Bilstein 5100 vs 6112/5160

[Hbrichman]

Hey all,

Just upgraded to a 2014 4x4 from my 2wd and I’m looking for some opinions. Having a hard time deciding if I want to go with Bilstein 5100 on all 4 corners or 6112 in the front and 5160 in the rear. I’ve found tons of posts about the 5100 but I’m having a hard time finding details about the others. I mainly want to get a bit of a lift to add 17’s on 35’s. Mostly city driving but definitely plan to hit the trails every now and then for some camping trips.

Any info to help steer me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[ram1500rsm]

5100's should be ok for what you want. heck even the stock suspension with more aggresive tires can get the job done. As long as you understand the limits of your suspension you'll be ok. Trust me you'll feel those shocks working out and there is only so much your body can take and the noises she'll be making before they don't work anymore.. you'll know how much you can give to the truck on stock or 5100's If you think you'll be bashing the truck on those camping trips, 6112's with the 5160's will work better, grin face better.

 

[kurek]

It's weird dude... Some people run the stock shocks for years doing farm and oil field and desert (non competitive) and they do OK, some people do the same on 5100s and they do fine and don't suffer premature failure... But then there are some people on here who insist 5100s are street shocks only that will pee out all their oil the first time you run over three gum wrappers in quick succession.

So that means you can't believe what anybody says I guess. Best of luck to you.

 

[Hbrichman]

5100's should be ok for what you want. heck even the stock suspension with more aggresive tires can get the job done. As long as you understand the limits of your suspension you'll be ok. Trust me you'll feel those shocks working out and there is only so much your body can take and the noises she'll be making before they don't work anymore.. you'll know how much you can give to the truck on stock or 5100's If you think you'll be bashing the truck on those camping trips, 6112's with the 5160's will work better, grin face better.

Thanks for the reply man, I’m kinda leaning more towards the 6112/5160 at the moment. One more question for you.. my truck has quite a bit of rake so I’d probably use the highest setting at 2.6. Do you know if I’d have to get new UCA’s like recommenced with the 5100’s at 2.8? Thanks

PS Love your truck haha


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[Ohio5pt7]

Buy bilstien Blackhawks they'll last but they prolly cost as much as your truck lol

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[JB1]

Thanks for the reply man, I’m kinda leaning more towards the 6112/5160 at the moment. One more question for you.. my truck has quite a bit of rake so I’d probably use the highest setting at 2.6. Do you know if I’d have to get new UCA’s like recommenced with the 5100’s at 2.8? Thanks

PS Love your truck haha


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I have the 6112’s on my truck, they ride great.


https://www.ramforum.com/threads/my-ram-night-on-37s.110444/

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

The 5100's IMO are a good stock replacement. Sure they get you some lift and ride a little better but arent really much of an upgrade. They also ride firm on the street which some people say is a bit too firm. Not bashing them as they are probably they best option in their price range. Now if you want something that is really going to perform better off road go and still ride nice on the street I do recommend looking at something that swaps out at least the front coils. the 6112's are a good option. I also like the Fox 2.0 coil overs. The Eibach pro lift kit is a very good option too.

We have many options. If interested contact me and we can figure out what will meet your needs within your budget. We offer all the big names like Bilstein, Fox, Eibach, Icon, King, etc....

 

[hodge-xj]

Hey all,

Just upgraded to a 2014 4x4 from my 2wd and I’m looking for some opinions. Having a hard time deciding if I want to go with Bilstein 5100 on all 4 corners or 6112 in the front and 5160 in the rear. I’ve found tons of posts about the 5100 but I’m having a hard time finding details about the others. I mainly want to get a bit of a lift to add 17’s on 35’s. Mostly city driving but definitely plan to hit the trails every now and then for some camping trips.

Any info to help steer me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Check out my build. I've got a bunch of pics of the 6112s. I love them and honestly wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Jb1 and a few of the guys who say you'll love them, genuinely mean it. I love driving my truck. I went through a few renditions, because I'm ridiculous, but the 6112s are absolute dreams. Just don't get wild and lift the truck too much up front, no matter what setup you run too much preload degrades the ride rapidly.

For the rear, look at fox 2.0s vs the 5160s. I have a set of the Fox's, and directly compared to the 5100s these ride much better, they are firm but much nicer on the road, it's hard to explain, but with all the combos I've run this is my favorite. Nick@gotexhaust will help you for sure and always has awesome prices!

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[hodge-xj]

Buy bilstien Blackhawks they'll last but they prolly cost as much as your truck lol

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Are they available for our rigs?

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[Ohio5pt7]

Are they available for our rigs?

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Yes I work with a guy that just came to my company that was a engineer for them. But $$$$. He got me a quote and it was like 12k to do all 4 corners *****

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/bilst..._source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SC Shopping - NTM Mobile&ecmp=s:google_1749764047_67406058414__pla-669266118451

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[hodge-xj]

Yes I work with a guy that just came to my company that was a engineer for them. But $$$$. He got me a quote and it was like 12k to do all 4 corners *****

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But I mean you can dukes of hazard the **** out of the truck!

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[Ohio5pt7]

But I mean you can dukes of hazard the **** out of the truck!

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Very true but I personally dont have any interest in doing that in the truck I just paid 40k for but I get it lol. Now if I was a millionaire and had money to burn you can bet your ass they would he on there along with my blown 426 stroker lol.

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[hodge-xj]

Very true but I personally dont have any interest in doing that in the truck I just paid 40k for but I get it lol. Now if I was a millionaire and had money to burn you can bet your ass they would he on there along with my blown 426 stroker lol.

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I'm not gonna lie, every vehicle I put cushy suspension on hardly uses it like intended. But man do they all ride like clouds of tatas on the rough stuff!

Blown 426.....why haven't I seen pics of this.....HIJACK OVER

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[Ohio5pt7]

I'm not gonna lie, every vehicle I put cushy suspension on hardly uses it like intended. But man do they all ride like clouds of tatas on the rough stuff!

Blown 426.....why haven't I seen pics of this.....HIJACK OVER

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Saying if I had money like that I would have my 426 also lol. But right now it's fun to day dream lol.

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[hodge-xj]

Saying if I had money like that I would have my 426 also lol. But right now it's fun to day dream lol.

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Just had my morning Copenhagen and coffee, my brain hasn't spooled yet...now I gets it

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[Nick@GotExhaust]

Those black hawks are nice and I know a guyu that can get them for you for a great deal....Honestly tho I would take a look at King or Icon, especially the King OEM series.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Thanks for the reply man, I’m kinda leaning more towards the 6112/5160 at the moment. One more question for you.. my truck has quite a bit of rake so I’d probably use the highest setting at 2.6. Do you know if I’d have to get new UCA’s like recommenced with the 5100’s at 2.8? Thanks

PS Love your truck haha


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Yep, pick a set of aftermarket ucas and ask your alignment shop for a little more caster than stock. I’ll post an alignment sheet for reference. Your 35’s will be away from your fenders that way and your struts and ucas will cycle correctly when off-roading with camber to spare

 

[ram1500rsm]

Here you go bud, don't mind the red values, that's is because caster is outside of the factory range. This alignment didn't rub with 37 KO2's at 2.75" lift
2019-04-13_01-21-06 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

This one does in reverse turning, notice the caster differences. this is the lastest one i'm running from a couple months ago. Next time i go for an aligment i'll ask my dude to remember to up my caster. He's great as long as i'm there watching the job telling him what i want. In this case i left the truck in the shop, told him what i wanted an came back 2-3 hours later , the difference is so tiny is funny, but this one makes my driver front 37 KO2 rub in reverse while turning driver. Cosmetic rub though.

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr


It doesn't have to be exact numbers so i'll give you the ranges:
Caster: 4.5* - 5.0* (min 4.7*-5.1* for 37's) you ain't getting here with the Mevotec stock arm UCA's, You want uca's with offset: JBA,Zone,Icon,RL etc, etc etc.
Camber: -0.2 - 0*
Toe: 0.10 total max

Have fun bro.

 

[kurek]

my truck has quite a bit of rake so I’d probably use the highest setting at 2.6. Do you know if I’d have to get new UCA’s like recommenced with the 5100’s at 2.8? Thanks

For any of the lift/leveling struts, whatever brand they all will have different ride character and damping but the way they affect geometry is the same on all of them because the front suspension movement isn't dependent on the strut, just where in its range of movement it rides.

It's possible to use factory UCA's at the highest setting but in the case of my truck (2.8") that put the alignment cams at their extreme ends to get the truck barely within spec. When I replaced those with aftermarket arms built for lift it allowed the alignment techs to put those cams in a more neutral position and align it to the middle of the specifications instead of just barely in the brackets. Call it a placebo but I think it feels better too so the extra cost was justified in my opinion.

The 6112's didn't exist yet when I put the lift on my Ram and I haven't felt like I'm missing anything with "just" the 5100s but we're all in different economic situations and we all have different demands and it's really hard to tell on the internet if any two people agree on what the right amount of anything is, might as well be arguing over mayo vs. miracle whip sometimes

 

[MidwestExpress]

Hey all,

Just upgraded to a 2014 4x4 from my 2wd and I’m looking for some opinions. Having a hard time deciding if I want to go with Bilstein 5100 on all 4 corners or 6112 in the front and 5160 in the rear. I’ve found tons of posts about the 5100 but I’m having a hard time finding details about the others. I mainly want to get a bit of a lift to add 17’s on 35’s. Mostly city driving but definitely plan to hit the trails every now and then for some camping trips.

Any info to help steer me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

If you already have the funds to debate 5100s vs. 6112/5160 setup, then I'd recommend going 6112/5160. I had 5100s for 5 years, IMO - they are a good stockish replacement that can add lift, but I didn't feel like they ever added much "performance" to my truck. I do agree with @kurek , in that opinions/expectations on the same parts vary quite a bit on internet forums. One "issue" you might run into, is when you start pricing 6112/5160s - you get real close to Fox 2.0s and Icon stage 1, especially if you're looking at fully assembled 6112s. Also, 5160s are just 5100s with an added reservoir on our application. 6112/5160s are throw aways after their life expectancy is met, Fox & Icon are rebuildable. Then there are Falcons & Eibach Pro Truck Kit to consider in that same range, too.

I probably only complicated your decision more with my post, sorry. The suspension decision is a tough one to make. Ultimately, you get what you pay for, so just go with the best that you can afford and try not to 2nd guess yourself!