I got the Toytec Aluma series. It has been good to me so far. Adjustable height, rebuild-able. Handles the weight of my mods perfectly.

I thought about powder coating them but feared that it may have voided JBA warranty.

Thank you!

I did a quick masking around the bushings and shot mine with black paint. Holding up quite well so far. Spent less than an hour on it.

Still happy with the lift and ride from my 6112/5160 setup in the Colorado mountains.

Never felt the need to “upgrade” to a more costly shock...height is the way I want it and my trail speeds are fairly slow as I crawl. If I lived someplace where I would run high speeds, then a “high end” shock may be a better choice.

I am glad to hear that some things makes someone happy! OP asked a question “ Step up from Bilstane” I just gave him some ideas. BTW never had a Billis, maybe they as good as Kings LOL!!! Cheers!!!


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Extremely happy...I enjoy buying components that meet my needs vs higher end items that don’t provide any additional benefits in my trail situations...additional ground clearance was my biggest need. I’m sure there are many trail runners in a similar situation...there isn’t a simple answer for everyone.

I’m sure there are a few out there that need a high end shock...they have their place for some. For others, some nice bling.

It all depends what the purpose of the step up is.

I immediately stepped up from 600lb to 650lb springs. The former just did not cut it for me either at some speed or when crawling. The 650 firmed up the front in both circumstances. I lost the plush ride of the 600s but the ride is still good, street handling is amazing for a truck, and the offroad performance is all I need.

As others said, any 2.5" coilover would be considered a step up. But what will the purpose be?

If you want to sustain high speeds, then, yes. If you want to adjust on the fly, then Radlfo sounds great.

But I am not sold on the reservoirs, especially up front. Considering I don't need them when I drive 100 miles in the desert in a short afternoon, I very much doubt that most of the people who have them have ever actually needed them. Second, adjustability sounds fantastic in theory, something I have long wanted, but until I decide to do the Rubicon or Golden Spike, I don't feel the need for it. My 1" all around lift gets me just fine on any trail up to that level (and I am sure the Rubicon is doable as is, considering my armor).

Since I have never had the chance to drive King or Radflo, I have no idea how much better they might be on pavement. If King can provide the plush ride of 6112 with 600lb springs on road while also provide the capability of the 6112 with 650lb springs offroad, then that would indeed be a dream come true. But is that improvement worth the cost of admission and the rebuilding? Depends on budget and goals.

If you think you can actually use a race suspension in the desert, it would be worth being realistic: maybe you do, maybe you do not. I have no clue. But I would venture a w--i--l--d guess that few people can really exhaust the 6112 capability.

Remember that if you push that fast, you will also want more wheel travel so it won't be "merely" a 3,000$ upgrade but a super-involved and far reaching LT process.

So the real question really is if anyone can get much out of Kings over 6112s with 650lb without going LT.

That said, if you are happy to spend the money, by all means, get whatever you want. But if money is tight maybe get to drive a King 4R and see if it will make enough difference for you.

Ran the Bilstein 6112/ 5160 combo for a while and it is a great combo. Solid upgrade vs stock no doubt.

The 6112 'punches above its weight' in terms of performance for a 'throw-away' shock.. 5160 rear was the bottleneck for me. No surprise given that the 6112 had a 60mm (~2.3 inch) piston vs 46mm (~1.8 inch) on the 5100 series shocks.. I've pushed them to their limits in high speed deserts without any major issues

Next step up is definitely a 2.5 shock like: KING/ Radflo/ Fox for 3 reasons:
1- Adjustability (height, compression/ rebound damping)
2- Build/ Repair - High quality compenents, can 'fix' or rebuild them vs throw-aways
3- Performance - bigger bore, better control throughout the travel range

I've had KINGs now for 2+ years, and it is definitely on a different league (both in $$ and performance) than the Bilsteins

First I'd like to thank everyone for the responses.

I've decided to stick with the 6112's again. I've beat the crap out of these for around 50k miles and they've done everything I need a shock to do. My biggest reason for a change was the ability to adjust ride height after installation.

I'm pretty good with wrenches, so I'll just do the work if needed.