Bilstein 6112 vs. eibach2.0 vs. OME

Looking at upgrading suspension. Looking at these three. Anyone have experience with such a decision. I but Bilstein on my 2006 and it greatly improved the performance. Thanks in advance!!!

 

Only reason I went with the Eibach 2.0 was the 6112's were out of stock everywhere as they were brand new. I don't have any regrets with the Eibachs however! They ride great and are easily adjustable with the provided spanner wrench. I have around 25k on them and they are still holding up. Doing about 2 off-road trips a year and they are far superior to stock.

 

@memario1214

 

All 3 are great options just depends on what you are wanting from the suspension. But Memario is a great resource to talk with and he will point you to the option that fits your needs. He is also a superb vendor

 

Not to sound like a broken record on my replies to this subject, but this direct comparison seems to come up a lot. I’ve had 6112s and Eibach 2.0s, no OMEs yet. I prefer the Eibachs for my use case which is mostly on road, towing, and horrendous pothole filled PA roadways and local washed out gravel roads. I’ve heard it said they’re the best 2” shock offering on the market, and I could see why that’s a believable claim. If you’re hammering them offroad and care less about ride quality/stiff ride the 6112 is probably a “beefier” option however.

 

How are the Eibach's holding up for those living in the rust belt? Curious how they'd look after a few salty midwest winters.

 

They’re the same zinc plated steel as Bilsteins I believe. They’re clearly oxidizing as expected. As long as it doesn’t harm longevity or performance it doesn’t bother me, as I am not someone to polish and ogle my shocks. Maybe ceramic coating them before install, and regular cleaning would help. Here’s photos of the eibachs and old Bilstein 5100s I have laying around for comparison. Don’t mind the green tape, I recently made a height adjustment which despite them not being new still went flawlessly having just pre-lubed them a bit with some WD40.

 

Here’s mine. 18 months old. I try to show these as often as someone asks. Eibach wouldn’t do anything about them.

 

Did you have the dust boots installed on the rears?

 

No they did not come with them. But if they had I’m not sure I would have installed them. Never been a fan of shock boots.

 

Well, I’m not sure why yours did not come with them but they should have. You can see the groove near the bottom mount is the provision for the boots. That is the reason your shocks leaked and failed. The exposed shafts at the bottom of the shock mount will get constantly hammered with dirt, road salt, and debris like yours show in that picture. You can’t repeatedly shove a dirt and debris covered shaft that was also subject to rock chips and other damage into a shaft seal and expect the shocks to not leak at the seals in short order. That doesn’t explain what appears to be excessive corrosion on yours though of course. Mine seem to be fairing the same as my Bilsteins, but I also spray them with water when cleaning the truck and do the undercarriage wash several times over the course of the winter. Here is my shock shafts for example underneath the boots. Clean and no leaks. My old 5100s are also clean and leak free under the dust boots.

 

I think the jury is out on whether the boots are beneficial or not. Depends on where you live I suppose. 30 years of lifted modified vehicles with all sorts of shocks from cheapo rough country to high $$ air struts on custom suspension. Never run boots and never had a shock leak as a result. My new bilstein 8112 didn’t come with boots and therefore arent running them.

 

It may depend on which ends of the shock has the exposed shaft as well. My 5100s had the shaft at the top, the Eibach have the shaft at the bottom. Since they’re at the bottom I think it’s fair to say they are more subject to dirt and damage without the boots. It’s pretty clear mine look good as new after a year of use. If Bilstein isn’t using the boots on the 8100, perhaps their shaft seals are designed with this in mind on that model. In the Eibach’s case, they sent the boots so I used them.

 

@Silver17 and @ScenicRoute, thanks for all of the pictures! I've been eyeing up Eibach's for a few years but have the same concerns on shaft corrosion.

On the front coilovers, I'm surprised there isn't a dust boot to protect the exposed shaft. I guess this is pretty common as neither 8/ 6112s have any protection. I don't have a way to wash underbody when temps drop below freezing.

 

It depends on your use. Eibach over 6112s due to the threaded adjustability. They are a great option for everyday use, perfect for road use and some off road. Ride is firmer but not harsh and handling improved. Less roll and nose dive too.


OME if you are more off road focused. They have a great product. Expect it to sit a bit higher than advertised, so it is says it lifts 2.5, expect 2.75. Unless you are running winch, heavy bumper, you probably want the "light duty" springs....they are still very robust and firmer. Medium and heavy springs are meant more for running around loaded, heavy bumpers, maintained cargo...think overlanding w a heavy truck.

I currently run Eibach on my tunda, very happy for my use. I have run OME on several other vehicles and the light OME suspension is on my 4th gen 4runner. It is has been installed for many, many years and now has over 100k miles on it....still rides and handles as new.

Hard to beat OME or Eibach for the cost/benefit. More street focus- Eibach, more off road- OME.

 

I have had 6112's on 3 different trucks now (2 tacomas and 1 F150). couldn't have been happier with them. Rock solid and never had a single issue. another vote for Hotshot Offroad. excellent prices and customer service

 

I have had 6112s and OME.

In short, 6112 is the best.

OME is garbage.. rides teribble (way too stiff and feels like a spacer lift). Also provided nearly 1" more in lift than advertised which really stressed out CV angles.

OME is a great company but has not dont much R&D behind out platform. I had their nitrocharger kit on my 2016 tacoma and it was great, which led me to buying same kit for my tundra. do not recommend for the tundras.

 

Do you have the 6112's & 5160's in stock?

 

Why do all of the photos of Eibach 2.0s have dust boots?

Where do you live for it to be that rusted?

 

Memario, fwiw, I contacted bilstein about rebuilding pro’s and 6112/5160’s. This is the response. This is for all the people asking about rebuilding Bilsteins.

Thank you for contacting Bilstein of America and your interest in our products. This may come as a surprise, but you will find it cheaper to replace a 5160 new over the cost of having a 5160 rebuilt. If you are interested in inquiring about having your 6112 or OE Bilstein products serviced, please reach out to Down south Motorsports via the contact information provided below. I hope you find this information helpful. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach back out. Thank you.

Due to the limited number of in-office staff in the Bilstein Tech Center, we have enlisted the service support of one of our Bilstein Distributors.


DownSouth Motorsports is a Certified Bilstein Distributor and Service Center located in San Diego, California. They specialize in the sales and servicing of off road and motorsports shock absorbers and carry a large selection of off road components and accessories.


downsouthmotorsports@gmail.com

 

No clue. Bought them in 2021. Maybe they Covid forgot? Regardless the boot on the shaft wouldn’t have made any difference for the shock body.

to be clear the shafts are not pitted or rusted. That is oil/fluid the leaked out of the shock. I wiped the shaft down and it was defect free to the naked eye.

live in NH. The rest of the truck is immaculate. I don’t live near the ocean or drive in the ocean. But they do have some god awful nastiness they use in the winter time on the roads.