with stock weight.

So, in my search for a new front end setup I came across the new Bilstein 6112. These are still relatively new, so there was relatively little information on how the 4runner 6112 (part number 47-258624) would perform with extra weight. According to Bilstein, the 6112 for the 4runner gives 2.3" lift on the top perch with stock weight. I believe this would be a good height, but obviously I wouldn't be getting close to the 2.3" with my weight, and I had a feeling the valving would be a little soft.

The next logical step is the 6112 designed for the 1st gen Tundra (part number 47-260337). My truck and the Tundra are almost identical weight (5,050lbs vs 5,020lbs), so in theory the spring and valving should be just about perfect.

The issue was that, as far as I know, no one had ever tried the Tundra 6112 on a 4runner. Tons of folks have run the Tundra 5100 on 4runners, but few specs were available to compare the two. I did find that supposedly the Tundra 5100 and 6112 series have the same extended and compressed lengths.

So, after much research, I decided to bite the bullet and order the Tundra 6112's.
I ordered them through MRT Motorsports on Sunday the 28th, and they showed up at my door today the 1st.

Before I get into the install, lets compare the specs I do have:

4runner 5100:
-Collapsed - 13.66"
-Extended - 18.27"
-Travel - 4.61"


Tundra 5100:
-Collapsed - 13.23"
-Extended - 18.35"
-Travel - 5.12"


Measured Tundra 6112:
-Collapsed - 13.23"
-Extended - 18.35"
-Travel - 5.12"

99 Tall Coil:
-Free Height - 14.25"
-Spring Rate - 550? Can someone confirm this?

Tundra 6112 Coil:
-Free Height - 15.75"
-Spring Rate - 650 (Confirmed with Bilstein Tech.)

As you can see, Tundra 6112's and 5100's are the same lengths.

HOWEVER, the springs on the 6112 is quite a bit longer than the 4runner and I believe Tundra coils. (can't find specs on Tundra coils). To accommodate for this, the perches on the 6112 are much lower than on the 5100's. The 6112s have 8 perches, so lots of adjustability if they are in the right spots. Let's find out.



Does your brain hurt yet? Mine does...

This will help:

IMG_5850 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

Anyway, here are some comparison pictures.

IMG_5866 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

IMG_5857 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

IMG_5874 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

I decided to keep my top plate spacer installed with these shocks for a couple reasons. First being that the Tundra shock collapsed is 1/2" shorter than the 4runner shock, so by adding the 1/4 inch spacer, I'm essentially making it so the Tundra shock has 1/4" more down travel, and 1/4" more up travel then the 4runner shock. Secondly, adding the top plate spacer will give me 1/2" morel lift, so I don't have to run as much pre-load.

To confirm that I wouldn't run into issues bottoming the shock at full compression, I installed just the shock and the top hat and cycled the suspension. At full compression with the front bump stop removed, the shock still had about 1" of travel. Down travel is limited by the upper ball joint, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to run a limiting strap/upper control arm, or combination of the two, but this still would have been the case without the top plate. That being said, it should work fine as is.

IMG_5863 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

IMG_5861 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr


IMG_5865 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

With this setup I was able to cycle about 9.5" which is the most you could get with stock arms. I could see 10" with a new upper.

So without any knowledge on what to expect height wise, I guessed and installed the spring perch on the 5th notch drivers side and the 4th notch passenger side.

Installation of the springs was, well, a bit sketchy... The issue is the shock body is so big that the compressor can't fit all the way around the coil. Assembling these yourself with a strut type compressor is not something I would recommend doing if you aren't confident and haven't done this before. That being said, I did it (twice) and it ended up fine.

IMG_5875 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

The 4runner top plate worked perfect with the new coils as they are the same diameter as the 4runner ones.

IMG_5876 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

Installed

IMG_5877 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

IMG_5878 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

Put the wheels back on, drove it around for a bit to settle the suspension and got out the measuring tape. On the 4th and 5th perch with the 1/4" top plate I had about 3.4" lift or 23.4" hub to fender. (Too high!) so I pulled them back off and dropped 1 perch on both sides. Re-installed them on the 3rd and 4th perches and settled them. This time it ended up at around 3" lift or 23" hub to fender still with the 1/4" spacer.

So to wrap that up, with extra weight (about 250-300lbs up front) without the top plate spacer heres what you could in theory expect. Keep in mind, there are a lot of variations in lift height, so these are loose estimates. You will obviously see more lift with less weight.

- 3" lift on 4/5th perch
- 2.5" lift on 3/4th perch
- 2" lift on 2/3rd perch

Now, the ride quality. With all the extra weight, I think these things are perfect. They are just slightly stiffer than my stock springs, which is exactly what I wanted. The dampening is perfect, the weight feels much more controlled over both small and large bumps and ruts. I would say the springs are just stiff enough not to be wallowing, and the shocks are just soft enough to not be jarring. I've been driving around hitting every bump I could find at different speeds and I've yet to hit something that was uncomfortable.

I haven't driven them on washboards or over big whoops, but I anticipate them excelling.

With stock weight, I think these would be too stiff, so I think a set of 99 talls with Tundra 5100's would be a better setup, but with weight, I would highly recommend the Tundra 6112.

I like this. Interested to see how this works out

I'll definitely keep this updated on what I think and if the height settles any.

good write-up! Thank you!
I wasn't aware that the 6112 shocks have the perch located lower when compared with the 5100 shock. Do you have a measurement from the center of the lower mount eye to the lowest perch setting for the Tundra 6112 shock?

I think the 5100 shock (a D558) is for the Tacoma not for the 4Runner.

Good work. Interesting bit of info.

I will say though we're still waiting to see how the 4runner sits now........

I'm sure it is fine, but you only removed your front bump stop. The factory bumps still compress on hard hits.

Thanks,

So the first perch is 4" from the center of the lower eye and each perch is about 3/16" apart.

As far as I know there are 3 different 5100's that will fit. The D558 (Tacoma), the 3rd gen specific one, and the 1st gen Tundra.

Yep, good eye. It still should be fine with how much compression the Tundra shocks have. Even with the spacer I should have 1/4" more shock compression than the 4runner or tacoma 5100s. So, with that being said, any top plate spacer on those shocks should definitely have longer bump stops.

Good write up !
I'm doing the same setup .
? are you still running the OME 861's and Tokico's in the rear of your rig .
How do they match up with your new front suspension ?
How much weight do you carry in the rear ?

Thanks, Max

Cool, I think you’ll like it. I do still have the 861s and OEM LC rear shocks. It’s a very good match with the Bilsteins. The whole setup is a little more firm than stock, but much more controlled, especially over big stuff.

It seems to have settled another 1/4", which is just about perfect for me.

IMG_5883 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

IMG_5884 by Chris Hughes, on Flickr

I'm going through this same dilemma on which 6112 setup to get. I'm at stock weight but will be adding a hidden winch to the front within the stock bumper. It should add about 100lbs. I'm not sure if that would justify the Tundra setup or should I just stick with the 4Runner designated part.

How much extra weight would you say you've added up front?

As long as your ok with around 2.5 inches of lift (which I think is perfect), I would go with the 4runner ones with your weight as they have a lighter spring rate and will ride better. I'm probably about 300 lbs over stock. My truck weighs the same as the 1st gen Tundra double cab.

Thanks!! I appreciate the feedback. 2.5" would be fine so look like I should just stick with the 4R setup instead of the Tundra ones....

Love your rig btw!!

No problem. Glad to help. I think that would be the way to go.
And thanks!

Appreciate you doing this write up man, definently thinking to going this route in the near future.

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