Ride quality Q. 6112 vs 5100

I'm not sure your going to be happy with the 6112s - the ride is amazing in the fact that it's improved, but I wouldnt say it's softer. Its firmer. The 6112s are night and day stiffer than the stock shocks. And that's a good thing for street driving. At least thats what I feel. It does soak up the bumps, and I'm not afraid to hit much at speed, but it also is a firmer ride (less body roll around turns)

I havent driven with 5100s, so I can't speak for them, but if you want to improve the agility of your truck, you'll love the 6112s.

 

I've had both set ups. The 5100s I ran at top setting for about 8 months and they were not bad better than stock. The 6112s feel better over big bumps or big pot holes but on normal driving they feel the same. I just swapped them to have a better if road shock.

 

The 5100 on top setting was very firm to me, though it was well controlled. This was on a 2wd.

 

Agreed. My input on the 6112’s is they seem to soak up bigger bumps in my opinion very well, I do feel the smaller ones more now but I think that’s just cause of how stiff they are. They probably got some breaking in to do though since I’ve only out maybe 200 miles on them.

 

I'm new to off-road suspension. I guess what I'm looking for is something better to soak up bumps. I have 20s and I know that makes the ride firmer. I have an sr5 with the black suspension and it doesn't rebound bumps very well. Just rode on my first long road trip and the truck take a bumps more like a sporty car. I think 4600 are really soft but like the idea of the 5 or 6 series for the ride height adjustability

 

I was looking into the 6112/5160 for my 2020 CM with the TRD front & rear sway bar but keeping stock height. I am on pavement only and was wondering if anyone had feedback on this setup with the height also? Pros/cons??

 

I have run 5100/5100, 6112/5100, and now 6112/5160. I would say do the 6112s up front and you won't be sorry, rear, the 5160s offer 1/2" more travel.
If you want to do high speed off-road or hit big bumps, skip the Bilsteins and drop some $$ on serious long travel shocks.

 

6112's do come with new softer springs. I believe it is a 600 lb coil vs the 700 lb stock spring. I believe the new coils are Eibach but they are re-branded Bilstein when they come with the 6112 shocks.

 

Does running the 5100s on the middle setting provide a softer ride compared to the top setting?

 

Huh?

 

Yes. Less preload on the spring will provide better ride.

 

Yea. I got that. Just didn’t understand what you were asking. My original post stated the 6112s come with a new spring designed by Eibach. The 5100s are an oem replacement that’s designed to use the oem size spring. The 6112 is a different animal and the spring is completely different and will not work on a 5100.

 

Just get yours powder coated if all you’re looking to do is get red springs.

 

So, DanMan34, does more preload on the 5100s soften the ride? The bottom being stock, and the top bring close to leveled, which do you like? I like the leveled look and was going to leave the rear at stick and lift the front to level.

 

More preload leads to a stiffer ride. You are compressing the spring the further you go up on the notches on the shock. I had 5100s previously on my last truck on bottom perch and used spindles for the lift. I honestly felt they were harsh for daily driving. Potholes were hard hits. They just don’t have the rebound to handle larger tires. I went with 6112s on my new truck and have no regrets. They put the 5100s to shame. Then again they are not an apples to apples comparison. But the 6112s do everything better and the truck rides better than stock.

 

People powder coat their springs all the time. It just requires a different process done at lower temperatures.

 

I am currently running 5100s on the top setting with the OEM spring and shims. Not sure if it's because I'm also on 305/65-18s but when I hit potholes or any larger imperfection in the road, the rebound sucks and the truck veers especially at higher speeds. Hence the reason I'm trolling this thread. Thinking about getting 6112s from @BOSS4x4s preassembled at 2.5".

Thoughts?

 

TRD Sport here. The stock Bilsteins worked well on the road, no issues with potholes even with the 20s. I installed 5100s on the top setting a long time ago. It's harsh and has been ever since. Really harsh off road too.

 

I my self did notice the difference on potholes with the 6112s but dont quote me on that

 

Coils play big part. If you spend $ for 5100 don't use stock coils! 5100+coils for little more just go w 6112/5160 or fox 2.0. Then you gona want to lift and other stuff = more $$$

 

Got the 6112s installed at the 1.3" setting and 275/60r20 tires back in November, it is a drastically better ride over the stockers in both stability and plushness. No more bouncing after bumps which was probably due to one or both of the stock black Tokico shocks being bad. Very controlled ride.

 

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I emailed Darren @BOSS4x4s and purchased the 6112s assembled at 2.5".

 

thanks for the link! lots of good info over there.

 

Which ones do the best on washboard dirt roads?

 

6112

 

Looking at the billies 6112’s. Anyone use them on the lowest setting.(.75). Not looking to lift the truck just want a better ride quality, handling. More control feel then the stock 4600 garbage. I see alit of posts about 2.5 , 1.9 setting. Not much about the.75/1.3 setting. I’ve had all sorts of lifted trucks and the stock tundra drives worse then my other lifted vehicles. I really just want the benefits of the 6112 shock without changing the stance. Low center
Of gravity. 2019 tundra limited TRD...90% road driving, a lot of highway

 

I just put these on my truck so I thought I'd give my review.

I no longer own my Tundra, but I think my review may still be helpful to folks on here. I traded-in my 2019 Tundra for a 2020 Silverado with 3.0L Duramax and the Z71 package. My reason was because I needed a vehicle with better fuel economy.

I had all 4 factory Rancho shocks on the Silverado replaced under warranty because the suspension was so bouncy and had such bad body roll, I thought they were shot, but the replacement Ranchos didn't fix it. After much researching on the web, I decided the best option for me would be the Bilstein 6112 (fronts) and the 5160 (rear). I rarely go offroad so my main goal was to get rid of the Rancho bounce, improve towing and handling, and still have something capable for offroad on those seldom occasions.

Right off the bat I noticed my truck more planted and the handling was noticeably improved. There is a road near where I live that is notorious for being really bad. It has big seams, lots of patchwork, big dips, uneven pavement, and lots of potholes. I drove my truck with the factory Ranchos down this road and recorded it. My Silverado was bucking around like a pissed off rodeo bull. Every imperfection in the road was trasnsferred to the steering wheel and seat. How GM engineers signed off on this suspension setup really baffles me.

Driving down this same road right after the Bilstean install immediately confirmed my Rancho shocks sucked. The bounce was completely gone. The faster I rode over the road imperfections the smoother it felt. Big dips were hardly noticeable and potholes were not as bad as they were before. On slower speeds however, it felt about the same or maybe very slightly worse. I then lowered my tire pressures from 42 psi (I had it at 42 because I tow sometimes) to 35 psi and it made a huge difference. In all fairness the Ranchos would have felt better too if I had lowered the tire pressures, so I don't have that to compare. Another annoyance that went away with the Bilsteins is the "head toss" when you go up an incline or over speed bumps at an angle. The head toss with the Ranchos was really bad, but now it's much much better with the Bilsteins. Oh, I forgot to mention that ride quality on the Interstate and county roads was superb!

Bottom line is I'm happy with the 6112/5160 Bilsteins. When I get a chance, I'll see how they tow and see how they do on unpaved fire roads with lots of ruts and washboards. Going over washboards with the Ranco shocks felt like my fillings were going to come out. Hope this review helps anyone considering going with the Bilsteins 6112/5160 on their trucks.

 

Yes, I have mine on the lowest setting because I like a rake, especially when I have a load in the back or I'm towing. I can only vouch for these shocks on my Silverado. My Tundra had the factory Bilstein shocks which I thought were pretty good. I then put a set of Falcon shocks on it. The Falcons worked pretty well with my Tundra, especially when towing. In hindsight I should have left the Falcons on and not gone to the King coil-overs which made my ride so harsh I took them off after about a month and sold them for less than half of what I paid...they rode that bad!

 

I ran 5100s front and rear for about 20,000 miles. Recently switched them out with 6112/5160. Both fronts sets were set to second position from bottom. 1.57” on 5100s and 1.3” on 6112s. However both lift the front the same amount.

My estimation is the 6112/5160 combo is 10% less stiff and 50% less harsh than the 5100s. Do with that what you will.