The Sierra is supposed to be the refined half-ton platform for buyers that want a little more. Sorry to break the news, they forgot about the shocks. Out of the factory it sits nose-low, it pitches forward when you brake hard, and on a broken highway it takes a second bounce to settle – something a truck at this price shouldn't need. A leveling spacer fixes how it looks and nothing about how it drives. The 6112 replaces the strut and spring with one matched Bilstein assembly. Springs rated for your engine set the stance, from factory height to a full level, and a 2.6-inch monotube with a 60mm digressive piston gives the front end the composure the rest of the truck already has.

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 Sierra, or save you a couple hours of labor at a shop.

How We Build Them

We build every pair to order once you choose your engine and ride height above. 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 Sierra, 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 since the day the truck was delivered. 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.

We only build the settings Bilstein approves for each engine, and the same groove gives a different height on each one, because a heavier engine sits lower on the spring. On 4WD the 5.3L ranges from 0.3" to 2.5", the 6.2L and the 3.0L Duramax from factory height to 2.0", and the 2.7L from 0.5" to 2.75". The 2WD 5.3L ranges from 1.0" to 3.5". Choose your engine, then your height.

How to choose: A level stance is the most common goal. Measure from the wheel center to the fender lip at the front and the rear on level ground; the gap between the two is the rake. Choose the setting for your engine that comes closest. Plan to add a heavier front bumper or a winch later? Go up one setting. If your installer has the measurements, have them call us and we'll confirm the pick: (213) 433-3616.

Matching the Rear: Bilstein 5100 or 5160?

Match the rear and the truck feels like one piece. With new Bilstein coilovers up front and the original shocks out back, the rear starts to feel loose by comparison. The Sierra rear rides on leaf springs, so the springs set the height and the shock only needs the right length for it. Bilstein makes a 5100 and a 5160 for this truck.

For most Sierras, the Bilstein 5100 (24-293471). A 46mm digressive piston in a zinc-plated monotube, sized for factory rear height up to 1" of lift: 24.93" extended, 15.71" compressed, 9.22" of travel. Choose the 0-1" option on our listing (the 1-3" option is for the AT4).

For a Sierra that sees dirt or tows, the Bilstein 5160 (25-316957). Same 0-1" rear range with a remote reservoir that carries extra oil, so it stays cool and consistent with a trailer behind you: 26.01" extended, 15.51" compressed, 10.5" of travel.

Run the 5100 if:

• The rear sits at factory height
• The truck is mostly a daily driver
• You want a matched Bilstein ride front and rear

Run the 5160 if:

• You tow a travel trailer, a boat or a horse trailer
• You spend long days on gravel or washboard roads
• You want the most consistent damping Bilstein makes for this axle

When you need something else: If the rear has been lifted more than 1", call us and we'll match a shock to it: (213) 433-3616.

Shop the Bilstein 5100 Rear Pair for the 2019-2026 Sierra 1500 (24-293471)

Shop the Bilstein 5160 Rear Pair for the 2019-2026 Sierra 1500 (25-316957)

On the Road

The 19+ Sierra feels more planted. Less nose dive under braking, less body roll through a highway interchange or driveway, and one clean rebound over a dip. It's firmer than the factory setup, and you'll feel more of the road. If you want the softest ride possible, this isn't it, and we'd rather say so up front.

Off the Road

On a forest road or a long gravel drive to the trailhead, the larger 2.6-inch body keeps damping consistent as it heats up, where the factory strut starts to fade. The digressive valving stays firm over small ripples and gives on bigger hits, so the front stays composed instead of skittering. Pair it with a matching rear (see above) and the whole truck settles down.

The Honest Trade-Offs

• Range depends on the engine. A Duramax or 6.2L tops out at 2.0"; a 5.3L reaches 2.5". Choose the spec that matches your truck.
• Some engines can't stay at factory height. The lowest setting is 0.3" on the 4WD 5.3L, 0.5" on the 2.7L and 1.0" on the 2WD 5.3L.
• Not for the AT4, AT4X, or electronic dampers. See Install Notes.
• 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.
• 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.
• The top settings can push camber out of spec. At #5 and #6, if your alignment shop can't bring it back, aftermarket upper control arms solve it.

Install Notes

• Fits 2019-2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab and Double Cab (Pro, SLE, Elevation, SLT, and Denali without electronic dampers): 4WD with the 5.3L V8, 6.2L V8, 3.0L Duramax or 2.7L turbo, and 2WD with the 5.3L V8.
• AT4: different kit. The AT4 leaves the factory with a 2" front lift and uses 47-309524. See our Sierra 1500 AT4 assembled 6112 listing.
• Not for the AT4X (Multimatic DSSV dampers) or any Sierra with Adaptive Ride Control or Magnetic Ride Control, which many Denali trucks have. If there's a wiring connector on the front shock, call us.
• Regular Cab, or a 2WD 6.2L or 2.7L: call us first. Bilstein's chart covers Crew and Double Cab, and 2WD with the 5.3L only.
• 2022 Sierra 1500 Limited? That's the previous-generation truck. Call us, or see our 2014-2018 Sierra 1500 assembled 6112 listing.
• Taking off a leveling spacer? Leave it off.
• Any suspension shop can install these in about the time it takes to swap two struts, since the spring compressor work is done.
• 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.

Who Should Buy These

Sierra 1500 owners who want the truck level and the front end as composed as the rest of it, built right the first time. It's a great fit for SLT and Elevation daily drivers, trucks that tow or see dirt on weekends, and owners who'd rather hand their shop two finished coilovers than pay for assembly.S