The Frontier is the truck people keep. Plenty are past 150,000 miles and still daily-driven, still headed to the trailhead on Saturday, and still riding on front struts that gave up years ago: the nose dives on the brakes, the front crashes over washouts, and the factory rake looks worse with a bigger tire. This kit replaces the struts with Bilstein 6112s, a 2.6-inch monotube with a 60mm digressive piston and a 450 lb/in spring matched to the truck, and lifts the front 1.0" to 2.0" on a 4WD, 0.8" to 2.4" on a RWD.

This is the kit as Bilstein ships it. You, or your shop, find your column (4WD Crew Cab, 4WD King Cab, or RWD by year), set the circlips and put the springs on. One thing to know up front: there's no factory-height setting. Every groove Bilstein approves adds lift.

What's in the Box

This is the 6112 the way Bilstein ships it: a box of parts that you, or your shop, put together at the height you choose. Here is what comes in it:

• 2 Bilstein 6112 dampers. 2.6-inch monotube body, 60mm digressive piston, with a row of numbered circlip grooves on the body.
• 2 Bilstein coil springs. 450 lb/in, matched to the Frontier, not to the factory strut.
• 2 billet aluminum spring seats and the circlips. The circlip goes in the groove you pick, and the spring seat sits on it.
• Mounting hardware and a bump stop spacer. New lock nut, upper and lower washers, sleeve and upper bushing, plus a spacer that goes on the factory lower control arm bump stop. Your factory top mount plate and spring isolator go back on; inspect them and replace them if they're worn.

Setting Your Height

Your truck, its cab and drivetrain, and the circlip groove decide your ride height. Here's the order of work:

• Find your column. 4WD Crew Cab (2005-2026), 4WD King Cab (2005-2021), RWD (2022-2026) or RWD (2005-2021). Each one sits differently on the same spring.
• Pick your groove. Find your vehicle's column on the height chart and choose a setting. Bilstein uses the same groove on both sides.
• Seat the circlips. Snap one into that groove on each damper and make sure it is fully seated all the way around. Bilstein warns that a half-seated circlip will damage the shock.
• Spring seat, then spring. Drop the spring seat onto the circlip, then the Bilstein spring onto the seat.
• Fit the bump stop spacer from the box onto the factory bump stop on each lower control arm.
• Compress the spring and fit the factory top mount. Respect this step: a coil spring under load stores a lot of energy. Don't rent anything sketchy. A shop with a mounted, shop-grade strut compressor does each side in minutes. Torque the new lock nut to 41 Nm (30 lb-ft), holding the rod with an 8mm wrench. Bilstein says no impact wrench.
• Check both sides match before they go in the truck. One groove off from side to side and the front sits crooked.

Want it assembled? We don't list a built-to-height Frontier pair right now. A suspension shop with a mounted strut compressor can set both sides from the chart while the truck is on the lift. Call us and we'll talk through the setup with you or your shop.

Bilstein rules out more grooves on this kit than most. 4WD Crew Cab: #4 to #8 only (1.0" to 2.0"); don't use #1, #2 or #3. 4WD King Cab: #4 to #7 (1.2" to 2.0"). RWD 2022-2026: #1 to #6 (0.8" to 2.4"). RWD 2005-2021: #1 to #4 (1.4" to 2.3"); don't use #5 through #8. No column has a stock setting.

How to choose: Park on flat ground and measure from the center of each wheel to the fender lip, front and rear. Front minus rear is your rake. In your column, pick the groove closest to it, knowing the lowest one already lifts the front. Adding an add-a-leaf? Add that rear lift first. Steel bumper or winch? Go one groove higher. Stuck between two? Call us with your numbers: (213) 433-3616.

Matching the Rear: Bilstein 5100 or 5160?

The Frontier rear is a solid axle on leaf springs. The leaf pack sets rear height and the shock only has to cover it. Pick your year above and the right rear part number follows.

Bilstein 5100: the default. 46mm digressive piston, zinc-plated monotube. 2005-2021 Frontier: 24-187152, stock to 1" of rear lift (21.65" extended, 13.84" compressed). 2022 and newer Frontier: 24-329767, stock to 1.5".

Bilstein 5160: the reservoir version. More oil, so it runs cooler on a long washboard road or with a trailer on. 2005-2021 Frontier: 25-311341, stock to 1". 2022 and newer Frontier: 25-329773, stock to 1.5".

Run the 5100 if:

• The rear is on the stock leaf pack, or up to 1" over (1.5" on a 2022 and newer Frontier)
• It's a daily driver that sees dirt roads
• You want Bilstein at both ends for the least money

Run the 5160 if:

• You run long washboard or desert roads
• You tow a small camper or carry a loaded bed
• You want the extra oil capacity for long, hot trail days

When you need something else: More than 1" of rear lift (1.5" on the 2022 and newer Frontier) needs a longer shock. Call us and we'll size one to your setup: (213) 433-3616.

5100 Rear, 2005-2021 Frontier 5160 Rear, 2005-2021 Frontier 5100 Rear, 2022+ Frontier 5160 Rear, 2022+ Frontier

On the Road

Less nose dive under braking, less lean in a corner, and a front that settles after a dip instead of bobbing. It's firmer than a fresh factory strut. If you want soft, this isn't it.

Off the Road

The 2.6-inch body holds more oil than the factory strut and sheds heat faster, so damping holds on a long washboard road. The digressive piston stays firm on chatter and opens up on bigger hits. Match the rear, or the back of the truck keeps bouncing on worn shocks.

The Honest Trade-Offs

• You do the spring work. The kit ships as parts. A shop with a mounted compressor does it in minutes.
• No stock setting. Every approved groove lifts the front, at least 0.8" on any truck and 1.0" on a 4WD.
• Several grooves are off limits. The 4WD loses #1 to #3; the older RWD loses #5 to #8. Read your column.
• Changing height means doing it again. Moving the circlip means pulling the coilovers and compressing the springs again.
• Firmer than stock. See "On the Road" above.
• 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.
• Watch the alignment at the top grooves. If your shop can't bring camber back into spec, aftermarket upper control arms fix it.

Install Notes

• Fits 2005-2026 Nissan Frontier V6 (4.0L through 2019, 3.8L from 2020): 4WD Crew Cab 2005-2026, 4WD King Cab 2005-2021, and RWD Crew or King Cab.
• 2022 and newer 4WD King Cab or a 4-cylinder Frontier: call us before ordering. Bilstein's chart doesn't list them.
• Fit the bump stop spacer from the box on each lower control arm bump stop.
• You need a mounted strut compressor or a shop to put the springs on the dampers. Plan on it before the truck comes apart.
• Your factory upper mounts go back on. Inspect the rubber; if it is cracked or collapsed, replace the mounts while everything is apart.
• 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.

Who Should Buy These

Frontier owners who plan to keep the truck, want the front level and the ride fixed in one job, and have a shop or a mounted compressor for the spring step. Daily drivers, trail trucks on a budget, and high-mileage keepers.