Your Silverado is on its second or third owner, and it's probably still on its first set of front struts. That's why it nose-dives at every light, floats over freeway dips, and bounces a couple extra times after a speed bump. A lot of guys fix the stance with a cheap spacer and call it done. The spacer lifts the nose, but the worn struts are still there, and now the front has less down travel. The 6112 does both jobs: Bilstein-matched springs level the front, and a 2.6-inch monotube body with a 60mm digressive piston replaces the tired factory strut with real control.

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 Silverado, 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 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 Silverado, 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 for the last 100,000 miles. 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 doesn't approve every setting on every truck, so we only build the settings in the dropdown. On the 2014-2018 Silverado that's four: stock, 0.6", 1.25" and 1.85". Keep it stock and just fix the ride, or level the nose.

How to choose: Want it level? Measure from the center of each wheel to the fender lip, front and rear. The difference is your rake. Pick the setting closest to that number if the rear stays stock; add any rear lift (add-a-leaf, blocks) to it. 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?

Do the rear too. New struts up front on top of 100,000-mile rear shocks makes the back end feel worse, not better. The Silverado rear is a leaf-sprung solid axle, so rear height comes from the leaf pack (or an add-a-leaf or blocks), and the shock just has to cover that height. Bilstein builds both a 5100 and a 5160 for it.

The Bilstein 5100 (33-238319) 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 (25.79" extended, 16.18" compressed, 9.61" of travel). It's the cheapest way to get Bilstein control at both ends.

The Bilstein 5160 (25-311297) is for a rear that works. The remote reservoir adds oil capacity, so it runs cooler and fades less with a trailer behind it or on long washboard roads. It covers stock height up to 2" of rear lift, which handles most add-a-leafs and small blocks.

Run the 5100 if:

• The rear sits on the stock leaf springs, or up to 1" higher
• It's a daily driver that sees dirt roads and the odd trail weekend
• You want Bilstein control at both ends for the least money

Run the 5160 if:

• You tow (boat, camper, side-by-side on a trailer)
• You've added an add-a-leaf or blocks up to 2"
• You run long 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 2014-2018 Silverado 1500

Shop the Bilstein 5160 Rear Pair for the 2014-2018 Silverado 1500

On the Road

It drives tighter. Less nose dive when you brake, less lean on on-ramps, and the front settles after a dip instead of bouncing. It's firmer than a fresh factory strut and a lot more controlled than a worn one. If you want it to ride like a couch, this isn't the part, 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, so the truck stays settled when you pick up the pace on a dirt road. The rear is still on leaf springs, so plan on a rear shock to match (see above).

The Honest Trade-Offs

• Tops out at 1.85". That's a level, not a lift. Want more than that? It's a different kit; call us.
• 4WD only, and not with Magnetic Ride Control. Bilstein lists this kit for 4WD trucks without MRC.
• 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.

Install Notes

• Fits 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4WD Crew Cab with the 5.3L or 6.2L V8.
• Not for 2WD trucks or trucks with Magnetic Ride Control. Not sure? Send us your VIN.
• Double Cab owners: call us before ordering. Bilstein's chart for this kit is written for the Crew Cab.
• For a 2019 or newer Silverado 1500, you need a different kit: see our 2019-2026 Silverado 1500 assembled 6112 listing, or the Trail Boss version.
• Taking off a leveling 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

2014-2018 Silverado owners who want the truck level, a front end that doesn't feel like it has 120,000 miles on it, and a job they can do in the driveway on a Saturday. It's a great fit for daily drivers, weekend dirt-road trucks, and anyone pulling a spacer off and doing it right this time.