Bilstein 8100s. First impressions

Hey everyone!

I recently completed my suspension upgrade journey by installing the new Bilstein 8112s on the front and 8100s on the rear. Both of these sets have the new DSA adjusters on them.

For reference, all times between bumpers and camper, I have 300-400 pounds of added weight in the rear of the truck, and 100 pounds of added weight in the front. I run 285/75r16 BFG KO2 tires and 0 offset aluminum aftermarket off-road wheels.

The review

In short, these shocks are amazing on the road. Right off the bat with the DSA tuned to the factory setting in the 8100 instruction booklet, everything just feels better and more confident over road imperfections than the stock TRD off-road Bilsteins. I turned the high speed damping down to have a nice cozy ride and I absolutely love it.

My truck has driven on stock TRD off-road suspension as well as Old Man Emu Nitrochargers. In a previous review, I explained how I felt that the performance of the stock suspension felt more stable on the road than the Nitrochargers. I went into depth about things like valving and handling. These 8100s though, are just better. On smooth roads they are so plush when valved softly, and over speed bumps you can feel how noticeably more responsive and planted they are than the stock and Nitrochargers. What gave the Nitros an edge over the stock suspension was when I hit bigger bumps at speed when off-road.

Once or twice a year my wife and I take a cross country road trip out west from Florida. We camp every day along the way and what we like to do is find hard to reach places to camp. Wild and legal is what we aim for. We haven't done a trip with this new suspension yet but we are moving to Wyoming this coming May and I will be able to update the off-road performance of these shocks by the time we reach our destination.

 

I should also mention I am running a U-bolt flip by Wheelers. Icon Bumpstops. Ironman Medium load springs (0-400 pounds added weight 2 inch lift.) And the front is set at the standard 1.5 inches lift over stock. I have the stock UCAs and they don't hit the coils at full droop. The 8112s are about a half inch longer than the stock coilovers and offer an extra inch of droop. I get about 5-6 inches of up travel and 4 inches of down travel. It's really nice at this ride height.

 

I just put 6112/8100 DSA on my Tacoma and love them so far as well.

Why did you put boots on your rear shocks? I was always under the impression they were bad if you are doing off roading because they will trap sand and mud inside.

 

Nice set up!

You've got some interesting fender flares...got that desert feel for sure! (I have Black Bushwackers)

Also, I got Bilstein 5100s last week...maintenance-free!

I heard those type of Shocks you have require rebuilds every so often...and it's expensive!

Also, your U-Bolts are installed opposite of mine...which is cool!

Let us know how those babies (Shocks) feel!

 

I was actually considering the 6112s for the front! I think that 6112s paired with 8100s is a more rounded option than the 5160s because the 8100s have the same beefy shock body as the 6112s. It was such a close decision for me. I'm glad you're loving yours!

I actually bought a set of 2.5 inch motorcycle boots for mine and they are open at the bottom because the lower opening of the boot is much wider than the lower shock mount, so it still has really good draining capability. I'm also planning to buy those Icon coilover sleeves for my fromt shocks. I wanna protect my investment as much as possible sonsidering the kinds of terrain I go over.

The OME Nitros I had on my truck a while back were peppered and chipped from the gravel and dirt roads I was blasting over. I'm glad I started off with a mild upgrade so I could learn where the wear points were on my shocks.

 

8100 shocks should last around 60-80k miles and the rebuild is around $200 per shock.

 

Maintenance-free is always really nice. I'm actually keep my stock shocks for whenever day does infact come. But I've read that these 8100s are pretty solid when it comes to their seals. I would choose the Bilstein build quality over any other "performance" brand shock, frankly. It's my impression that Bilstein has an edge in the longevity department. Either way! I'm putting boots and covers on mine, using what I've learned over the years to really protect them from the abuse I put them through haha.

These fender flares were a generic black ABS plastic set I bought on Amazon back in 2019. They've held up SO well. I actually drilled holes in my fenders and converted the fake bolt holes to real ones using rivet nuts. The paint was a more recent change so that they'd be more protected from the sun. I love em though. Everyone around town who knows me always tells me when they've seen me driving by haha.

 

Thanks for the review! Bilstein is good to go.

 

Solid choices with these new Bilsteins and the OME's prior. Both have really good reviews overall. I wish these Bilsteins were available when I bought my Fox elite's. I would have chosen them instead.

 

When I bought the OMEs I was actually considering just going straight Kings or Foxes at the time. Bilstein hadn't come out with their 8100s yet, so I feel you 100%. I ended up choosing OME because I couldn't decide between the two but I still wanted the lift (instant gratification xD).

Do you like your Foxes though? I've heard some really good things, and saw a blind test that praises the TRD Pro Fox setup, so we know Fox is still a solid choice.

 

I'll know soon. I'm waiting on USPS to deliver my lower shock bolts from 303 shock services.