Bilstein 8112/8100 Full review Thread

Hello , I'm a new member but been a forum reader since a couple years !

I deceide to suscribe to the forum to shared my review , observations and experiences with the set-up : i did countless hours of reading, youtube etc and i found out there is not much Real life review of these shock for Tundras .

Ive own my truck since new : a 2019 Sr5 with a 8 foot box .

It is Not my daily driver, i mostly use the truck to acces remote area in Northern Qc , Canada, as an avid Hunter and fisher and also cottage and hunting camp owner and all the work/towing/ construction material associated with this !

After about 5 years and 120K kilometer of OEM shocks tortures ( With a leveling kit as i needed the additional ground clearances and Angle of attack ), Blown a couple shocks ( i used extended ranchos in the rear ) , 1 FR wheel bearing, bushings, and also a pair of lower control arms ; i decided to pull the trigger on a full Bilstein Kit .

i cant take anymore of the beating and the crappy rides, and having to slow down to very slow speeds on some road/sections and takes forever to ''get there '' , and also the truck takes a beating .

I yearly Drive a LOTS of miles on nasty , pooly maintened forest road, Cratere and washboard filled , and also a bunch of miles on secondary forest road , more like old logging roads that have not been maintnain , with rocks, washed-out rock filled hills , huge dips etc .

After many recherche's and also good conseling from my local 4x4 specialist : He built me the Ultimated kit for my needs ! Here it goes











set-up is

- 17Inchs method 705 wrapped in Falken AT3W 285/75/17
-Icon Air Bump in the rear ; also might add the sumos Blue later , but i will need to modified the bracket so both can fit : I will do a little more road and typical load /tow test before
-Icon Rtx Leaf kit , set at medium For now with diff angle shims
- Sumo frount bump stop : i dont think they are needed : i did test with and with out them and i might just cut them about half lenght : Those 8112 are AMAZING and bottoming out resistence.
- Tubular UCA
-TRD rear sway bar
- a couple other small things like Front sway bar drop shims, diff drops etc .

I Just have the set-up Finally done, after been waiting for parts and Shop time since Last december !

So far it rides AMAZING on the street , and i havent put enough off-road miles to put them thru there pace just yet : i Find them a bit ''harsh'' at low to medium speed , Aired at 24 FR and 28 Rear ; BUT they Soak up everything and feels bottom less . I did some ride's on bad taw seasons roads, BUT its just too muddy yet to test them at speeds !

Cant wait to test them over my typical washboard and huge cratere filled gravel road soon at Speed !

i will up-date this tread and observation now and then, so anybody that have questions, comments feel free to comment i will be pleased to share !


EDITS ! After a couple months of test , use and adjustment ! i did about 1800-2000 kilometers of very rough forest roads since the begening of the summer and test a few things and adjusments ! I have towed and load too ( 34 and 30 foot trailers, etc ) . I'm still VERY pleased with thoses shocks and amazed just how well they works and can take just about Anything and abuse you throws at them : They always feels bottomless ! And they drive just SO well on the street ; and the trucks feels so much stable then OEM on higway and ''normal'' driving , too . For a set-up that seems impossible to '' over drive '' them : Such a nice behavior and comfort on the street is a Huge surprise !

Here a little video i took ;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4IdvdQ-9sI&ab_channel=PyD

( If someones Loves shocks as much as i do : Hit the Slowest view speeds on YT and watch the wheels/shocks working ! especially the first slow past going up : as i did pass on that BIG rock and watch the rears especially... that rebound is amazing ! Also the fast pass going down , we can see where i get some air going off screen ... )

Read the description on Youtube ; i added a couple details !

I'm still mind blown by the set-up ! That road was way worst then it appears !

Buch of huge rocks , wash-outs etc ! The truck just FLOATS ! On the fast pass up and Down ; i was going between 90 and 100 Kilometers and hours ! We cant see it from the video : but on the fast pass down : i did some nice air haha landed in big rocks just felt like landing in pillows... !

At first ; i tought the front ends feels a little harsh ; untill i start using the Blue SUMOS up-front : Wow these change everything ! I think the stock Spring rate is a little too soft up-front , BUT the sumos Just fits there perfect and Now keep the shock wayyyyy in there Zone . Front ends feels as plush as it can gets now , over rocks, potholes or terrible gravel wash boards roads !

Rocks from the roads , going 90 !


Typical Loads ! On that Picture, Box was having a lots of gears : The rear sumos where not installed ; with the RTX sets in the middle : i had to keep Compression at the full 40 clics in to keep the shocks happy ; with the sumos , rear ends stays very much in the Shocks Zone and i can now run on the lower ends of the compressions Clicks ! VERY happy with the Blue SUMOS , loaded and empty : they feels great , and not harsh at all !


I had to use my small trailer for that trip ( my tandem 14 footer with torflex axcels is now beyound repair ) and i did rip the rear axels on the way back , OUPS !

I'm gonna have a new Galnanized trailer by the hunthing seasons ; Built with Timbren 7000K '' silent ride'' tandem axel : Hopefully it will suits my truck and forest roads well ! ( someone use thos axels on gravel roads ? I'd like to get some feed back ! )

And the rears Custom fab mounts for the Sumos :








Just for fun : Just bought a new Go-Pro for the hunting seasons and did a couple shots ! Lots of spring and shocks action in those !

For those who love shocks as much as i do, enjoy the view They took a solid beating in those videos , i will try to edit some of the other view i took and do a little montage some tie this fall !


https://youtu.be/72o_2bmEAWc
https://youtu.be/y5h26Qa03Aw

A couple clip from different footage i did try to put together , from when i did a couple fun rides over the summer and fall ! Some slow-motion etc

https://youtu.be/MVQyDpziBsU?si=eqs-SaNzf8QudbxF

Hunting season is over for me, truck have been frame pressure wash and clean , rust proof, back on regular Passenger winter tire ( Blizzack MAN do these ride smooth , compare to the E loaded !!! ) , and doing truck stuff like hauling a full bed of fire-wood : these 8100 can also doo truck stuff and haul stuff like champs !

Getting load up for the first hunting trip... loaded to the roof ( Whats payload ? ! )


Getting back of the 2nd hunting trip , LOADED to the roof... 14 footer Loaded with the 6 wheel ATV , Jugs , coolers, a couple 100 pound Propane , etc ...



The road was Horrible comming back, sky high washboard all over for miles from lots of rain the previous days . ..the truck eated them for breakfast and lunch , even THAT over loaded... ride was Smooth AF , just cruising normal speed where i would have slow down a lots before : and i was just grinning the whole way back like WOW ! i can save up to 2 hours a trip when roads are destroy like that , just because of the Bilsteins ! I'm please and dont regrets the penny, not a single one !


All nice and clean , ready for rust proofing !

 

this sounds good

 

Hello ! I did a few up-dates on the first Post !

 

I bought the same shocks from colton as well and they are fantastic shocks very satisfied with them I also put boots on the back as well but i decided to remove sway bar and really no difference.

 

Nice !! What boots did you get ? I contact Bilsteins for a pair of boots ; but they say they dont make it for these shocks... The chrome rod gets beat up pretty bad on gravel road ( nicks , dents , sand-blast...) I end up going with a pair of ICON boots : They fits the 8100 Very well !

Nice truck ! if ever you feels the FR end feels ''soft'' and go in the Bump zone to much, slap a pair of Blue Sumos up frount and you'll love 'em

There is not much info/videos availble for our truck and these shocks combos : feel free to share you toughts and experience on this tread as well !

I Hope to take some better videos with my go-pro by the fall seasons and put some cool stuff on youtube !

 

I picked up some daystar boots the fit was tight but they worked I had to stretch them a little and just zip tied the top and left the bottom, they come in many colors too and plenty of slack at full extension as well. I also didn’t want the shafts getting damaged.

I up graded the front bump stops too with the timbrens I don’t think i’ve hit them yet but good insurance anyway.

You are right not many people have these on tundras that i’ve seen but i’m pretty I watched your video on youtube and it helped me with what i was getting into with the install

I will be definitely be watching the thread as i’m sure or hoping to hear from others on there experience with these shocks. It’s haven’t played with the rear adjustment yet as i’m still breaking them in but so far THEY ARE FREAKING AWESOME!

 

How long should these be expected to last? Can they be rebuilt?

 

They can be service , revalve and rebuilt as any other shocks !

And for durability : these should be expected to provide an OEM like service life , as per my many hour reading and YT videos : Bilstein have put many videos and podcast chat on YT about thses, worth a liscening for someone interested before spending the dough Also in the worst case, they are also under warranty for 2 years.. wich is VERY interesting for an off-road product ! These guys really trust there product !


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbfmF1BdBKk&pp=ygUOYmlsc3RlaW5zIDgxMTI= Like this very interesting talk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Mmo01uVmI&ab_channel=WheelEveryWeekend and that 2 hours podcast, too !

 

yup 100% what he said^

 

My TRD Fox kit was expected to last 50k with mild off-roading. I didn’t get that long out of it before it stopped damping suspension movement. I am off pavement a lot though.

Does Bilstein give a mileage estimate?

 

They dont offer millage waranty, but a 2 years warranty : for an off road oriented product that the marketing around it is to go and trash them around : Thats Good enough for me !

For some reasons , fox's seems to often need rebuilt and revaling to offer a good reliability and good performance : Its seems also pretty common in the powersports too ( Sleds, ATV , Side by sides etc ...) From my experience and observations : they seems to offer poor OEM valving and seals quality ... i never own/installed foxes for these reasons on any of my toys , but a set up front of one of my sleds that the dealer gave me a good deal on to fit my new front end lol ! They where and did OK but i didnt use them much compare to all Elkas i have Own

Lots of YT videos about Fox's for our truck on YT, look at these guys channel : https://www.youtube.com/@ShockSurplus

They have a LOTS of nice videos about shocks , and a lots of them are about Fox's and how some of them are not that great out of the box !

 

I believe Bilsteins are made to last. I’m approaching 70k miles on my 6112 / 5160 setup with no problems.

 

I had the trd pro shocks on my truck and at about 60k they had worn top bushings and making some noise just street driving I know they needed rebuilding but I drove them to about a 105k and I couldn’t take the noise anymore so I replaced mine with the bilstein. I probably would have had them rebuilt but no one in canada that I know of can do it and didn’t want to pay shipping to the US so I said screw it.
I may send them one day to have that done when I decide to rebuild the bilstein that way I can have a second set of shocks and a vehicle to drive in the meantime.

 

EDIT ! Up load some Shock action shot i took with the new Go-pro just for fun on the first tread ... these 8100 took a solide beating in some wash-out and whoops ! enjoy the view ! Keep an eye on the droop travel and rebound action ; those shocks works incredibly well over rough stuff , tires stays glue to the ground !

 

Just Edit the first Post : Added a new video at the bottom with some editing and various clips and view , for the suspension geeks to enjoy haha ! Those Bilsteins have MASSIVE rebound control , Just look at the last slow-mo sequences on my last video : It speaks for it self ! it also explain why they have so much control over nasty washboard !

Look also for the MASSIVE Impact on the left side ( Truck right tire ) on the first video séquences , and the Planted Front wheel in the slow-mo whoops section on one of the first sequences , no rebound at all after a pretty big hit and consuming all the availble travel ( At About the 5 minutes mark )

Go-pro never do justice to the speed and Obstacle size , but some of those sequences where pretty damn fast and some of those hits where pretty damn sledge hammer to the ground !

Just fond Out the DSA + have been FINALLY realised , hummmm !!!!! I Wonder if Bilsteins can up-date to DSA + , non DSA Front like mine ! i will find out !

Even if the 8112 NON Dsa are Spot ON , i would certainly enjoy some low speed clickers in certain type of washboard, and JCO to calm down on certain type of terrain too ! They NEVER feel hash or anything, but would probably gain some smooth factor when riding in the bump zone on certain terrain !

 

@memario1214 might know if the DSA can be added to a non-DSA, I would think not but never hurts to ask.

 

I Have emailed the product support at Bilstein : here is the respond :

''
Hi Pierre,


Our DSA products use different internals which are adjustable as well as different reservoirs and strut mounts to accommodate the adjustment knobs. The parts and labor to try convert these products to DSA is more expensive than buying a replacement DSA unit. If you would like to purchase any service parts you may do so through our authorized service center, Down South Motorsports. Thank you. ''


So unfortunatly , they can technically be rebuilt, but dont worth the price tag !

So i wont be running the DSA + soon, maybe next year , if i can find a buyer for my 8112 sometimes , i might go ahead and order a DSA+ Pair !

 

Considering buying a set. DM me what you're realistically hoping to get.

 

I dont think it will worth it for you because of the shipping $$ fees , since i'm in canada ! I will try to sell them locally when i will be ready , maybe around 3200-3500 CAN$ for the pair ! its about 4000 CAN$ + Taxes for a pair of new DSA + !

I know for sure the hitch will bite in the spring time haha ! I dont use the truck much this winter so i will sleep on the dsa+ idea untill then

I did use the truck to Haul a bunch of fire wood loads welllll over gross weight this fall and i'm still very please with the rear set-up on how well it handle the heavy loads !

I also did a complet check, visual and over all end of season inspection on underside , suspensions and steering component of the truck ; and even after a busy summer and fall time of hard use and abuse ; Nothing needed attention , exept i did a bing Dent on the resonator on the exaust system , and a couple ding on the TRD skid plate where added !

i will need a better way to prevent Sand blast from Miles of gravel road in the future , tho... the rear end takes a beating ( differential , rear brakes back plates etc ) i will try to add some flaps or maybe a couple UHMW sheets where its needed , like we did on stage rally car . The lower shocks mount on the diff takes the most hits .

Again, i'm still VERY please so far of the truck and set-up , everything and every parts performed flawlessly . honorable mention to those 2-300 Miles stretch of rough fast pace gravel road with no shock fades at all

 

Thanks ! i will give you a message just to check on the price when i will be ready ! One thing that kills us up here is always that our Canucks money rate sucks VS USD ! Currently 1 Canadian dollar Worth .70 USD Cents , that hurts the budget a lots on these type of part$ Added to cart Lol !!

 

Can't wait to install mine, just waiting for it to get a warm.

 

To all that have installed the 8112s, have you got the advertised 2.75” lift on its default height setting?

 

yep and I cranked mine up to 3.25" after I added icon rxt full leaf pack not leaving any leaves out and back to stock shackles, after coachbuilder +3 shackles. everything rides very smooth, I think I need inner tie rods but the OEM ones cost as much as a new gear assembly

 

Cold season is a great time to start enjoying them and '' brake 'em in '' ! Let us know your feed back once installed !

 

Yea it's the best time if there installed already. My pussy ass is not going to rebuild all the suspension in 15⁰. Don't have the luxury of a garage.

 

I did not took references ride height mesurement from STOCK , i installed the 8112 strait from a spacer lift kit i installed when the truck was almost new , from my memory it was a 3'' leveling kit ( And the ride SUCKS haha ! )

The drive side was raise a little from the ''stock'' setting when installed to compensated the '' driver side lean'' and the passenger side was left from the box setting ; thats about it

It sits a little lower then with the leveling kit ! I plan to check the ride height and the droop travel when i will installed my Summer tires ; i found out it tend to ride in the Bump zone a bit, and perhaps i think thats why it rides better with the sumos up front

These shocks are all about droop travel and less of a Lift kit . But i will play with the Spring pre-load and will take time to mesure the expose shock rod mesurement ; it SHOULD be exposed half of the availble travel at static height/droop , and my guess is that they sag a little more then supposed to, when the lowest spring pre-load is selected .

i would say the 2.75 advised Lift is a little optimistic , i Eye ball a little less lift from the box !

 

Hows the ride with an empty bed and all the leaf on the RTX ? At mid setting on mine with no bed load ; i found the shock exposed rod to be too long and not enough rebound travel avaible so it can make the ride a little bouncy ! I dont use the truck much with no load so i dont mind ; But i would not recommend that set-up since it dosent perform at its best ! Bilstein recommand to adjust the truck ride height so the shocks rod are exposed at about mid travel so they perform best with equal compression and droop travel and are optimised in the control zones shock travel .

Hows the ride at full lift up-front ? Do you feel it gets in the JCO zone a lots in the bumps ?

 

You can measure from fender lip to center of hub for lift height measurements. My 8112 only lifted approx 2” over stock: Drivers side is 23.5” and passenger is 24”.

I just bought a better spring compressor and will be adjusting their heights while still mounted on the truck.

 

With spring setting out the box ? If so ; i think the 8112 might be a little soft spring'ed from factory ! I'll try to get some mesurement tomorrow compared to yours Thanks for the mesurement references !

Mine was a Sr5 , maybe the TRD ride height mesurement references changes the lift mesurement references . i Beleive a TRD trim have a higher stock ride height then a SR5 for references .