The 2009-2018 Ram 1500 is the half-ton a lot of people buy used to pull the camper, the boat or the work trailer, and its coil-spring rear rides better than most trucks of its era. The front struts are the weak spot. Most of these trucks are on their second or third owner and still on their first set of struts, and it shows: the nose dives hard when you stop with a trailer behind you, the front floats over highway seams, 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 matched to your engine and cab.

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 Ram, 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 engine, cab 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 Ram 1500, Bilstein uses the same groove on both sides. We set each coilover to the 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 through a decade of towing and work. 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. A common 6112 mistake is setting the two sides one groove apart by accident, which leaves the truck leaning. Ours are set and checked as a pair.
• 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 four versions of this truck and doesn't approve every setting on each, so we only build the settings in the dropdown. The Hemi Quad/Crew Cab and the EcoDiesel can stay at factory height (#1 and #4). The 4.7L V8 starts at 0.5" and the Regular Cab Hemi at 0.8". Everything tops out at 2.8", except the EcoDiesel at 2.3".

How to choose: Pick your engine and cab first; the same groove lifts each truck a different amount. 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 coils, pick the setting closest to that number. Adding rear coil spacers or taller springs? Add that rear lift to the rake. Tow heavy most weekends? Tongue weight pulls the rear down, so one setting under level keeps the truck closer to flat with the trailer on. Running a steel front bumper or 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 2009-2018 Ram 1500 doesn't use leaf springs in back. It runs a five-link rear with coil springs, so rear height comes from the coils (or a spacer), and the shock just has to cover that height. Bilstein builds both a 5100 and a 5160 for it, and the 5160 comes in two lengths.

The Bilstein 5100 (24-187374) 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 (26.73" extended, 16.75" compressed, 9.98" of travel). With Bilstein valving at both ends, the front doesn't feel tight while the rear still wallows on 100,000-mile shocks.

The Bilstein 5160 is for a truck that tows. The remote reservoir adds oil capacity, so damping stays consistent down a long grade with a trailer behind you or on a long washboard road. Pick 25-311389 for stock height up to 1" of rear lift, or 25-325089 for 1" to 2.5" (27.64" extended, 16.72" compressed, 10.92" of travel).

Run the 5100 if:

• The rear sits on the stock coils, or up to 1" higher
• It's a daily driver or work truck that pulls a trailer now and then
• You want Bilstein control at both ends for the least money

Run the 5160 if:

• You tow a camper, boat or equipment trailer regularly
• The bed carries tools, a slide-in camper or a full load most of the week
• You've added rear coil spacers or taller springs, up to 2.5" (use 25-325089)

When you need something else: More than 2.5" of rear lift 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 2009-2018 Ram 1500 4WD

Shop the Bilstein 5160 Rear Pair for the 2009-2018 Ram 1500

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 on on-ramps, and a front end that settles after a highway dip instead of bobbing. Hitched to a trailer, the nose holds steadier through stops and crosswinds, which is where tired struts show up first on a half-ton. 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 lease road or a ranch two-track. 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 engine and cab change the numbers. At the same groove, the 4.7L and the Regular Cab Hemi sit higher than a Quad/Crew Cab Hemi, and the EcoDiesel sits lower. 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 can run out of alignment. At 2.4" and up, the factory upper control arms and ball joints run at steeper angles. If your alignment shop can't bring camber back into spec, aftermarket upper control arms, like the ICON Delta Joint 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 air suspension. Bilstein lists this kit for trucks without air suspension. That rules out every Rebel and any truck with Ram's optional four-corner air.

Install Notes

• Fits 2009-2018 Ram 1500 4WD (including the 2009-2010 Dodge Ram 1500) with front coil springs: Quad Cab or Crew Cab with the 5.7L Hemi, 4.7L V8 or 3.0L EcoDiesel, and Regular Cab with the 5.7L Hemi. Choose your truck above; the height settings are different for each.
• Not for trucks with air suspension, including every Rebel. Air-suspension trucks have ride-height buttons on the dash and air springs in place of the front coils. Not sure? Send us your VIN.
• 3.6L or 3.7L V6, or a Regular Cab without the Hemi: call us before ordering. Bilstein's chart doesn't list those trucks.
• Not for 2WD trucks.
• Have a 2019-2024 Ram 1500 Classic? Same kit, see our Ram 1500 Classic listing. The new-body 2019 and newer Ram 1500 uses Bilstein 47-293540: see our 2019+ Ram 1500 assembled 6112 listing.
• 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

2009-2018 Ram 1500 owners who tow, haul and plan to keep the truck: a front end that doesn't dive with a trailer behind it, a level stance, and a job they can do in the driveway on a Saturday. It's a great fit for tow rigs, work trucks, and the used Ram 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.