You're the one out front on the weekend trail run, picking the lines and setting the pace for everyone behind you. These Bilstein 6112s are for that truck. They level the front and take out the driver-side lean, 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 factory strut, so the front end stays planted through small whoops and washboard at the speeds where the stock suspension can't hang. That's how you keep up with the mid-travel guys on race-branded coilovers. You won't match their wheel travel, but you'll have the damping to keep a good pace.

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.

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. Driver and passenger sides use different grooves (like #8 / #6), with the driver side set higher to take out the lean. We set each side to the combination 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 wrong-side mistakes. A common 6112 mistake is setting both sides to the same groove, or swapping driver and passenger. Either one leaves the truck leaning. Ours come marked.
• 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.

Pick Your Height: Lift Chart

These are Bilstein's typical front lift numbers for 47-309975 on the Tacoma, listed driver side / passenger side. The same circlip setting lifts a 2005-2015 truck more than a 2016-2023 truck, so read the table for your generation. Your result can vary a bit with trim, options, and weight up front (steel bumpers, winches, skid plates).

How to choose: 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 leaf springs, pick the setting closest to that number. Adding an add-a-leaf or a new rear leaf pack? Add that rear lift to the rake. Running a steel front bumper or winch? Go one setting higher to make up for the weight. 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?

Good news on this truck: Bilstein builds both, and both fit the leaf-spring rear of 2005-2023 6-lug Tacomas. The choice comes down to how high the rear sits and how hard you work it.

The Bilstein 5100 (24-186728) is the default. It uses a 46mm digressive piston in a zinc-plated monotube body and it's rated for stock height up to 1" of rear lift (22.94" extended, 14.02" compressed, 8.92" of travel). Most leveled Tacomas keep the factory leaf pack, and for those trucks this is the rear shock to run. With Bilstein valving at both ends, the front doesn't feel sharp while the rear bounces around on tired stock shocks.

The Bilstein 5160 (25-311259) is for loaded or lifted rears. The remote reservoir adds oil capacity, so it runs cooler and fades less on long washboard roads and with weight in the bed. It's rated for up to 2" of rear lift, which covers most add-a-leafs and mild leaf packs.

Run the 5100 if:

• You're keeping the stock rear leaf springs, or adding up to 1"
• The truck is mostly pavement and dirt roads, with the occasional trail weekend
• You want Bilstein control front and rear without spending reservoir money

Run the 5160 if:

• You're adding an add-a-leaf or a new leaf pack that lifts the rear up to 2"
• The bed carries real weight: a bed rack and rooftop tent, a camper shell full of gear, regular towing
• 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. For 2016-2023 trucks with a 4" rear lift, Bilstein makes a long 5100 (33-319070). For anything else, call us and we'll size one to your setup: (213) 433-3616.

Shop the Bilstein 5100 Rear Pair for Tacoma

Shop the Bilstein 5160 Rear Shocks for Tacoma

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. If you have a 2016-2023 TRD Off-Road, you're already riding on Bilstein-built factory shocks, so the change is smaller than it is coming from an SR or SR5. You still gain the bigger 60mm body, Bilstein springs, 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 60mm 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. One thing it won't fix is the rear. On rough roads, the axle hop and rear-end buck on a Tacoma come from the stock leaf springs and shocks, so plan on a rear shock to match (see above).

The Real Trade-Offs

• Not every Tacoma gets a stock-height setting. 2005-2015 trucks start at 0.9" (4WD) or 1.2" (PreRunner). 2016-2023 RWD Access Cabs and 5' bed Double Cabs start above stock too. If you want zero lift on one of those trucks, call us and we'll point you to a stock-height setup.
• 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" 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, like the Bilstein B8 control arms for 4WD Tacomas, 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 at its upper settings pushes the front past what the factory arms and axles are built for.

Install Notes

• Fits 2005-2023 Toyota Tacoma, 4WD and RWD (PreRunner), 6-lug trucks only. Choose your year range, cab, and engine above; the height settings are different for each.
• For a 2024 or newer Tacoma, you need Bilstein's newer 6112 (47-333246): see the 2024-2026 Tacoma 6112. For a 1995-2004 Tacoma, use our 1995-2004 assembled 6112 listing.
• TRD Pro owners: call us before ordering. Your truck sits higher up front from the factory, so the chart's "stock" row doesn't describe it.
• 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

Tacoma owners who want the front leveled with a real damper upgrade instead of a spacer, and no spring compressor anywhere near the driveway. It's a great fit for daily drivers that see dirt roads, weekend trail trucks, and light overland builds. If your 2016-2023 truck lives on pavement and the budget is tight, the Bilstein 5100 assembled lift kit gets you the level stance and Bilstein control for less. If you want more wheel travel and Bilstein's top-shelf valving for high speed offroad use, look at the Bilstein 8112 / 8100 lift system.