Bilstein 5160 or shackles?

I just put the 6112s up front at 2.5. Looks like it’s squatting in the rear just a bit. The bilstein 5160 and shackles are the same price. Which options do you guys prefer for the rear? Thanks in advance

 

They are two different things. The shocks provide no lift. You’ll need both. I recommend toytec shackles and whatever rear shock you want.

 

the description on website says 0-1.5” for 5160. Or am I reading that wrong and it’s for trucks that are already lifted up to 1.5”?

 

The 5160 is just the shock, it will provide no lift, so you want the shackle. However new shocks in the rear are not a bad idea. You can save some money and just get a set of 5100 shocks. They will allow for a little extra lift and still provide a nice ride.

Toytec and Boss-offroad shackles are both a good place to start. Both are adjustable to 1" or 1.5" of lift. Lots of people like Coachbuilder too, but the other ones are rock solid as well. I have the Boss-offroad ones and they are super beefy. Replacement bushings are also only $20 extra bucks which is definitely worth it. The old bushing will be a bitch to get out, but still, it'll be worth it.

 

The shocks are designed to handle a lift of up to 1.5". As others have already pointed out, the shocks themselves provide no lift.

 

5160 has enough additional travel to accommodate up to a 1.5" lift before it tops out. As the others stated, it provides no lift.

 

They are suitable for trucks with 0-1.5" lift, i.e. they are a bit longer to accommodate the lift. So whether you lift with block, shackle, or new leaf springs, the shocks just help with the extra droop required.

 

That’s just the range of lift the shock is rated for.

 

Nice ok makes sense now. Just ordered the toytec shackles

 

You will not regret it. Shackles with the 5160's. Best way to set it up. This is my rear setup: Coachbuilder +2 (1.25" lift) and Bilstein 5160.



After it settled: Rear is 1" higher than the front. Exactly how I wanted it.
Post your truck before and after. Thanks.

 

hell yea looks great. Love that color. Will post pics once it comes in and I install

 

Make sure you replace the oem leaf bushings with the Polys that come with the shackles. Makes a world of difference in the ride.

 

Did you ever finish up putting your shackles on the rear to lift it i wanted to see the before and after pics to see how everything leveled out thanks.

 

Okay, I really want to pull the trigger on 5160’s. Someone mentioned they rust quickly. Can anyone confirm/deny this info? I’m hoping it’s something they’ve resolved. Thanks for your help.

 

From what I’ve seen personally and on the forum, it will depend on your climate/environment. I’ve had mine nearly 3 years and they still look new. I’ve seen pictures posted demonstrating if they use salt in the winter where you live, they’ll look like garbage in no time.

 

I wonder if it will help if I clear-coat them first?

 

I don’t have them, but it looked to me like it was the hose clamps that hold the resis to the shock body that rust first. There might be other clamping options or you could mount them remote.

 

Hey guys I have similar questions to OP. HOPE I CAN ASK as I'm new to 21 tundra. I bought 6112. They are at 1.9. Now I read the ride at 2.5 was rough, is this true? I'm after a little more lift and came across a 21 trd pro suspension for under 2k with 15k miles on the set. All I want is a little more stocky tire than factory bc the michelins are like a lifter who skips leg day. What do you guys recommend? Take out my 6112's and get trd shocks or preload more like OP and get shackles and shocks? I don't want to chop anything have trd sway bar in the garage. My truck is a dad wagon won't see anything of what I'd call serious off road but I want the best ride. Wish I could've just got a pro with grey leather

 

Anyone know if these shackles will work with TRD dual exhaust? I thought I remembered seeing there’s interference with this set up.

 

I have trd dual exhaust I was planning on running this setup

 

Note that you can run coachbuilder +3 shackes with the 5160, per dave at coachbuilder. The tundras suspension will limit the articulation enough so it would not cause issue running 1.75" lift on the 5160s.

 

The shackles themselves won’t interfere, it’s the lift from the shackles that can cause issues though. Some have had to chop the tail pipes because the leaf springs will hit the pipes at full droop. This will be with shackle lifts over 2” - a block lift won’t change where the leaf is relative to the exhaust. But also, don’t run block lifts lol.

 

I live in New England (s. Maine). I have 6112 and 5160.
1) you can buy a clamp that holds the reservoir to the shock body instead of the hose clamps. Its aluminum and doesn't rust.
2) the 5160 and the 6112 are carbon steel bodies. In Southern Maine my shocks looked great over the summer installed in May, Come may the following year they look like they lived at the bottom of the ocean. This is true for the front 6112 and the rear 5160. I fluid filmed them when i installed, however, it didn't help.

The shafts are chrome and still look okay, just the shock bodies that have surface rust. I don't think it effects them. Just looks terrible.

Also the cap on my driver side (dust cover) is hanging up off the shock on the 6112.

Not sure I'd recommend them for Rust belt areas. They ride is good and they seem to work fine. I read the manual, that called them aluminized steel bodies and misunderstood that to mean they had aluminum shock bodies.

I strongly recommend you clear coat them or install some sort of a clear sticker as the area under the clear part of the Bilstein sticker is looks clean underneath. Unfortunately i don't have any good pictures as I'm not near my truck.

I really like the look of the falcons, they look like they are not carbon steel but aluminum bodies? I'm not sure if anybody has had them long enough to know if they rust.

Hope this helps
I realize a picture would drive the point better.

 

Thanks for the info. I think I will have someone clear coat them before installing.

 

Would spraying them with Barricade once in a while help i wonder?

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/bilstein-struts-and-shocks-rusted.85729/

mine are 10x worse than this

 

Still work? How many miles, no leaks? I kinda scared to pull the trigger on these. I don’t mind having them clear coated to help. It sad they don’t rectify this.

 

I have over 38k miles on my 5160s. Zero issues. Zero rust. I also don’t live in an area that sees snow and I wash the truck regularly. But anything will corrode or rust if you don’t take care of it

 

Yes. This setup will work with the TRD Dual Exhaust.
Here is mine: