Read before buying Bilsteins!

[JMWeaver]

I guess I've ruffled some feathers with this one.

It would be interesting to take a poll of those who love their Taco shocks and those who would rather have the Tundras...

Sorry if I have offended anyone who has the Taco shocks and loves them. I'm glad your experience was better than mine.

 

[SilverRidgeRunner1]

I guess I've ruffled some feathers with this one.

It would be interesting to take a poll of those who love their Taco shocks and those who would rather have the Tundras...

Sorry if I have offended anyone who has the Taco shocks and loves them. I'm glad your experience was better than mine.

Nah you just helped me narrow down my option more because the one's I found on amazon wasn't providing much infor weather they would fit or not.

 

[scrap metal]

2.) Springs- I'm running factory springs on the second(middle) setting. Probably about an 1" to 1.5" of lift.

This is why I asked for your spring set up. I can imagine how soft they feel with factory springs. Honestly you'd feel a lot more planted with nicer springs. I think the spring rate is more the culprit here and that's why people with the tacomas with aftermarket springs don't have the same experience

To reiterate... I Had the factory springs on my Tundra bilsteins with stock bumper and offroading especially was definitely too soft.

 

[poser]

I think part if your issue is putting them with the worn out old springs. Had I kept my old springs it'd be nose diving too.

 

[1985taylor1925]

Nose dive under braking has nothing to do with shocks. Shocks control rebound damping. Soft springs would be the reason your truck nose dives under hard braking. And pairing a soft spring rate with stiff rebound damping will absolutely produce terrible handling. I understand what youre saying about opinions, but I have run 4 different front setups, and can tell you that the Tacoma bilsteins are not too soft for stock 4runner coils. Its the exact opposite, especially if your coils have softened over the years. Im running 99 coils with around 100k miles with my 3 month old Tacoma Bilstein 5100s on the second setting. The shocks are too stiff for the coils, which creates a bit of a rough ride. But never have I experienced nose dive. In my opinion my front suspension is way too stiff for stock weight. And being as you and I have the same shocks, the variable is the coil springs. Try a different coil and then see how the Taco 5100s work. Im certain you will notice a significant difference

 

[Rock_Rat]

Nose dive under braking has nothing to do with shocks. Shocks control rebound damping. Soft springs would be the reason your truck nose dives under hard braking.... In my opinion my front suspension is way too stiff for stock weight....Try a different coil and then see how the Taco 5100s work. Im certain you will notice a significant difference

Well said! I'm running the Toytec coilovers, Eibach springs (600 silvers) with 5100's and the ride is very stiff with just armor underneath. The springs make a world of difference. May have to go with 650's with a new shrockworks bumper and winch but will keep the 5100's. My OEM springs didn't even come close to the Eibach's.

 

[D Farms]

So I noticed that if i go over trails that have well, lets call them lumps( about 2 feet tall and 15 feet long) at about 25 mph that the front starts oscillating, like slam the bumper into the ground bad. And yes they are pretty much brand new tundra 5100s, im on the first perch, and have a 100 pound bumper. im thinking about going up a perch to see if that behavior stops. if the shocks were stiffer i dont think it would help, however if i move the perch, i think it would stop doing it. Then again maybe its because i have the stiff black tokico shocks in the back, the back doesnt seem to cushion much over hard bumps?

 

[Wikki]

Yeah... I went with the 1st gen tundra 5100s... So far so good and in the rears with lc8wraps i have a cbi bumper with tire carrier and they do great! Just be sure to research alot before making the choice is what i did.

 

[sn0wrunner]

Well said! I'm running the Toytec coilovers, Eibach springs (600 silvers) with 5100's and the ride is very stiff with just armor underneath. The springs make a world of difference. May have to go with 650's with a new shrockworks bumper and winch but will keep the 5100's. My OEM springs didn't even come close to the Eibach's.

Those aren't 5100's. They are the F4-BE5-6930-H5's.
Bilstein shocks and struts for cars and trucks - Shockwarehouse.com

This is basically the BTS setup. Toytec just has their own top mount machined that is a little bit thicker.

 

[JMWeaver]

This is why I asked for your spring set up. I can imagine how soft they feel with factory springs. Honestly you'd feel a lot more planted with nicer springs. I think the spring rate is more the culprit here and that's why people with the tacomas with aftermarket springs don't have the same experience

To reiterate... I Had the factory springs on my Tundra bilsteins with stock bumper and offroading especially was definitely too soft.

Makes sense. Thanks for the input. I appreciate it.

 

[JMWeaver]

Nose dive under braking has nothing to do with shocks. Shocks control rebound damping. Soft springs would be the reason your truck nose dives under hard braking. And pairing a soft spring rate with stiff rebound damping will absolutely produce terrible handling. I understand what youre saying about opinions, but I have run 4 different front setups, and can tell you that the Tacoma bilsteins are not too soft for stock 4runner coils. Its the exact opposite, especially if your coils have softened over the years. Im running 99 coils with around 100k miles with my 3 month old Tacoma Bilstein 5100s on the second setting. The shocks are too stiff for the coils, which creates a bit of a rough ride. But never have I experienced nose dive. In my opinion my front suspension is way too stiff for stock weight. And being as you and I have the same shocks, the variable is the coil springs. Try a different coil and then see how the Taco 5100s work. Im certain you will notice a significant difference

More great input. Thanks for the information. Looks like I need to go spring shopping.

 

[Whiskey512]

I have the Taco 5100s, and they're awesome! I out the Toytec/Eibach front springs with them and couldn't be happier. The guys at Toytec recommend the Taco shocks for a reason. They've done their homework and I trusted them.
I put 5100s with the Toytec Superflex int he rear. My ride is MUCH better over my worn out stock, and it handles great.

I have the same setup in the front of my 2000 SR5 and I love it. The guys at , Toyotech did a great job answering my questions. Yes they are different components, and yes they will yield different results. It is just a matter of what you want to get out of your machine and finding the correct set up to achieve that.

 

[TCMach]

I ran tundra 5100s for three years with tundra springs and Toytec eibachs. They worked pretty well for my setup. I rode in a truck with identical springs and taco 5100s and they were a little soft for my taste. It all comes down to personal preference. I wouldn't suggest taco 5100s for trucks with a lot of extra weight. But once again that's personal preference. Either shock will suit you well

 

[Rock_Rat]

Thanks for the feedback

Those aren't 5100's. They are the F4-BE5-6930-H5's.

I've got a call into Toytec to see what they did different to the 6930-H5's. The valving should be the same as the 5100 but as you said it's not a true 5100. I'll see if Toytec can post something on here about the changes. I stand educated and corrected. hwell: I Was on the phone with Bilstein today and they're coming out with their first BTS for the 3rd Gen this year. Nonetheless, I like my ride and I "think" it's the same ride as the 5100's threaded instead of clipped.

 

[sn0wrunner]

I've got a call into Toytec to see what they did different to the 6930-H5's. The valving should be the same as the 5100 but as you said it's not a true 5100. I'll see if Toytec can post something on here about the changes. I stand educated and corrected. hwell: I Was on the phone with Bilstein today and they're coming out with their first BTS for the 3rd Gen this year. Nonetheless, I like my ride and I "think" it's the same ride as the 5100's threaded instead of clipped.

Cool. I'd be interested to hear what they have to say about the valving difference. Toytec doesn't really do anything different to the 6930's vs the 5100 shocks. That's just the way they come from Bilstein. They are two different designs. In fact it might be better to contact Bilstein directly to get a straight answer on the valving difference between the two since they are the manufacturer. I've run both setups and couldn't really tell the difference...

The 5100's are designed to work with factory springs. The 6930's are designed to work with a 14" coilover spring (flat on both ends). Toytec does design an adjustable tube and ring collar system that slides over the 5100 shock body and rests on one of the c-clip perch settings. This essentially allows you to turn your 5100 into an adjustable coilover. But that isn't a very common setup for the 3rd gen 4runners or 1st gen tacomas. That's more commonly found in the 4th/5th gen 4runner, FJ, and tacoma. Since those platforms don't have a BTS option. A lot of guys will run the 5100's with Toytec's Eibach spring as a more economical way to lift their 4runner about 3". It's quite a bit cheaper to go this route if you have the time and feel like trying to assemble the coilovers yourself. But this setup doesn't have the adjustability like the 6930 or Boss coilover.

 

[Rock_Rat]

Great Info - Called both Bilstein and Toytec today

Cool. I'd be interested to hear what they have to say about the valving difference. Toytec doesn't really do anything different to the 6930's vs the 5100 shocks.

Great info. Still waiting on a call back.

In fact it might be better to contact Bilstein directly to get a straight answer on the valving difference between the two since they are the manufacturer.

Yea I called Bilstein at the California location and spoke with one of the techs. Real knowledgeable about the 3rd gens and the original set up they send to Toytec. He's the one who told me they're coming out with 3rd gen BTS this year. Anyway, the valving is the same when it leaves the factory. He recommended I talk to Toytec about the shock as they're the ones that "re-manufacture" it under their own name and make it compatible for the T4R. He's not sure if they do anything to the shock or just the coilover set up. Will keep you posted if I hear back from them.

 

[wangissimo]

I've a 2000 all stock 4runner w/ factory shocks/springs that are running a bit over 170K miles now. I'm thinking I probably should refresh the shocks, so nearby some guy took off his 2021 Tacoma TRD rear shocks, and is selling them for cheap. Wondering if they'll fit on my stock 4R? The Bilsteins are part number 48530-04110. I'm not looking for anything "extreme", rather just something better than what I have currently that can possibly smooth out the washboard grading over by Joshua Tree (sand sand (packed) sand).

As you can tell, I don't know much about this stuff, but I'm trying to learn!