The fifth-gen 4Runner barely changed in 15 years, and that's exactly why people love it: body-on-frame, a 4.0L V6 that won't quit, and room for a family and a weekend of gear. It also leaves the factory with a soft, nose-down front end. Load it with a roof rack, recovery gear and a cooler, and the front dives on the brakes and wallows on the highway. These Bilstein 6112s level the front, 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 exact 4Runner: KDSS, non-KDSS, TRD Pro or RWD.

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 4Runner, 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 4Runner 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 4Runner, it depends on the truck. KDSS trucks use the same groove on both sides. Non-KDSS and RWD trucks run the driver side two grooves higher than the passenger side, and the TRD Pro three. 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 since the truck was new. 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. Most 4Runners use a different groove on each side, and getting the pair backward, or one groove off, leaves the truck leaning. 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 this kit four ways, and doesn't approve every setting on every 4Runner, so we only build the settings in the dropdown. No 2010-2024 4Runner gets a stock-height setting on this kit: the lowest is 0.4" on the TRD Pro, 0.7" without KDSS, 1.0" with KDSS, and 2.6" on RWD.

How to choose: Find your truck first. KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) is Toyota's hydraulic sway bar system. KDSS trucks have hydraulic cylinders and lines tied into the sway bars where other trucks have plain end links. The TRD Pro is its own option. Not sure? Send us your VIN and we'll check it before we build. Then measure from the center of each wheel to the fender lip, front and rear. The difference is your rake. If you want the truck level on the stock rear springs, pick the setting closest to that number. Adding rear coil spacers or taller rear springs? Add that rear lift to the rake. 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 4Runner rear is a coil-sprung four-link axle, so rear height comes from the coil springs (or spacers), and the shock just has to cover that height. Bilstein builds both a 5100 and a 5160 for it, both rated for stock height up to 2" of rear lift. The choice comes down to how hard you work it.

The Bilstein 5100 (33-313146) is the default. It uses a 46mm digressive piston in a zinc-plated monotube body (23.5" extended, 14.91" compressed, 8.59" of travel) and fits 4WD and RWD trucks. With Bilstein valving at both ends, the front doesn't feel sharp while the rear floats around on tired stock shocks.

The Bilstein 5160 (25-311211 left, 25-325096 right) is for a loaded rear. The remote reservoir adds oil capacity, so it runs cooler and fades less on long washboard roads and with weight in the back. It's sold as a left/right pair for 4WD trucks.

Run the 5100 if:

• You're on stock rear springs, or adding up to 2" with springs or spacers
• The truck is mostly pavement and dirt roads, with the occasional trail weekend
• You have a RWD 4Runner (the 5160 is 4WD only)

Run the 5160 if:

• The back carries real weight: drawers, a fridge, a roof-top tent, recovery gear
• You spend long stretches on washboard or desert roads, where a shock without a reservoir heats up

When you need something else: More than 2" 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 2010-2024 4Runner

Shop the Bilstein 5160 Rear Pair for the 2010-2024 4Runner 4WD

On the Road

Bilstein tunes for control first. Compared to tired 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, even with a loaded roof rack. TRD Pro owners are already on upgraded factory shocks, so the change is smaller, but you still gain the 60mm body and a ride height you choose. 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 washboard roads instead of fading. The digressive piston stays firm on small, quick inputs and opens up on bigger hits. On a trail rig, the higher settings also buy clearance for bigger tires, but they cost you angles at the control arms and CV axles (see the trade-offs).

The Honest Trade-Offs

• There's no stock-height setting. Every setting lifts a 2010-2024 4Runner. If you want to stay at factory height, call us and we'll point you to a stock-height setup.
• RWD trucks lift a lot. 2.6" or 3.0", nothing lower. Make sure that's what 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 need supporting parts. From about 2.5" up, the factory upper control arms and ball joints run at steep angles, the truck gets harder to align, and the CV axles on 4WD trucks work harder. Aftermarket upper control arms help the alignment get back in spec and keep the ball joints happy.
• 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.

Install Notes

• Fits 2010-2024 Toyota 4Runner with the 4.0L V6: 4WD with KDSS, 4WD without KDSS, TRD Pro, and RWD. Choose your truck above; the height settings are different for each.
• How to tell if you have KDSS: KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) is Toyota's hydraulic sway bar system. KDSS trucks have hydraulic cylinders and lines tied into the sway bars where other trucks have plain end links. Not sure? Send us your VIN.
• Limited with X-REAS: call us before ordering.
• For a 2025 or newer 4Runner, you need a different Bilstein kit.
• 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. KDSS trucks have a few extra steps at the sway bar; follow Toyota's procedure.

Who Should Buy These

4Runner owners who want the front leveled, real damping for loaded overland trips and washboard, and no spring compressor anywhere near the driveway. It's a great fit for daily drivers that see dirt, weekend trail rigs, and family overland builds. If you want the level stance on a 4Runner that lives on pavement, the Bilstein 5100 assembled lift system is the simpler option.