Bilstein 6112

@HeadStrong Off-Road

 

Shouldn't take long then!

 

I’m coming from a sport 50k miles and leaking hitachi shocks at 30k.
I do mostly 90% on road 10% off road.

correct me if I’m wrong but from what I’ve heard it seems like the Bilsteins are more set it and forget it while the pro shocks you have to sent to get rebuild around the 50k mile mark?

 

Honestly didn't even measure before or after... im gonna guess 2in up front and 1.5 in the rear.

 

Please don't quote me on this but I believe the 50k service remark depends on the usage; im sure if you're doing 90% off road, you could stretch it to 70-75k miles.

Toyota usually puts that stuff in earlier as a CYA

 

6112s can be rebuilt. 1-2 other vids explaining 6112s
https://youtu.be/9tFEquVPpAs

 

It's been awhile since I've posted as I achieved a leveled stance back when I first received my 6112/5160, 20-25k ago. I am now having the urge to lift a little higher, do a little future proofing, as well as fix the rear from sagging so much when towing my bass boat. What do you guys think of the following to achieve no more than 1 inch of rake?

Currently:
6112 set at 3/4
5160 with stock leaf springs

Plans/Changes:
6112 set at 5/6
Bilstein 650lb coils
Camburg UCA
Dakar HD with 1 overload removed
Diff and CB drop

Here's how the truck sits leveled with stock leaf springs and how it sits towing my old aluminum and my current Ranger 185vx.

 

Quick search turned up this:

Also I don't think you will need the diff drop, but 2.5" in the front you may need UCA's and the ECGS bushing swap. Also maybe 3 degree shims in the rear because of the added 2" lift from the Dakar leaf pack. If you still sag with the trailer consider a weight distribution hitch. Just curious what the tongue weight of the trailer with the ranger 185vx is?

 

Thanks for that. The search function can get pretty extensive. I didn't come across that for some reason. I actually quickly, throughout today, flipped through all 197 pages stopping at each picture I saw suitable and tried reading the comments before and after it. ECGS was actually done when I did the 3/4 lift. Oddly, I got the vibration the needle bearing is infamous for. ECGS fixed that up. Thank you for pulling that up for me.

I'm going to assume tongue weight is rough 200-250lb from what similar rigs are posting online.

 

I don't seem to have vibration from the bushing. Though I'll still replace it.

I do have vibration from 20-30MPH...it might be the axle shims that fixes that. Not sure. But engaging 4x4 it doesn't go away.

 

From my understanding the vibes from the needle bearing go away in 4wd. The vibes from the drive line angle are addressed with the carrier bearing drop and axle shims.

 

Yeah I have a carrier bearing drop, but no shims yet. Well I have them but haven't installed them yet.

 

Don't use a diff drop - they cause more problems then they attempt to solve. And they don't solve anything. It's a non-issue.

You may or may not need to drop the CB - wait and see if you have any issues before doing anything.

As for rear lift, have you considered air bags? My truck is rather heavy, and I tow several different trailers (each a different weight.) I use the air bags to level the truck - they work quite well. Easy to adjust, they don't increase ride harshness. I am very happy with them.

 

Thank you for the insight on the CB and Diff drops.

I have not used airbags. I have some Sump springs as of now and while they help some, it still doesn't fix the problem completely. I am using the 3rd gen specific so they're a little shorter so there's still some sag. I contemplated going to airbag route but then grew to itch to just go ahead and lift the truck and have some heavier leafs.

 

Hey y'all, browsed through the last 20 pages and got a few questions.

Thinking about doing:

• 6112, 6/5 for 2.5 inches in front
• 5100 rear with 1 or 2 in block
• JBA High Caster UCA
• Use stock OR wheels with 285/75/16 Wildpeaks AT3Ws

I heard mix answers that this will/will not rub without a CMC. Some say minor plastic trimming, some say it'll rub like crazy. I can probably live with a tiny amount of rub, since I rather not do a CMC. Thoughts on this?

I want to add front bumper, sliders, winch but not for another 6 months to 1 year. Would getting the 650lb spring be a good idea until then? I rather not change out the whole suspension to switch out a spring in the future.

 

Why no leafs? I'm looking at running the Deaver stage II's with camburg UCA's
I'll be doing a CMC for 33's though.

 

I’m looking to do 6112s on my truck and this is what I have learned.

5/6 will get you 2” on a 3rd Gen, 2.5” with the 650 lb springs but ride quality will suffer as well as CV angles.

The blocks in the rear will likely degrade the stock springs, so maybe consider an add-a-leaf.

You will need the UCAs with 2.5” of lift to get the alignment back in spec.

You will need spacers, 1.25 hub centric, to run 285s with the stock OR wheels or the positive offset of the 7” wheels will conflict with the UCAs and the cab mount.

 

For the rear I would look into add-a-leaf setup or a different leaf pack. Most of the issue with the rear being bouncy/un-planted feeling is due to the OEM leaf springs. I noticed a good bit of difference in just adding the Dakar leaf springs in how the rear feels.

As for rear shocks....that seems to be a WHOLE different discussion with many differing results. Some run 5100's and are happy, some run 5160 and are happy and then some run 8100's, fox, icon or others and are happy. But then others (that seem to be way more educated in suspension than myself) say that the 5100 and 5160 (5160 is valved the same as the 5100, just with the added reservoir in simple terms) isn't really a good match for the 6112's. Those guys have had said that the 8100's, fox 2.5, icon 2.5, king 2.5 seem match the performance of the 6112 much better. The 6112 seems to be an anomaly for the price and Bilstein doesn't seem to have a reasonably priced rear shock that matches the performance well in my opinion.

I personally have the 5100 B110 in the rear because I wanted the extended down travel and I am happy with them considering the price. I know it can be better, but at this time I don't want to spend that kind of money.

 

So with the 5/6 notch on the front and 600 lb springs, I should not need UCA's?