What a local shop said about a Bilstein upgrade

[Wis4]

"Honestly have to question what the benefit will be over the oe setup, not that Bilstein is not a great shock and something I choose over all others when it's time to replace. However I am fairly sure the SR5 already has a monotube shock, the only real benefit to upgrading and even then the ride difference is negligible not that i haven't ever been wrong. I just hate seeing mods done that don't give any real benefit which we have seen many times before. "

 

[hearno]

I can't speak to the 5th gens but they were a huge improvement over the x-reas on my 4th gen when I switched over. I was very happy.

 

[Antman]

"honestly have to question what the benefit will be over the oe setup, not that bilstein is not a great shock and something i choose over all others when it's time to replace. However i am fairly sure the sr5 already has a monotube shock, the only real benefit to upgrading and even then the ride difference is negligible not that i haven't ever been wrong. I just hate seeing mods done that don't give any real benefit which we have seen many times before. "

 

[CSix]

Are you talking about a 5100 series upgrade or the new 6112's???

 

[Texas777]

I strongly disagree with the statement that the benefit s negligible. I made the move about 3 months ago and can tell you that it made a significant difference in reduced nose dive and ride quality. Set mine to .85". Well worth the $$ in my opinion.

 

[Wis4]

I strongly disagree with the statement that the benefit s negligible. I made the move about 3 months ago and can tell you that it made a significant difference in reduced nose dive and ride quality. Set mine to .85". Well worth the $$ in my opinion.

Believe me from what I've read on here I want them. Did you have to do an alignment? The area that I am in proves to be difficult to find a good shop to install them and I would love to have them.

 

[Texas777]

Believe me from what I've read on here I want them. Did you have to do an alignment? The area that I am in proves to be difficult to find a good shop to install them and I would love to have them.

Did have to get an alignment. Same guy that did the installation did that as well. It's a pretty straightforward install so any reputable suspension shop should be able to do it.

 

[Wis4]

Are you talking about a 5100 series upgrade or the new 6112's???

Yes, .85 set in the front and the rear would be replaced as well along with an alignment I would presume.

 

[Range]

It's actually not a ridiculous question. My X-Reas wore out so I replaced mine with the 5100 and OME coils and it made an improvement but when my X-Reas was new I would have taken that ride quality over the 5100 and OME any day. Granted I didn't have a lift or large tires until the end when my X-Reas was going south so I'm probably not a good reference. Think about all the people who claimed CAI and exhausts were the ticket to increased HP and mileage because word trickled through the community and became "proof". What I'd like to know is even with the heavy load OME springs, are there shocks that will give a smoother ride quality like the top end ICONs, Fox etc..?

 

[Texas777]

It's actually not a ridiculous question. My X-Reas wore out so I replaced mine with the 5100 and OME coils and it made an improvement but when my X-Reas was new I would have taken that ride quality over the 5100 and OME any day. Granted I didn't have a lift or large tires until the end when my X-Reas was going south so I'm probably not a good reference. Think about all the people who claimed CAI and exhausts were the ticket to increased HP and mileage because word trickled through the community and became "proof". What I'd like to know is even with the heavy load OME springs, are there shocks that will give a smoother ride quality like the top end ICONs, Fox etc..?

Yeah, X-Reas to 5100's and OME is apples and oranges. Coming from an SR5 or Trail (in my case) perspective its an improvement. Wouldn't expect someone to choose this over the X-Reas setup if given the choice.

 

[philsey]

Will 5100s firm up the ride of an SR5? Yes, some, not drastic, noticeable.

Will 5100s @ .85 level the front? Yes, but "level" is subjective, a very small amt of rake stays. I prefer this, some don't.

Will 5100s 'fix' brake dive? Fix?, no. Reduce it? yes. It's really a spring issue.

Should you get alignment too? Yes. Caster at +4 works wonders.

Do I like mine / would I do again? Yes. Yes.

If you were to use the Search thread that is up in the stickies, you'd find more on this topic than you could read in a week.

 

[Saker]

"Honestly have to question what the benefit will be over the oe setup, not that Bilstein is not a great shock and something I choose over all others when it's time to replace. However I am fairly sure the SR5 already has a monotube shock, the only real benefit to upgrading and even then the ride difference is negligible not that i haven't ever been wrong. I just hate seeing mods done that don't give any real benefit which we have seen many times before. "

WOW.....
he really said that?

The tokico shocks I removed from my SR5 were IMHO sub par for Toyota to put on these vehicles. I purchased a set of TRD/Bilsteins that had 300 miles on them from a friend that were on his 13 FJ Trail Team with the "Off-Road" suspension because he was doing a complete suspension upgrade.
I immediately could tell the difference in the quality of the ride due to the valving of the TRD/Bilsteins vs the Tokico's.

Look at the pricing on your OEM shocks and then ask yourself why they are so cheap....(cough cough)

 

[Wis4]

Will 5100s firm up the ride of an SR5? Yes, some, not drastic, noticeable.

Will 5100s @ .85 level the front? Yes, but "level" is subjective, a very small amt of rake stays. I prefer this, some don't.

Will 5100s 'fix' brake dive? Fix?, no. Reduce it? yes. It's really a spring issue.

Should you get alignment too? Yes. Caster at +4 works wonders.

Do I like mine / would I do again? Yes. Yes.

If you were to use the Search thread that is up in the stickies, you'd find more on this topic than you could read in a week.

Thanks, yes I researched it plenty on here and thousands have spoken which is why I bought my AT3's originally , not to mention they were top rated on consumersearch.com. I'm shocked that the shop won't install them to say the least.

 

[Wis4]

WOW.....
he really said that?

The tokico shocks I removed from my SR5 were IMHO sub par for Toyota to put on these vehicles. I purchased a set of TRD/Bilsteins that had 300 miles on them from a friend that were on his 13 FJ Trail Team with the "Off-Road" suspension because he was doing a complete suspension upgrade.
I immediately could tell the difference in the quality of the ride due to the valving of the TRD/Bilsteins vs the Tokico's.

Look at the pricing on your OEM shocks and then ask yourself why they are so cheap....(cough cough)

I mentioned that to the shop owner and he continued to talk about how Toyota spent countless hours with their Engineers,etc...

 

[Texas777]

I mentioned that to the shop owner and he continued to talk about how Toyota spent countless hours with their Engineers,etc...

Yeah, I'm sure the Engineers had financial parameters to operate within as well, as OEM's are always trying to shave costs to improve profit or make their offering more price competitive in their segment. The stock shock was probably the best compromise in their eyes for the average consumer and their bottom line. Based on the reaction of those here (me included) the stock setup was sub-par for the enthusiast.

 

[Wizzard]

Yeah, I'm sure the Engineers had financial parameters to operate within as well, as OEM's are always trying to shave costs to improve profit or make their offering more price competitive in their segment. The stock shock was probably the best compromise in their eyes for the average consumer and their bottom line. Based on the reaction of those here (me included) the stock setup was sub-par for the enthusiast.

This is true, it is a balance of profit vs performance. Then there are the physical differences, 46mm pistons for the Bilstein rears vs 32mm for OEM, 60mm vs 32mm on the front, bigger diameter shafts as well.

 

[Wis4]

Yeah, I'm sure the Engineers had financial parameters to operate within as well, as OEM's are always trying to shave costs to improve profit or make their offering more price competitive in their segment. The stock shock was probably the best compromise in their eyes for the average consumer and their bottom line. Based on the reaction of those here (me included) the stock setup was sub-par for the enthusiast.

Geez in that case I guess the TRD was dealt with in the same way when you look at the "overall" build quality. If they overlooked a few things on a SR5 and Trail you don't think they did the same thing with a Pro? I guess that's why the Pro is only .5" higher than mine.

 

[Wis4]

This is true, it is a balance of profit vs performance. Then there are the physical differences, 46mm pistons for the Bilstein rears vs 32mm for OEM, 60mm vs 32mm on the front, bigger diameter shafts as well.

Then you would have to agree that Toyota cut corners on all 4Runners including the TRD in that case. If they did it on one model they would do it on all of them no?