The 6112 Bilstein VS The 5100 Bilstein

Hello, Recently we just ordered in the new 6112 Bilstein Struts for the 2005-2016 Tacoma. Right from the get go we found that they are considerably larger. They also have some nice features that Bilstein has improved.

Here are some pictures of the difference's


Here you can see them side by side and can see that they made the top of the strut metal instead of plastic.

You can see that that they added more select ability and added more groves to get that right height you are looking for, Each grove provides 5/8" lift higher. Full Height is 2 1/2" taller than stock and Full Drop is stock height.

You can see here that the rod is a lot larger going to the bottom bushing. This may alleviate any horror story's of the 5100 Shaft breaking.

Here is the body of the Strut. This is now a full true 2.5" Strut. This will allow for better heat dissipation and more control when having a larger Piston.

Here you can see the Shaft size increases as well. This will withstand more abuse.

Here it is with a Strut mount installed and they updated the shaft by putting a full hex on top, may seem small but now you can turn the shaft from any angle. This makes easier access when in the Vehicle.


Here is the full Strut with a Strut Mount installed. The 6112's come with springs and the lower Coil cup. Low Range Off-Road can sell you both with, and with out the Strut Mount. This is a nice Upgrade from the 5100 Strut or a good Entry Level Coil-Over. The 6112 is also Available in for the FJ Cruiser, 4Runner and Tundra.

If you Mention this Post on your order of 6112's you will receive "Free Shipping". Offer only to the lower 48 states.

For Quotes Please call at (801)-805-6644 Or email us at sales@lowrangeoffroad.com

 

extended and collapsed lenghts of the 6112 and the 5100?

 

Tacoma

6112

Full Height - Center of Eye to Top of Shaft is (25 1/8")

Compressed - Center of Eye to Top of Shaft is (20 1/4")

Over all Travel : 4 7/8"

5100

Full Height - Center of Eye to Top of Shaft is (25")

Compressed - Center of Eye to Top of Shaft is (19 3/4")

Over all Travel : 5 1/4"

This is interesting, though the Factory Bump Stops, Stop Travel upward before the Strut is fully Compressed.

 

are you measuring the shaft to where the first washer seats (where the shaft goes from the larger to smaller diameter)??? Because that is where it should be measured from as thats where both seat the same on the truck.

next note is that the 5100's have more available travel interesting.

and third note piggy backs off of yours. and it makes sense why the TXbaja / trd pro kits have shorter bump stops to allow for more uptravel. Been tempted to pull the coil out of one side and cycle the suspension to see how much shock is left on bump. Shortening of the bump stop (ala TRD pro bumpstops / cutting above the flange) or spacing the top of the shock down (above the coil) would allow one to use the full shock, given that there is sufficient shock travel not being used.

Thanks for the measurements

 

Informative post, are you guys finding that these will pair well with 5100 rears? I see they mention 5160's but I'm thinking a great reservoir shock is going to be more then I need. I like the 6112 fronts since they are paired with a coil, I just need to figure out what I want to replace the rears with.

 

5100 Rears would Pair Great with the New 6112. They recommend the 5160's Because that's what is OEM on the New TRD Pro's.

5100's for the rear are a great shock to pair with the 6112's.

I will have a full kit on the website here shortly and this will be much helpful for you. The kit will come with a Diff Drop Kit as well.

 

I'll pass on the diff drop. Like those coilovers, though.

Isn't this what the post by member @urban was trying to say, basically? Except he was talking OME instead of Billies. We'll see if he chimes in - he kinda took a beating for being an engineering student touting ideas without trying them...

 

Yes but he was saying matter of factly based solely on measurements that it would work. Id have no problem spacing donw the top of my 5100's or shortening the bump stop above the flange if i cycled my suspension and saw an inch of shock shaft still showing ya know. But if we were down closer to 1/2 and less of travel on the shock at bump... id leave it to give some wiggle room as the last thing you want is to bottom the shock before the bumpstop fully compresses.

 

So this weekend I am going to get under my truck and do a little frame painting before winter. I'm also gonna have to unbolt the rear shocks to get the mounting flanges on the axle cuz it looks a touch crusty
I will do some measuring and create a post with all the base dimension of our trucks (2nd gens)

 

What do you guys think about the fact that the 6112s don't come with a protective cover for the exposed rod shaft like the 5100s?

This is a risk to long-term reliability in harsh environments?

 

I doubt it is going to affect long term use. Most of the times those shock condoms end up holding moisture and debris causing an increase in corrosion and shock shaft/seal damage.

 

Does anyone know how the stock 16 trdor bilstein compares to the 5100 and the 6112? Yet alone maybe a part number.
My goal here would be to establish a baseline when considering the next best thing, however I am not so convinced the stock bilsteins are a bad thing. Especially with the upside of new coil overs, AAL, and UCA's. Ya they probably are a cost effective OEM implementation short of the performance every is looking for , including me, regardless I would like to see the comparison...

Somebody surely has done their homework before selling off this new gear for more expensive stuff....feedback anyone?

 

stock TRD OR in the 3rd gen shocks are the same as the TRD sport / TRD off road shocks in the 2nd gen.... 5100's + are an upgrade to stock.

 

I hear ya, but what the hell is the series on these stock bilsteins? not 51xx or 61xx, maybe a 41xx? Really would like to get a grip on this one, reason being they are not that bad of a combo surface/OR shock....not sure of the coil over length compression specs as it would relate to any upgrade. (crawled around to see if I could gleen a part number to no avail)

I could toss them for a stage 2 or or another bilstiein solution or others, I am hung up on why would I at this point, I have the extra ride height and the suspension is adequate for now....thinking about a year out or so when I need new rubber, and will look at wheels and a new suspension but for sanity sake it would be nice to know what you got before its gone.....and what I got ain't half bad...

 

stocks TRD shocks in the 2nd gen / trd OR in the 3rd gen are essentially the bilstein 4600 series.

The 5100 / 6112's offer more extended length for a little more droop than stock (about an extra inch n a half of wheel travel downward over stock)

 

Sounds about right, you get the warm fuzzy off the lot down the road just before you realize you want more....

 

been reading this post and browsing your site. my question is how the bilstein kits compare to the icon kits? i've read the reviews of the 6112's and like what i see so far but dont know how they compare to the icons and would like to hear some feedback before pulling the trigger on either one

 

I would not recommend the 6112's just installed them and they clunk like crazy.

 

Your install has something wrong. Did you double check everything? 6112s do not "clunk".