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Bilstein B8 6112 & 5160

19K views 33 replies 9 participants last post by  Maxturbogt 
#1 ·
I wanted to level out my new truck and improve suspension response, so after doing some research and decided on Bilstein 6112 and 5160.

Should i have any concerns about spring rates ? from everything i could find online they are somewhere around 600 lb/in

I did a-lot of research about our factory spring rates, didn't find much other than;

Spring Code: VVCC ( couldn't find this lbs/in reference anywhere )
Front GAWR: 3900lbs

My thoughts are when you increase the preload on the supplied Bilstein spring by moving the perch up, you are effectively increasing the spring rate if its linear wound. So by moving up the perch from the 0" to 2" i am hoping the effective rate is somewhere close to factory for the diesel front end weight..

i asked the vendor to clarify these points before shipping, i will respond to this post with their answer.

My previous high end shock experience is with Koni RAID's on my Nissan Safari, these are absolutely brilliant and if offered for F150's i would defiantly go that direction but unfortunately they are not.. next best option for me is the Bilstine B8's which are on special for Canada Day.

I will post pictures and review when they arrive..
 
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#2 ·
Nope, I have used and read rave reviews about Bilsteins for years, good choice!

Oh and setting at 2" will be 2" higher than front end is now.
 
#3 ·
After doing some more research they seem to be 500lb/in in the 6112's which are fine for the 449lb 3.5 eco-boost and 444lb coyote v8.

our 3.0 PS engines weigh in at 501lb


my first thought is 52lb seems insignificant and these should work.
 
#4 · (Edited)
If you are worried about weight. Look at AutoSpring, and leaving the Bilsteins at 0" lift, and using the AutoSpring spacer to get the lift. They do the same thing.... I have ran both since 06 in F150s and they have all worked just fine, zero issues.
 
#5 ·
Just an update; these have been backordered for the last month and i expect them to ship mid August. I have picked up some BFG KO2 285/65R20 which i will install in the fall after i get the Bilstein in.
 
#9 ·
Looks great!
 
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#10 ·
I know this is more of a F150.com question but i will try anyways.. Do you know if I can run 285/65R20 KO2 with 2" lift and 1.25" wheel spacers and Gatorback mud flaps or do i need to order the setback type ?

i ordered BORA 1.25" spacer and Gatorback FX4 flaps
 

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#14 ·
I havent driven it much since installing,

PSA: I had to re-work the tire size in Forscan, its accessed by multiple perimeters in the TCU and PCM and didn't feel/drive right until i corrected it.

Just picked up my Raptor center caps and FX4 Gatorback flaps
 
#15 ·
How is the handling now with the bilstein? Do the 6112s on the front feel nptoceablyfirmer than the mushy stock? Do the springs feel up to the job with the extra weight of the diesel? I had 5100 s on my 16 lariat and while they were certainly an improvement they seemed to go soft pretty quickly so looking for something better for my 19 platinum PS. Looking for road oriented, not off-road. Already got the rear ARB to go on, need to decide on shocks. Will be running at stock height
 
#16 ·
Its firmer on the small bumps and cornering, while still being soft over the bigger stuff.. I am not 100% a fan but it was a good upgrade.

I feel for the road stuff it should be the opposite, soft on the small stuff and harder on the bigger bumps.

I have it set one notch from the top, I still need to do an alignment though.
 
#17 ·
it took a bit for the shocks to break in, but I am now very happy with the results.

I ended up bumping the fronts up to the top cir-clip setting and swapping the rear factory blocks to 3" Ready Lift (1.5" net). I was getting flashed while towing due to being nose up, so I wanted to add in some rake again. I am very satisfied with the 3" block combo, I even did some pretty serious offroad articulation during my whitetail trip last week and it worked very well, sway bars obviously were the limitation for wheel drop and the rears were way off the ground several times but I experiences zero binding or rubbing with 285/65r20 KO2's

I did all the work myself on a quiet dead end city street, it was quite easy with basic mechanics tools and took a few hours per side going slow and methodical.. you defiantly would want a quality floor jack for safety.


I will post pictures later today.
 
#22 · (Edited)
I have been doing a lot of thinking on this lately actually... I may switch up my setup.. when you talk shocks you really need to understand the difference between the three main valving schemes and which one fits with your needs/wants.

Digressive - small bumps are firm, large bumps at speed feel comparatively softer.. what this means is driving down the road you feel all the pavement inconstancies and bumps quite a lot. Aluminum bodied vehicles tend to amplify this too. The result is a tight/firm but rattly feel. ( great for high speed pre-runner type driving, also provides a nice tight highway feel, not so much for daily city driving.

Linear - just like it sounds, shocks react in a linear manner as a function of force and compression length

Progressive - Factory shocks are progressive, small bumps and pavement imperfections are soaked up by the shock removing vibration and "rattle" but the tradeoff is a squishy feel. not the best for load control during towing.




AFAIK all Bilstein shocks are all digressive.

I do a lot of city driving, I have learned I prefer Progressive and as such I am planning on replacing them. my search is on for a premium quality progressive lift setup. I get my bonus next week and may look at swapping out.


looking at the chart above, most DD bumps happen in and around 2 in/sec. If we use this value you can see the vast difference in force required to compress the shock.. and since every action has an equal and opposite reaction and this force if not absorbed by the shock is transmitted into the vehicle chassis..

@ 2 in/sec

Digressive = ~475 lbs
Linear = ~125 lbs
Progressive = ~ ~50-75 lbs


hope this helps everyone pick the the system which best meets their needs..
 
#23 ·
Thanks, helpful input. Ideally linear would be my choice, I have found that on the air suspension set ups I have had (Q7, Macan Turbo, X5M) they get close to it, plus of course the ability to adjust to sport, sport plus etc. But similarly I dont want something too harsh, I had a deal lined up up for a new raptor before I bought the PS but walked away from it after test driving because it was just too rough and noisy for me and to be hone1st the road performance/handling was not any better than my Bilstein suspended Lariat.
Haven't seen too many decent options for teh F150. They almost all seem to be focused on off-road performance rather than fast road. So realistically for me probably down to a choice of Fox or Bilstein 6112. (I was disappointed with the service life of the 5100s on teh front) King might be nice but more than I want to spend. Still have a bit of concern that 6112s and the Fox coilovers may be a little undersprung for the extra weight of the PS. Did you notice any issue with that? i wonder if the standard springs would fit on the 6112s.
 
#24 ·
standard springs won't fit the 6112's but you won't need them anyways since they come complete with springs as a kit.. only way to order them since the shock body is quite bit larger.

The 3.0PS is nearly the same weight as the 3.5EB and 5.0V8 ~ 50lbs difference, so that didn't turn out to be a concern at all

might want to look into Fox reliability a bit more, not sure where you live but here in AB with all the salt we get any aluminum body coil over.. or any coil over for that matter will get torn up during the winter time.

I think I am going to go with Koni STR.T LT (Progressive low pressure twin tube) and look for a progressive wound spring to replace the factory one. maybe 1" lift coil w. factory rear blocks in place or factory front spring w. rear blocks removed completely.. I am also going from the factory 20" wheel/tire combo to 17" 2018 Raptor's takeoffs with a C load tire in 285/75R17

hope all this will give me the ride I am looking for, if body roll is an issue with the progressive shocks I will add better roll bars.
 
#26 ·
Has anyone tried the Falcon Sport Tow/Haul shocks? They're expensive, but appear to be good.

 
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