Bilstein 6112/5160 long-term durability, vs kings, etc

[sponsoredbywifey]

Anyone know where I can get the best prices for 5100s all the way around for 17' 4runner ? Do I need springs with It? Or keep the stock springs with the shocks? Thanks in advance!

I got mine from here. I'm using my stock springs with 1.5" spacer in rear to level it out

4Runner5thGen5100Set - Bilstein 5100 Complete SET - Total Automotive Performance - Your Source for Auto Parts and Accessories

 

[cityblues]

Bilstein 5100/6112/5160

After wearing out my OEMs about 58K miles ago, I installed 5100s on my 2010 4RT/KDSS, no lift/leveling; the rears are leaking, one is shot, along with the bushings, however, they preformed well during the time including about 200 miles annually of semi-serious off-road (they preform better than OEM, for sure). I didn't care for the harsh ride on the street but, now it's time to replace; after a lengthy conversation with Bilstein and reading the Expedition Portal article, I'm heading toward the 6112/5160 setup; hopefully it has a longer life than the 5100 setup ... and a more comfortable street ride. I'm told there is a serious back order for the 6112s so it may be several weeks before the install, but, I'll report back on the performance after I've had a chance to wear them in ... not out.

Have fun today...

 

[cognus]

Anyone know where I can get the best prices for 5100s all the way around for 17' 4runner ? Do I need springs with It? Or keep the stock springs with the shocks? Thanks in advance!

I wish I had NOT just plopped on the 5100's all-4, but instead spent time/effort on the spring question, AND replaced every bushing I could find between the road and body. There just isn't enough diff to be worth going through it, comparing stockers [even WITH 100K+ miles] and the 5100's. meh...

Somewhere on this forum I saw a table one of our members spent excellent effort on, showing spring comparisions, length, diameter, etc; all the popular aftermarkets and all the stockers. I was led to believe that the "problem" with the suspension was "oversprung and under-damped", which did make some sense to me, but I'm now thinking "a tad undersprung and WAY under-damped" - the 5100's just didn't help much.

I'm talking about much lift - the smallest lift setting on the 5100's, which is something like 22mm, was fine... almost level. but I would take a mild lift if it meant getting a grip on the bouncy/rocky/rolly/pingy ride

did all you guys replace bushings and/or spacers when you did suspension change? Daystar, or Cornfed?

 

[PhotogEric]

Hi guys, I have the 5100’s on my Tacoma and like them, and I’m looking at doing the 6221/5160’s on the 4Runner.

I never thought about this, but would it be possible to run a stiffer spring on the lowest shock setting to achieve the lift instead of using the shock to take the preload out of the spring?

And for those who went from the 5100’s to the 6221’s how did you like it?

 

[Wadecarlson]

Hey guys, I've been through 70+ pages on Bilstein 6112/5160's, probably 8-10 pages on Kings, and a little bit of what was posted about progressive vs digressive shocks (by engineer1?) and still have a few questions. Ideally, I want to raise the front my stock ORP (off road premium; formerly trail premium) about 1.25"-1.5", gain some performance increase (desert), while minimally sacrificing long term durability and maintenance. The 4Runner is my daily driver and 99%+ of my driving is around town (mall crawling), so it makes since I don't go too extreme in the off road area.

Questions/Thoughts
1. Those of you that have the Bilstein 6112/5160 combo, how happy are you with it? How's the reliability been? Reports of some leaking have given me pause. In retrospect would you have gotten something else and why?

2. There's a King group buy going on at the moment. I originally thought this would be a better option but I talked to King and they estimated around 25k miles between servicing (1-2 years). This means my vehicle would be down for approximately a week, which isn't acceptable for my needs. I'm hoping to get 80k miles out of the Bilsteins before replacing. (I get higher performance often/always necessitates increased service intervals. It's just too short for me.) Am I missing something here? Any reason to essentially pay twice the cost of the Bilsteins and have additional maintenance for Kings with my needs? Additional comment: I found some old (2014?) threads in a cummin's(?) forum and some of the people thought Bilsteins were a better shock.

3. I was avoiding the spring spacer route because I was hoping I could gain a little performance and maintain the reliability & minimal maintenance with a little extra money.

Thanks for the help!

The 6112 is a completely different beast than the 5100. The 5100 is designed to work with the stock sr5 suspension and doesn't need the springs. The 6112 springs are very different and will handle on and off road much different than the 5100. The 6112 doesn't need tighter springs because the larger bore can handle the more demanding shock demands without the need of a tighter spring. The 6112 has a smoother on and off road ride than the sr5 with 5100s on the fronts. The trd pro comes with 6112 in the front and it uses a much different spring. The 6112 is 1 inch higher and much different compression.