Comparison: TRD Bilstein vs. 4600's Rear Shocks

Wanted to show everyone the difference between the TRD Bilsteins that come from the factory on a 98-04 Tacoma and the replacement 4600 you buy from bilstein. Pretty big difference.

 

Which is which in the pic?

 

The one with Toyota on it is more than likely the Toyota one. ...

 

Interesting. I'm about to put a set of 4600's in mine. Thanks for the insight!

Question though...are we thinking there's a compression advantage just because the 4600 is a thicker shock?

 

there is but not really. there is an oil volume and heat dissipation increase which decrease shock fade. if they are valved the same you probably wouldnt be able to tell them apart on a daily driver.

 

There is a huge difference, to the good side.

 

I've got the 4600's on the way, new AC Delco springs and new hats.

I'll update when everything is in. I'm absolutely amazed that the original bilsteins lasted 190k miles!

 

I think it depends how you use your truck. If you are hammering it weekly the stocks will likely be blown in a few thousand miles. Highway cruise and they may last the life of the truck.

 

FWIW - I had a bad experience with the 4600s. I just posted about it, mine went bad after 10,000 miles with about 30% off-road.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...shocks-quickly-went-bad.474100/#post-14356264

 

I have a free set of 2nd generation TRD bilsteins given to me by a buddy who switched to 5100's. I have rancho's which end up maxed out in height so I can't even get my last leaf back into the leaf pack. Will these shocks fit my 1st generation? I have installed the rancho quick lift which is 2/3" lift so I have the classic sag in the rear.
I have installed new general springs and 1 1/2" add a leaf. I need to get another 1/2 - 3/4" to get what I need. I'm not afraid to get a set of 5100's but these are free

 

They will not fit your 1st gen. The 2nd gen uses a different mount for the top of the rear shocks and the fronts are different as well.

 

Got the 4600's installed, along with the new springs and an alignment.

Not a huge difference but the truck certainly feels tighter, especially around curves/turns.

 

thought I'd chime in. I just replaced the stock TRD Bilsteins with 4600s, both front and back. I honestly don't notice any difference at all. I've only driven it about 5 miles after finishing the instal tonight; I thought maybe I'd notice a bigger difference at higher speeds or off-road. Now I am suspecting my 15-yr old stocks with 180k miles were as good as new 4600s.
I was thinking maybe i'll need to replace the coils too for some improvement? the last post makes me doubt that.
Has any one else had a similar experience after upgrading their stock bilsteins?

 

just an update about the 4600 upgrade. finally took the truck off-road this weekend on tough desert terrain. major improvement with the 4600's compared to my old stock shocks. it felt great at higher speeds on dirt roads (~40 mph) and crawling up and down dried river beds in 4L. very solid. replacement cost for all 4 shocks was only about 400 plus 80 for an alignment. wish i had done it years ago.

 

You've just noticed exactly what is to be expected. On a daily driver at 100% street, you could probably put $25 AC Delco shocks on and not notice much, if any, difference.

The main advantage to nicer shocks is off road, when you start pushing them.

Curious why you got an alignment after installing 4600's... You usually only need an alignment if you lift it.

 

I replaced the shocks without using a spring compressor by lowering the control arms to release pressure from the coil springs and then slipping out the shocks. You need to loosen the alignment spindles to do this. I marked the spindles before loosening them and then put them back together as close to prior as possible. But an alignment still seems appropriate after adjusting the spindles...what do you think? Also, I replaced one of the tie rod ends after the shocks, so I definitely thought the alignment was necessary.

 

As long as your marks ended up in the same place, you are probably fine to leave it. I did that when I installed some poly bushings- I just marked the cams, and put them back the same way, and double checked the marks after final torquing. I put several thousand miles on it like that with no issues (tire ware, etc).

With the TRE, you could probably just make sure you take some before/after measurements, and count the # turns the tre took to come out.

That said, it certainly doesn't hurt to get an alignment, just the cost.

When you lift it, your geometry changes, so you need an alignment anyway.

 

Indeed, I counted the TRE turns as you mention and it drove just fine afterwards, even at high speeds. I actually drove around for a good 3-400 miles after replacing the shocks and TRE. But I eventually replaced the tires as well and then got the alignment immediately afterwards. $80 for an alignment to minimize damage to the tires seemed worthwhile, even if not absolutely necessary...