A few questions on the bilstein 6112

Looking to buy the bilstein 6112 to replace my stock Baja series front coilovers as my right strut is leaking and they’re not rebuildable or serviceable at bilstein. Can I use my stock spring? or is the bilstein 6112 spring a better spring then the red spring on my baja shock? I also have a 1” toyotec spacer that I want to add to the bilstein 6112’s is that doable and if so will I need to add a different uca or move anything else around to make it all fit like my current shocks? Thanks in advance

 

No you cannot use the stock spring too small dia. You can use the spacer but that would be in lieu of setting the preload on the spring and using the adjustment on the 6112 for height.

 

Sma

I thought The diameters were the same 2.5?

 

No the stock Baja shocks are more like the 5100s

 

I believe you are correct. The TRD Pro and Baja suspensions are essentially a 6112, just not height adjustable. I would assume those springs would fit. I believe the Baja and Pro springs are 600lb springs and the valving was the difference between those two, that is what differentiated them. I don't know that there would be any advantage to running the Pro or Baja springs over the springs that come with them. The 2 factors that would make a difference are the spring rate and coil length. For instance if you had 2 coils with the same spring rate but one spring was 12" and the other was 14" then you would gain more height from the 14" spring. Only way you would likely know that is setting the 2 springs unmounted side by side. But I think the red spring would look nicer on some trucks even if the springs were essentially the same.

I am also curious about the Toytec strut tops. I have a set of Toytec Ultimates that have about 3/4" tops that I wouldn't mind adding to 6112's when I get them in a week or 2.

I know @crashnburn80 has done extensive research on the differences in the Baja and Pro setups. He may be of more assistance as well.

 

I have been doing a little research on the springs and my stock baja springs seem to be 650 pounds and I’m still looking into the black 6112 springs. So are you saying that if my red springs are taller by 2” then I would gain 2” in ride height? Like adding a extra 2” lift? My toyotec 1” spacer are actually on the bottom of the spring not the top so I wonder if I can put my same spacer on the bottom

 

I don't know what the spring heights are, I was just giving an example. But.....I know Bilstein makes heavier springs for the 6112. I think 650lb and 700lb springs. Also some dealers offer king or eibach springs for added weight. Assuming the spring is the same length and the baja springs are 650lb springs then you could essentially run 1 clip lower than advertised lift vavlues from the research I have done as well. I have been trying to find the differences between the 3rd gen and 2nd gen 6112's.

 

The Baja shocks are based on the 6112 body just like the 2nd Gen Pro. The Baja springs are 650lb vs the Pro 600lb, the Baja shocks are also valved more firm than the Pro. I cannot say where the non-TRD 6112 falls in valving, but I doubt it is valved as firmly as the Baja shocks. I personally prefer the firmer setup, which is why I went with the Baja out of the three. You should be able to reuse your stock Baja spring on a 6112 body, however the anti-Taco lean is done by offset spring perches on the TRD versions of the 6112. The standard 6112 does not have the offset perches and instead has 4 height adjustable clips that are the same on both sides. You will want to factor correcting your Taco lean with a spacer of otherwise if going to the standard 6112.

 

when you say taco lean is that a lean on drivers or passenger side? Would I be able adjust on strut at let’s say 4 and the other 3 to correct the lean or are spacers a must to correct the lean. I currently run toyotec 1” spacers on my baja but they’re not too spacers they’re bottom spacers and I’m wondering if I can use the same spacers the same way with the 6112. According to a article by These guys https://www.popularmechanics.com/ca...tacoma-trd-tx-baja-series-test-drive-7455307/ they say the Baja coilovers are the bilstein 9100’s IDK.

 

You are correct about the taco lean. It is on the drivers side due to the battery being on that side and having the driver as constant weight.

As for the link you posted...They are absolutely 6112 based struts. The 9100 series is custom for every application. Their "shortest"coilover has like 10" of travel! The 6112 is something around 7" travel I believe. Also the 9100 coilovers are made to have the spring mounted to the lower perch, without any lower perch extension.

$630 Bilstein 9100 Series Coilover Shock Absorber - F4-BOA-0000400

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/bilst...sorber-f4-boa-0000400/_/R-BBGL-F4-BOA-0000400

 

Bottom spacers cause pre-loading of the suspension, if using spacers top plate spacers would be the better option. But to answer your question, yes you should be able to use the same spacers, though I wouldn't recommend it. I have a 1/4" top plate spacer on passenger and 1/2" top plate spacer on the top of my Baja setup. Spacer height x2 = lift height. So by using a 1/4" larger spacer on the driver side of my truck, it provides the extra 1/2" lift to counter the taco lean. Note that if using top plate spacers larger than 1/4", you will need longer mounting studs, as the OEM ones will be too short.

 

Whatever you do, DO NOT order your parts from 4wheelparts.com (which someone linked above)! You are likely to get burned, they're a terrible company. Highly recommend Headstrong Off Road or Down South Motorsports.

 

can you send me the link to the specific spacers you bought. I just bought some 6112 for my baja since my right strut has been leaking and couldn’t pass up on the deal I got. $240 for used bilsteins 6112 about 3k miles still under factory warranty. The more I read about 6112 the more I started to read about that lean

 

how about wheelers offroad?

 

yeah I didn’t believe they’re the 9100’s I’ve heard more people say they’re the 6112’s

 

I purchased from Headstrong, I used 1/2" spacer for driver providing 1" lift and 1/4" spacer for passenger providing 1/2" lift.

1/2" spacer: https://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/p30/HS_1/2"_Top_Plate_Spacers_-_TT05512-TPS.html
1/4" spacer: https://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/p31/HS_1/4"_Top_Plate_Spacer_-_TT05514-TPS.html

 

I've dealt with Wheeler's before too. No problems. I do know they're a little behind on shipping right now due to COVID, but that's the case a lot of places. I just ordered from both Headstrong and Down South and both shipped my product within 48 hours.

 

Thanks! what setting are you ruining on the strut 3,4 or 5 for lift?

 

right on! I’ll look into them as well seeing that I need to order some AAL and some top spacers for the lean

 

So I emailed Bilstein about the Taco Lean issue on 2nd Gens a while back. The official response I got via email was that they do not recommend a top spacer or offsetting the clips as is done on the 3rd Gen. I'm not saying that it can't be done without damage...but their policy is that either will void the warranty on the shocks. Keep this in mind if you ever have issues with them and have to deal with Bilstein customer service. Here is how the email was worded...sounds like a cut-and-paste response:

"Though I understand why you are using the spacer, none of the products we make should be used with that spacer as it can potentially damage the shock and void the warranty. The spacer shouldn’t be used with the 5100, nor the 6112 and as far as the clip settings are concerned, we would recommend the installation of the snap rings be set as the instructions dictate (i.e. equal both sides.) Setting one side lower or higher than the other is not something we recommend, rather we would recommend following the instructions settings."

I call shenanigans on offsetting the clips causing issues as the 3rd Gen 6112s don't have separate part numbers for left/right side (and people's experiences here on the board.)