Any thoughts on the Bilstein 5100 Shocks or Icon stage 1?

[Huggy Bear]

Hello Everyone,

I am currently weighing out and in the planning stage for a 3 inch suspension lift kit for my 2019 Toyota 4Runner.
I am still in the first year of ownership and this 4Runner is pretty much stock as can be.

I am still patiently waiting for my Gobi rack to arrive . . .

I have been YouTube-ing videos for weeks and found this shop in the L.A. area, 88Rotors.
They do it all, tires, wheels, suspensions & other mods.

I was very lucky to find them. This video is a system that I want to use on my 4Runner.


I am looking to get started and not sure if I want to spend a lot on a Stage 3, 5, or 7 Icon suspension system.
Sure, they seem to be rated Top Notch but I don't plan on running the King of Hammers or any other technical tails, just basic 29 Palms, Joshua Tree stuff , service roads . . . .

I am not some big roller and was looking at this video and did some research on the Bilstein 5100 shocks and was very impressed on the value and how easy it was to get 3 inch lift.

Has anyone every heard of the Bilstein (German) Brand?
If so, how is the Quality after the conversion from your stock to Bilstein experience?
How are the Bilstein shocks performing 1 year later?
How are they holding up 2 to 3 years later?


If the Bilstein are not your choice for a value suspension system , what other brand would you recommend & hoping that they will not break the bank!

Any feedback or shared experienced will be appreciated a lot!

 

[Maverick9110E]

Bilstein is one of the biggest names out there in suspension so most will have heard of them. They are supposed to be pretty long lasting/durable. If you can (and if they make them for the 4runner) check out the Bilstein 6112 kits. They're a steup up from the 5100's and one of the best bang for the buck setups out there imo.

 

[IAm_Not_Lost]

Bilstein and Old Man Emu are probably the two most well known options that will give you decent performance and good durability at an affordable price for their more entry level offerings. Unless you're doing lots of long distance high speed corrugations they should work fine.

 

[Huggy Bear]

Bilstein is one of the biggest names out there in suspension so most will have heard of them. They are supposed to be pretty long lasting/durable. If you can (and if they make them for the 4runner) check out the Bilstein 6112 kits. They're a steup up from the 5100's and one of the best bang for the buck setups out there imo.

Thanks Maverick, for sure.
I tried to call some other shops in my area to do the job and they tried to up sale me to the Icons 3 stage and up because the rep stated that "If you go with the Bilstein 5100's , after a year your rig will state to float around like a boat" . . . I thought that was odd because of my research told me different. So I wanted to bring this question here and get to the root of it all.

Your feedback Maverick is greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[Huggy Bear]

Bilstein and Old Man Emu are probably the two most well known options that will give you decent performance and good durability at an affordable price for their more entry level offerings. Unless you're doing lots of long distance high speed corrugations they should work fine.

Thanks IAm_Not_Lost for the added confirmation!!!
This is what I need to know when I am not sure.

 

[USStrongman]

RUnning 5100's on my JKU. Maybe a little bit on the stiff side initially, but after a few thousand miles it has softened up and they ride well. I live in a downtown with paver bricks on all roads within 10 blocks of any side of my loft. They ride clean and noise free. I have a 2.5" lift with 1.5 - 3.0" over Bilstein 5100 with the matching 5100 steering stabilizer as well.

 

[jeepers29]

I have the bilstein 5100 on my jeep tj. There are stiff but I knew that going in. I love them, but the tj is more of a toy vs a DD

 

[Huggy Bear]

So let me ask you guys this, how are they a year later, 2 years later and so on . . . . ?
I do want the stiffness in the system.

 

[jeepers29]

They have been on my TJ for several years, although I have only put about 25,000 mil,es on them.

 

[Huggy Bear]

They have been on my TJ for several years, although I have only put about 25,000 mil,es on them.

This is exactly what I need to hear jeepers29 . . .
It's hard to justify the cost of an Icon Stage 7 , 5 or 3 suspension system when the Bilstein 5100 will get the job done and last the years . . .

 

[Maverick9110E]

This is exactly what I need to hear jeepers29 . . .
It's hard to justify the cost of an Icon Stage 7 , 5 or 3 suspension system when the Bilstein 5100 will get the job done and last the years . . .

Honestly, the biggest question is what type of offroading do you want to do? High speed Baja style? Low speed crawling with big obstacles? Forest Service roads and a little small to medium sized obstacles? How much ground clearance do you need?

I know you are debating on thee different stages but depending on what type of off road work you plan on putting the rig into, will determine if you "need" to go to a higher stage. Do you need remote reservoirs? Do you need new upper control arms etc? The more questions you can answer on that and also what your budget is will definitely help determine that.

 

[Maverick9110E]

Also, i'm not deep in the Toyota world, but Stage 3 Motorsports has some of the best pricing and service when i'm shopping for parts usually for my Ford. They do have a toyota section and prices look pretty comparable or better than most. Their also good to talk to if you have questions:

2010-2020 Toyota 4Runner Leveled Struts

2010-2020 Toyota 4Runner Coilover Packages

 

[Huggy Bear]

Honestly, the biggest question is what type of offroading do you want to do? High speed Baja style? Low speed crawling with big obstacles? Forest Service roads and a little small to medium sized obstacles? How much ground clearance do you need?

I know you are debating on thee different stages but depending on what type of off road work you plan on putting the rig into, will determine if you "need" to go to a higher stage. Do you need remote reservoirs? Do you need new upper control arms etc? The more questions you can answer on that and also what your budget is will definitely help determine that.

Maverick, I typically am not afforded that much time off because of work . . . and when I do head on out camping, it's only 2 times a year and there is no James Bond desert chases (Ha Ha Ha) . . .

When I am out, I do tread lightly and often find myself in gnarly places and taking risks that gets my bacon over to the other side.

I just would not want to find myself out on their not prepared. Seeing the Videos on YouTube are very educational and what I want to learn more on is recovery.

Any good channels on YouTube on vehicle recovery?

 

[Huggy Bear]

Also, i'm not deep in the Toyota world, but Stage 3 Motorsports has some of the best pricing and service when i'm shopping for parts usually for my Ford. They do have a toyota section and prices look pretty comparable or better than most. Their also good to talk to if you have questions:

2010-2020 Toyota 4Runner Leveled Struts

2010-2020 Toyota 4Runner Coilover Packages

These links are just great and would not break the bank either!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for posting Maverick!

 

[Maverick9110E]

I don't have any specific i can point to but if you just youtube search "overland recovery" you should find a good bit of them. Also lots of good articles here. Here's a link to one as an example:

Vehicle Recovery Kit Basics: What Should You Pack? - Overland Bound

 

[The1Oregongirl]

Hello Everyone,

I am currently weighing out and in the planning stage for a 3 inch suspension lift kit for my 2019 Toyota 4Runner.
I am still in the first year of ownership and this 4Runner is pretty much stock as can be.

I am still patiently waiting for my Gobi rack to arrive . . .

I have been YouTube-ing videos for weeks and found this shop in the L.A. area, 88Rotors.
They do it all, tires, wheels, suspensions & other mods.

I was very lucky to find them. This video is a system that I want to use on my 4Runner.


I am looking to get started and not sure if I want to spend a lot on a Stage 3, 5, or 7 Icon suspension system.
Sure, they seem to be rated Top Notch but I don't plan on running the King of Hammers or any other technical tails, just basic 29 Palms, Joshua Tree stuff , service roads . . . .

I am not some big roller and was looking at this video and did some research on the Bilstein 5100 shocks and was very impressed on the value and how easy it was to get 3 inch lift.

Has anyone every heard of the Bilstein (German) Brand?
If so, how is the Quality after the conversion from your stock to Bilstein experience?
How are the Bilstein shocks performing 1 year later?
How are they holding up 2 to 3 years later?


If the Bilstein are not your choice for a value suspension system , what other brand would you recommend & hoping that they will not break the bank!

Any feedback or shared experienced will be appreciated a lot!

I've had the Bilsteins on my Cherokee for about a year and am very happy with them.

 

[Huggy Bear]

I've had the Bilsteins on my Cherokee for about a year and am very happy with them.

Did you lift your rig? if so, how many inches?

When I do the 5100 suspension, I would have to change the wheels & tires.

 

[The1Oregongirl]

2" lift and went with a bigger tire, but did not change the wheels, still stock.

 

[Huggy Bear]

The stock SR5 wheels are not wide enough for the 285's or 33 inch tires.
Doing my suspension upgrade will take more than just re$earch & Planning . . .

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I dont have a Toyota. But I do have Bilstien 5100's on my 2014 GMC Sierra z71. I took off the old Ranchos and put the Bilsteins on top bracket. What a difference!

Unfortunately I've only had them on a few months. But in those few months I've done quite a bit of driving, including driving the Mt. Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire.

My experience so far has been very positive. I got a two inch front level and a hell of a lot better control over city pockmarked, potholes streets as well as winding, dirt mountain roads.

As I understand it, if you want o do something like rock crawl, these mat not be for you. But mountain passes, dirt roads, fire and service roads and mild offroad, the Bilstein 5100's should do you just fine.