Where to buy Bilstein 6112/5160

Airing down helps a ton. Get you a tire deflator if you want to air down quickly. Check Amazon. I also got a small portable compressor on Amazon that works great for airing up my stock tires. About 2-3 mins per tire depending. Viair 88P

$81 VIAIR 88P - 00088 Tire Inflator Portable On/Offroad Air Compressor for Car, Truck, SUV & RV | 12V Heavy Duty Pump 120 PSI, Alligator Clip, Twist Chuck

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005ASY23I?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

As for changing the rear shocks, it'll take a little longer than you think. Mostly because it's difficult to get the reservoir bracket backing plates bolted on. They go on the inside of the frame rails and it's hard to get your hand/arm in those areas. I suggest bringing a friend to help with this part to hold the reservoir in place, or if they have small hands send them under the truck lol.

 

Thanks. I picked up a compressor last month and have a deflator I bought last summer. Just haven’t got to try them out.
I guess I was a little optimistic on install time, but with air tools it does go a bit quicker. At least I’d hope

 

Oh ok, great! You're all set.

 

The rear shocks did go on really fast, but I’m also a girl with small hands so i suppose that did come in handy when I did mine a few weeks back I didn’t have any trouble with that reservoir bracket

 

I was not so dexterous for this portion of the install.

 

It does help to have small hands. It also helps to have the extra tools when you don’t have small hands.

 

It does seem I can never own enough tools.

 

I can see how that would be hard with man sized hands... I did have a hard time with one of the lower shock mount bolts, couldn’t get it lined up it was dumb. But really I was just hangry and it probs actually took 5 minutes lol

 

I feel you on the hangry part!

A spud wrench or similar bolt hole alignment tool has saved me a ton of frustration in more recent years vs my early wrenching days. Can never have too many tools I guess. Lol.

 

Sounds like another tool I need to acquire, I was using a long screwdriver which was ok but def not ideal nor strong enough! I like doing a lot of my own work on stuff, whether it be the truck or my house... grew up on a farm helping my dad wrench on tractors and trucks and everything else so I’m glad I learned a lot from him... and have saved a lot of money too. So I agree you can never have enough tools

 

Here is a pic I took last week.... the ride is so much better over the stock OR suspension... I added the Dakar heavy leaf packs as well, much much improved over stock. I’ll need new tires this summer, don’t think I want to bump up to 285 so I’ll have to explore my options. The ko2 were fine but I think I’ll try something else

 

Looks great! I keep threatening to switch from the KO2 but they just work. What else are you looking at?

 

Thanks! Honestly I’ve been happy with them, they were an improvement from the original KO I had on a different truck for sure. I had duratracs right after the ko and liked them a lot, they seem to wear a lot faster than the ko. The ko2 have been on par with the duratrac I think, off-road performance seems similar but i think the duratrac were better in the snow, ko2 wear a lot better and have not needed to be balanced as much. So I don’t know what I’d switch to either lol

 

Yeah, they’re not perfect at one thing, but they’re good enough at everything I feel like. I’ve owned 2 sets and my dad has had 2 sets. Can’t complain. I still have the older style. The new ones look a little more off road worthy to me.

 

Looks good! What size and load rating are those tires?

 

Thanks! Rides sooo much better for sure too. Got the tires as new Jeep take-offs with like 30 miles on them maybe 3 years ago, all 5 for like 400 bucks. It was a steal! They are 265/70r17, load range C. They look pretty small on there now!

 

Has anyone installed this Bilstein 6112/5160 setup running stock tires, then went to a larger size tire, load range E?

Curious what the difference feels like.

 

Got an alignment today. Here's the specs I requested them to set: (tough customer, huh?)




And here's what we got:




Pretty close to what I requested! Took them about 50 mins counting the time driving it on and off the rack. That doesn't count the 60 mins I waited before that. Ugh.

He enthusiastically pointed out how the "before" alignment specs were "dead on." However, in my opinion the truck didn't steer that great. Steering felt slightly worse than factory to me. (this is after lifting the front .75 inch).

Steering didn't return to center very well after small inputs and it had a vague on center feel. Generally felt meh and vague.

Now it feels much better and has a nice weight to it. You get some feedback, and it returns to center well. It doesn't wander as much like it tended to do when all stock. Quick turning manuevers feel pretty good now, just whipping it around.

I may regret not getting any cross caster/camber to compensate for road crown, but we'll see. And I'm curious if I'd like it with even more positive caster in the future.

Long post, but maybe it will help someone.

 

Hey can you fill me in on the thinking behind requesting those alignment specs?
I'm thinking of going with the same Bilstein setup, are you still happy with it? I'm running a good bit more weight (sliders, skids, canopy, RTT and gear), so would probably add a dakar setup with them. Only looking for 1 - 1.5" lift on 265/70/17s for now.

Hope to catch you around the trails here sometime.

 

It drives well with these specs. You'll notice a slight increase in steering effort, mostly at parking lot speeds... as well as an increase in steering feedback. You can feel what's happening through the steering wheel more. The truck feels more planted, controlled, and less floaty vs stock.

To explain what each value means in detail here would be "beyond the scope of this thread." Lol. You can find some good articles online to read.

The important takeaway would be that I wanted better on road handling because I drive fast. I also wanted more highway stability for tracking straight and not wandering.

I would guess that adding more positive caster probably had the most noticeable effect. That's what will be responsible for changing the way the feedback feels coming through the steering wheel.

Do some reading on alignment specs and how they affect the handling of the vehicle. You'll be able to come to your own conclusion for what you'll like best.