Bilstein 6112/5160 Installed (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Robert B
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For people that have these, with the price increase are the Bilsteins still worth it over the competition? (say OME, Ironman FCP or Tough Dog)? I was about to pull the trigger then got busy with other things. Pretty disappointed to hear about the price increase and now having second thoughts.
Better than OME, and Ironman FCP?, yes. I have had those setups in the past on other rigs. I don’t have experience with tough dog, but I think it’s comparable with the Ironman FCP. I would say it is still worth it. It’s a big jump to the next next level of
Shocks. This is great bang for the buck. Maybe you can wait and possibly get a Black Friday deal or cyber Monday ?
I just installed the Bilstein set with OME 2721 rear springs over the weekend. It's hard to compare to the other offerings without trying all of them. General consensus is that the OME (non-BP51) is too stiff. Tough dog / Ironman foam cell is better than Bilstein for off-road conditions. Toughdog 45mm adjustable was my 2nd option. If you were local I would offer you a ride
. Based my 100 miles initial impression, on highway performance is awesome. No more brake dive under medium braking load. No more wobbliness and secondary motion/oscillation. I installed the fronts first and test drove it with the OEM rear shock/spring. It felt really controlled, firm but not harsh. I was grinning ear to ear, kinda reminded me of my 2016 Sti
. I also have a ARB front bumper with winch, which is perfect match for the 650 lb/in spring. Best way to describe: it feels like a german car and not a Buick.After installing the rear 5160 shock and OME 2721 Spring (270/350 lbs/in) the car felt even firmer. The OEM springs are 170 lbs/in. Highway performance is still awesome. However the bumps/pot holes are rougher. This is due to the higher rear spring rate. Loaded up with 4 adults + baby + gear, the car felt more comfortable. The 200 is mostly on family duty since I use a cushy LS430 for daily. I felt the heavy spring was needed when we load it up with people and stuff.
I would recommend staying with the OEM spring (170 lbs/in) or the Bilstein spring option (also 170 lbs/in, 1.75" lift) if you don't plan on having a lot of weight in the back.
To summarize, I ultimately chose the Bilstein due to: lower cost, simpler and better on pavement performance (I think). I ordered through 4 Wheel Parts, they gave me the best price. PM me for the contact info if you'd like.
Here are some pictures:
Man, no after pictures.....I just installed the Bilstein set with OME 2721 rear springs over the weekend. It's hard to compare to the other offerings without trying all of them. General consensus is that the OME (non-BP51) is too stiff. Tough dog / Ironman foam cell is better than Bilstein for off-road conditions. Toughdog 45mm adjustable was my 2nd option. If you were local I would offer you a ride
Based my 100 miles initial impression, on highway performance is awesome. No more brake dive under medium braking load. No more wobbliness and secondary motion/oscillation. I installed the fronts first and test drove it with the OEM rear shock/spring. It felt really controlled, firm but not harsh. I was grinning ear to ear, kinda reminded me of my 2016 Sti
After installing the rear 5160 shock and OME 2721 Spring (270/350 lbs/in) the car felt even firmer. The OEM springs are 170 lbs/in. Highway performance is still awesome. However the bumps/pot holes are rougher. This is due to the higher rear spring rate. Loaded up with 4 adults + baby + gear, the car felt more comfortable. The 200 is mostly on family duty since I use a cushy LS430 for daily. I felt the heavy spring was needed when we load it up with people and stuff.
I would recommend staying with the OEM spring (170 lbs/in) or the Bilstein spring option (also 170 lbs/in, 1.75" lift) if you don't plan on having a lot of weight in the back.
To summarize, I ultimately chose the Bilstein due to: lower cost, simpler and better on pavement performance (I think). I ordered through 4 Wheel Parts, they gave me the best price. PM me for the contact info if you'd like.
Here are some pictures:
Where did you buy them from?
Man, no after pictures.....
Where did you buy them from?
Coming right up. 4WP see last sentence
Final lift amount 2.25" up front (#5 clip), 1.5" rear. I still have third row seat.
Still waiting for everything to settle to do alignment. I maxed out the cams currently to get the most caster.
| Hub Center to Fender | Before | After |
Front | 19.5" | 21.75" |
Rear | 21.0" | 22.5" |
Coming right up. 4WP see last sentence
Final lift amount 2.25" up front (#5 clip), 1.5" rear. I still have third row seat.
Still waiting for everything to settle to do alignment. I maxed out the cams currently to get the most caster.
Hub Center to Fender Before After 19.5" 21.75" 21.0" 22.5"
Looks great and what a cool little neighborhood.
Those look like 285/65/18 KO2s?
Thanks! Correct on the KO2s
bloc
SILVER Star
Who makes that spring compressor?I just installed the Bilstein set with OME 2721 rear springs over the weekend. It's hard to compare to the other offerings without trying all of them. General consensus is that the OME (non-BP51) is too stiff. Tough dog / Ironman foam cell is better than Bilstein for off-road conditions. Toughdog 45mm adjustable was my 2nd option. If you were local I would offer you a ride
Based my 100 miles initial impression, on highway performance is awesome. No more brake dive under medium braking load. No more wobbliness and secondary motion/oscillation. I installed the fronts first and test drove it with the OEM rear shock/spring. It felt really controlled, firm but not harsh. I was grinning ear to ear, kinda reminded me of my 2016 Sti
After installing the rear 5160 shock and OME 2721 Spring (270/350 lbs/in) the car felt even firmer. The OEM springs are 170 lbs/in. Highway performance is still awesome. However the bumps/pot holes are rougher. This is due to the higher rear spring rate. Loaded up with 4 adults + baby + gear, the car felt more comfortable. The 200 is mostly on family duty since I use a cushy LS430 for daily. I felt the heavy spring was needed when we load it up with people and stuff.
I would recommend staying with the OEM spring (170 lbs/in) or the Bilstein spring option (also 170 lbs/in, 1.75" lift) if you don't plan on having a lot of weight in the back.
To summarize, I ultimately chose the Bilstein due to: lower cost, simpler and better on pavement performance (I think). I ordered through 4 Wheel Parts, they gave me the best price. PM me for the contact info if you'd like.
Here are some pictures:
Branick
Model 7600 Professional Strut Spring Compression Tool - Branick
Known as "the standard in the industry," the 7600 handles the heaviest coil-over-shocks on light trucks and SUVs without needing additional adapters. It also has longer handles for extra torque. The multi-position upper spring hooks can be arranged for ultimate flexibility to fit "factory" coil...
www.branick.com
I found an older 7200 version locally. Makes compressing the heavy springs much safer than the autozone rentals.
bloc
SILVER Star
I despise the rentals, so thanks a ton for this infoBranick
Model 7600 Professional Strut Spring Compression Tool - Branick
Known as "the standard in the industry," the 7600 handles the heaviest coil-over-shocks on light trucks and SUVs without needing additional adapters. It also has longer handles for extra torque. The multi-position upper spring hooks can be arranged for ultimate flexibility to fit "factory" coil...
I found an older 7200 version locally. Makes compressing the heavy springs much safer than the autozone rentals.
Over the past couple of months , 2 increases by Bilstein ...
- Front struts jumped from $615 > $732 > $806
- Rear shocks, each jumped from $161 > $208 > $276
- Rear coils jumped from $188 > $218
I don't understand why Bilstein would start pushing these prices so high .. Kinda disappointing that a new product on the market would be pushed high so fast. One of the vendors I called said that Bilstein wouldn't ship them the products unless they charge the new prices.
- Front struts jumped from $615 > $732 > $806
- Rear shocks, each jumped from $161 > $208 > $276
- Rear coils jumped from $188 > $218
I don't understand why Bilstein would start pushing these prices so high .. Kinda disappointing that a new product on the market would be pushed high so fast. One of the vendors I called said that Bilstein wouldn't ship them the products unless they charge the new prices.
Does anyone have any more experience with the 6112/5160 + factory rear spring setup? I'm looking for a firmer, less squishy, ride + 1" lift/level up front. I don't currently tow/haul but am looking at 17' camper within the next year or so. If I go that route, or load up the LC, I'll probably do airbags in the rear to reduce sagging.
DomSmith
SILVER Star
^ This is exactly what I have on a ‘16. The ride is much improved over the OEM setup. My wife used to call it the marshmallow mobile based on the sway and squishy ride. Definitely stiffer and the truck no longer rolls side to side on curves. Can do speed bumps at any speed (if you want).
The other part of the stiffness that I feel is the BFG tires. The sidewall stiffness transmitted bumps much more than the stock tires. Did that swap before any change in the suspension.
I also have airbags for rare towing.
The other part of the stiffness that I feel is the BFG tires. The sidewall stiffness transmitted bumps much more than the stock tires. Did that swap before any change in the suspension.
I also have airbags for rare towing.
Have you got pics of this setup? I looked back through your posts and the BIlstein threads and all I found was this post but it looks like you're at the highest front setting and have the coils in the rear? Also, what size tires are you running and a=do you experience any rub? Thanks!
DomSmith
SILVER Star
Here’s how the truck sits....
Tires are 285/70/17 BFG ATs. From one of the many tire size threads here it’s the largest tire I was comfortable using that folks said would fit in the stock spare spot under the truck.
No rubbing with stock suspension. No rubbing with Bilstein 4600’s with front leveled. No rubbing with the newer Bilstein setup.
Tires are 285/70/17 BFG ATs. From one of the many tire size threads here it’s the largest tire I was comfortable using that folks said would fit in the stock spare spot under the truck.
No rubbing with stock suspension. No rubbing with Bilstein 4600’s with front leveled. No rubbing with the newer Bilstein setup.
Exact setup I'd like to end up with. Thanks!
DomSmith
SILVER Star
We don’t take big trips often but if you need to prop up the back end just a bit once in a blue moon the airbags are a nice option. Let’s us keep the stock rear spring ride. Maybe not so great if you’re loading up lots of weight frequently. They work great when towing.
I just picked up a set of these today. What spring compressor are people using to initially install the springs on the coilovers or adjust the perch position?
EDIT: I see a couple posts above about rentals. Maybe I'll give that a try.
I'll post up the assembly instructions here also.
EDIT: I see a couple posts above about rentals. Maybe I'll give that a try.
I'll post up the assembly instructions here also.
Last edited:
Does anyone run position 6 up front? I'm interested in what the true max lift amount is, front and back. A diff drop and aftermarket UCA's is perhaps needed, for the most ideal end result in that scenario.
Similarly, I see that the 5160 setup in the rear is capable of a 2" lift, but the only spring that Bilstein offers for the rear is a 1.75" spring.
Therefore I'm wondering if it's even possible to attain the maximum 3" front/2" rear Bilstein claims for this setup, and if that height would remain for the long term without sagging. Curious to see if some of the early users have updated measurements and pictures after the suspension settled.
Similarly, I see that the 5160 setup in the rear is capable of a 2" lift, but the only spring that Bilstein offers for the rear is a 1.75" spring.
Therefore I'm wondering if it's even possible to attain the maximum 3" front/2" rear Bilstein claims for this setup, and if that height would remain for the long term without sagging. Curious to see if some of the early users have updated measurements and pictures after the suspension settled.
