Bilstein 5160 New vs old

I just replaced my 12 year old/ 80K 5100s, and I went with 5160s in the rear. They recently discontinued right/left specific 5160s part numbers 25-242539 & 25-242379, and were replaced with a common part # 25-311259
And I wanted to share they are slightly different looking, specifically the reservoir.

Old: Blue Stickers, rounded end, and hose goes in on side

New: No sticker on reservoir, flat end, hose goes in on the end. Only black sticker on shock.


I did email Bilstein and they confirmed there is no sticker on the new 5160 and there is a new coating
"shock comes with a different coating spray to prevent rust(still follow ati-rust/corrosion recommendation) and comes with mounting brackets that say Bilstein themselves."

-Just wanted to share with Tacomaworld.

On a side note, only 1 front of of my 12yr/80k 5100s was leaking and just a little. All 4 were still functioning, but all the rubber grommets/bushings were shot. My ride was noticeably better/smoother with the new shocks. So I would say it is is a good idea to replace shocks at 60k-70k as many say, even if others claim Bilsteins last 100K+

 

Awesome to hear.
I have a set on the way to replace my worn out 130k original shocks, looking forward to trying them out.

 

Any reason to buy the new version over the old.The cost savings is 130.00?