m1 leveling strut vs Bilstein 5100 shock????

I'm new to the suspension world and I'm wondering which kit you prefer and why. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
M1 leveling strut

or
Bilstein 5100

I'm not doing anything crazy off road. I just want a little better look and I don't want to sacrifice much ride quality.

 

Bilstein 5100 for sure

 

6112

 

Sorry for the rookie question but why do you like these over the M1?

 

No rookie question at all. Bilstein is tried and true. 5100’s are a great leveling shock. Direct oem replacement as well. Tons of members on here run them as I did a few years ago. You won’t be disappointed.

 

The name says it all, ROUGH

 

Bilstein is the Toyota of the shock world! 'nuff said!!

 

So just for some clarity as you continue to peruse and consider things..............

Tacoma's do not have struts, either front or rear. The front has a double wishbone independent suspension supported by a non adjustable coil over shock set up. The rear is a solid axle supported by leaf springs and shocks.

Shocks of themselves do not determine ride height. The springs do that. The purpose of the shock (also called dampers) is to control the spring oscillation. So you might ask how do something like 5100s, even used with OE springs, create lift? It's because they have choices for the lower spring perch position to mount on the shock body. Compressing the spring by making it shorter on a higher perch creates the lift. Also sometimes referred to as pre load.

Other points of interest. All vehicles are engineered with some rake for specific purposes. Trucks are more noticeable because it's typically a bit more. Allowing for load in the bed. So when you do a level for looks, you potentially hamper some function, depending on how it's used.

A suspension lift doesn't create additional clearance at the low point of the vehicle, being the axle lines. Only tire package diameter can increase that. The suspension lift can help with approach and departure angles for off road use.

A suspension lift doesn't automatically allow for a larger tire package. The literal size of the tire and the specs of the wheel of choice are much more important for that, as well as caster settings in your alignment.

A good way to lift the front is by selecting a spring rated to do what you want, then the correct damper to control it. Several of our supporting vendors can assist in those choices.

Yes, you'll hear the word strut tossed about, you'll read it on vendor sites, and the excuse will be 'same thing, different words. You know what we mean'. But if you'll research how a strut attaches to the vehicle you'll find it quite different than our set up.

Anyway. Hope that helps the 'ole learning curve a bit. Do all your research before you buy, and buy your hardware for how you will use the truck 90% of the time, not for how you might use it someday.

Best of luck.........