The first-gen Tacoma is the truck people refuse to sell. Twenty-plus years in, it's the cheap overland rig, the hunting truck, the first truck you learned to wrench on. Most of them are still on factory struts or a set of parts-store replacements, and the front end shows it: it dives under braking, wallows on washboard, and the truck still sits nose-down the way it left the factory. These Bilstein 6112s fix both, but calling them a leveling kit sells them short. The 2.6-inch monotube body and 60mm digressive piston carry far more oil and damping control than the strut they replace, with springs Bilstein matched to your cab and engine. They fit the 4WD trucks and the 6-lug PreRunner only.

We take it one step further. The 6112 normally shows up as a box of loose parts: dampers, springs, spring seats, and circlips, with a note that says "spring compressor required." Bilstein's kit also reuses your factory upper mounts. We build them for you, at the height you choose, with new OE-spec upper mounts, so what shows up at your door is two finished coilovers ready to bolt in to your Tacoma, or save you a couple hours of labor at a shop.

How We Build Them

Every pair is built to order after you pick your truck and lift setting above. Here's what happens on our bench:

• Set the circlips. The 6112 body has a row of numbered grooves, and where the circlip sits decides your ride height. On the 1995-2004 Tacoma, Bilstein runs the driver side one groove higher than the passenger side on every truck. We set each coilover to Bilstein's chart for the truck and setting you ordered.
• Seat the billet spring perch. The anodized aluminum spring seat sits on the circlip and carries the spring.
• Compress and install the Bilstein spring. We use a mounted, shop-grade strut compressor. This is the step that makes DIYers nervous, for good reason: a coil spring under load stores a lot of energy.
• Install a new OE-spec upper mount. The rubber in your factory mounts has been soaking up every pothole for twenty-plus years. Reusing tired mounts on fresh coilovers is like putting new tires on bent wheels. New mounts come on every build.
• Torque, check, label. The top nut gets torqued to spec, each coilover is checked and marked driver or passenger, and the pair is boxed together.

Why Buy Them Assembled?

• No spring compressor. Rental "clamshell" compressors are the most dangerous tool most people will ever use in a driveway. You skip that part entirely.
• No mismatched sides. On this Tacoma the driver side sits one groove higher than the passenger side. Swap them, or set both to the same groove, and the truck leans. Ours are set to Bilstein's chart, checked, and labeled driver and passenger.
• New mounts included. The loose Bilstein kit reuses your factory upper mounts. Ours come with new ones.
• Faster install. Assembly is the slowest part of a coilover job. With that done, the job is removing two struts and bolting in two.

Bilstein charts five versions of this truck and doesn't approve every groove on each, so we only build the settings in the dropdown. The 4WD Double Cab, 4WD Xtracab, 4WD Regular Cab and PreRunner Xtracab can all stay at factory height. The PreRunner Double Cab starts at 0.8". The top settings are 2.8" (4WD Double Cab), 2.4" (4WD Xtracab), 1.9" (4WD Regular Cab), 3.1" (PreRunner Double Cab) and 1.8" (PreRunner Xtracab).

How to choose: Pick your truck first: 4WD or PreRunner, then cab and engine. The same groove lifts each one a different amount. Not sure if you have a PreRunner? It has 6-lug wheels and sits at 4WD height with no front driveshaft. Then measure from the center of each wheel to the fender lip, front and rear. The difference is your rake. To level the truck on the stock rear leaf springs, pick the setting closest to that number. Adding a rear add-a-leaf or new leaf packs? Add that rear lift to the rake. Carry a camper shell, a rooftop tent or a loaded bed most of the time? One setting under level keeps it flatter under load. Running a steel bumper and winch? Go one setting higher. Stuck between two? Call us with your measurements and we'll pick it with you: (213) 433-3616.

Matching the Rear: Bilstein 5100 or 5160?

The 1995-2004 Tacoma runs leaf springs in back, so rear height comes from the leaf pack (or an add-a-leaf), and the shock just has to cover that height. Bilstein builds both a 5100 and a 5160 for it. The driver and passenger rear shocks are different lengths, so they come as a left and a right.

The Bilstein 5100 (33-247724 left, 33-247717 right) is the default. It uses a 46mm digressive piston in a zinc-plated monotube body and covers stock height up to 1" of rear lift (33-247724: 21.14" extended, 13.62" compressed, 7.64" of travel). With Bilstein valving at both ends, the front doesn't feel tight while the rear still bounces on twenty-year-old shocks.

The Bilstein 5160 (25-248692 / 25-267570) is for a loaded truck or a Tacoma that sees a lot of dirt. The remote reservoir adds oil capacity, so damping stays consistent on a long washboard road or with a full bed, a rooftop tent and a trailer behind you. It's built for the same stock-to-mildly-lifted rear as the 5100.

Run the 5100 if:

• The rear sits on the stock leaf springs, or up to 1" higher
• It's a daily driver that sees dirt on weekends
• You want Bilstein control at both ends for the least money

Run the 5160 if:

• The truck lives loaded: camper shell, rooftop tent, drawers, water and fuel
• You run long washboard and desert roads where shocks get hot
• You tow a small trailer or a dirt bike trailer regularly

When you need something else: More rear lift than 1" (new leaf packs, a big add-a-leaf) needs a longer shock. Call us and we'll size one to your setup: (213) 433-3616.

Shop the Bilstein 5100 Rear Pair for the 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma

Shop the Bilstein 5160 Rear Pair for the 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma

On the Road

Bilstein tunes for control first. Compared to worn factory struts, expect a tighter front end: less nose dive when you brake, less lean in corners, and a front end that settles after a dip instead of bobbing. On a truck this light, that's the difference you feel first. If you want a pillowy ride, this isn't it, and we'd rather tell you now than after the install.

Off the Road

The 2.6-inch body holds more oil than the factory strut and sheds heat better, so damping stays consistent on long gravel and washboard roads instead of fading. The digressive piston stays firm on small, quick inputs and opens up on bigger hits, which keeps the truck settled on a rutted forest road or a rocky climb. Plan on rear shocks to match (see above). A fresh front on worn rear shocks leaves the back end bouncing on its own.

The Honest Trade-Offs

• Your cab, engine and drivetrain change the numbers. At the same groove, a PreRunner Double Cab sits about 1.0-1.2" higher than a 4WD Double Cab. Pick the option that matches your truck, not just the lift you want.
• Your height is set when we build it. Changing it later means taking the coilover apart with a strut compressor. Measure before you order.
• Firmer than stock. See "On the Road" above.
• Built to order. Every pair is assembled for your truck, so it takes longer to ship than a box pulled off a shelf.
• The top settings work the front end harder. At 2" and up, the factory upper control arms and ball joints run at steeper angles and the CV axles on 4WD trucks run at a sharper angle. If your alignment shop can't bring camber back into spec, aftermarket upper control arms, like the ICON uniball tubular upper control arms, fix it.
• Don't stack a spacer on top. A strut spacer on top of a 6112 pushes the front past what the factory arms and axles are built for.
• Not for the 5-lug 2WD Tacoma. The standard 2WD truck uses a lower front suspension that this kit wasn't built for. 4WD and PreRunner only.

Install Notes

• Fits 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma 4WD (Double Cab V6, Xtracab V6, Regular Cab 2.7L) and PreRunner (Double Cab V6, Xtracab V6). Choose your truck above; the height settings are different for each.
• Not for 5-lug 2WD Tacomas. If your 2WD truck isn't a PreRunner with 6-lug wheels, this kit doesn't fit.
• 4WD Xtracab with the 2.7L, 4WD Regular Cab with the V6, or a 2.7L PreRunner: call us before ordering. Bilstein's chart doesn't list those trucks.
• Removing a strut spacer? Leave it off.
• Get an alignment right after install. Any lift changes camber and toe.
• Recheck the front height after the springs settle in over the first few hundred miles.
• Most people with a floor jack, jack stands, and a basic socket set can swap the pair in an afternoon. The heavy lifting is done.

Who Should Buy These

1995-2004 Tacoma owners who plan to keep the truck another decade: a front end that holds up on dirt, a level stance, and a job they can do in the driveway on a Saturday. It's a great fit for budget overland builds, hunting trucks, and the high-mileage Tacoma you just bought on tired struts. If you only want the level stance for less, the Bilstein 5100 adjustable front struts reuse your factory springs.