Write-up: 3rd Gen Bilstein 6112/5160 with 3-Leaf AAL for 1.5" lift

I would say.... be careful when you torque. and this happened when I was backing the nut off... not trying to tighten. which was suspect for defect

Thankfully they are sending a new one! stoked for a company to stand behind what they make. even if it was a pain to get them to do it

 

What's the other one?

 

I just got off the phone with a friend who spent the morning trying to talk to Bilstein about his broken 6112. His was on a FJ.

 

I did the install. and done by hand and no impact. But I have had to adjust several times due to new tires.

Its pretty tight up there and space is limited when you have to do it in your garage. some of the tool marks are from finding the right adjustment and 3 installs. nothings rounded though. just normal wear

 

I've had good experience with their customer support. Depends who you talk to I guess.

 

but.... as for the ride......

40mph down AZ washboard dirt roads and they handled very well....

 

I spoke to a guy named junior... He was a jerk to me over the phone

 

I could have sworn that I remember seeing a chart from Bilstein that the #6 position was either "not recommended" or "not to be used with the 3rd gen tacos... Maybe I'm tripping, I am getting old. Any chance the failure could have occurred due to using the #6 position? I went #4 on passenger and #5 on drivers side.

 

Never mind.. found it. It was only for the access cab, not the DCSB. I knew there was a reason I didn't use #6.

 

There was a thread started not long ago. I cannot recall exactly what the title was but it was something about "5100' and poor support. So far whithout asking people, it's 1-3 not in favor of customer support. Broken stuff happens but I need a company to get behind they're product. These are things that I will be considering before I make that decision. The Icon stage 2 complete kit
is not much more than a complete 6112/5160 setup. I was set at one point on the 6112/5160 but am finding myself rethinking possibilities.

 

Junior needs to get his poop in a pile (shit together) then. They have to realize that there are many forums out there and many of us talk to each other. When I called them about possibly receiving the incorrect parts they were less than professional and made it seem like I was putting them out by calling. Sorry, bro. Didn't mean to interrupt your bong session. (not that I have a problem with those that toke, but do your damn job first and then hit the bong) End rant.

 

Highly unlikely, since it mostly holds the assembly together when the suspension is unloaded. Besides, it would have failed at the threads either on the nut or the threaded portion on the hardened shaft if it failed to hold the spring pressure.

In avitaco's case, it sheared off on the unthreaded portion just above the threaded shoulder. The settings you mention are for pre load and height adjustment while entire vehicle front end weight is resting on it. The circlip likely would have failed first while vehicle is loaded. The 6112's circlips are encapsulated by the aluminum spring perch, pinching the clip together, so the likelihood of that clip failing isn't great either, unless the installer mangled the clip or the grooves in the damper body, causing it to slip.

 

All the "Juniors" I've ever met remind me of this guy..

 

I've worked with Mike Ritchie who has been very helpful and responsive. I haven't had to deal with product failure, so that's worth throwing out there because maybe they'd treat me differently.

I hear a lot of bad shit about Icon lately too. Not only are there a high amount of failures (like leaky shocks) from Icon but their customer support gets railed on constantly here. Also have heard they give out some pretty suspect Tech advice.

 

Bilstein is much larger than Icon and been around as long as modern cars have been on the road. I've also had my issues with a technical egghead lecturing me about fitting the 2nd gen specific 6112 onto my third gen. Guy even told me to cancel my order with the vendor and told me to get the 3rd gen specific 5100's being released a week after we spoke.

Icon may make something that works well, but their CS representative, with whom I spoke with, led me to believe their CS guys don't know much about vehicle operation and safety. There's more than just a few guys on here complaining about Icon having defective products as well. No one company will ever be free of defects or issues. Just research and make an informed decision based on what you can fit into your budget and needs.

 

Thanks for your input @smitty99 and @GPsevinSixx I'm even more worried about doing anything at all to my brand new truck lol.

 

Enjoy it stock for awhile is what's recommended. Smitty waited till his stock Bilsteins peed a little before changing them out, even though he could still replace them under warranty. I swapped mine out at under 2k on the odometer without any prior issues.

 

Debatable... They were already trying to charge me to clean out my leaf springs because I was taking my TRD Off Road, Off Road.

 

Junk

 

Care to elaborate?