The aluminum-body F-150 is still one of the best trucks to buy used and drive hard, but if you're the original owner on factory shocks, we know why you're looking for an upgrade. Ford leaves it sitting nose-down, and the factory struts are tuned soft to begin with, forget hitting the trails. Put some miles on them and the soft turns floaty: the nose dives under braking, the front wallows over dips, and a trailer pushes the whole truck around. These Bilstein 6112s level the front and are designed for drivers that want control on and off pavement, 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. We ran the 6112 head to head against Eibach and Fox on our 14th-gen F-150 test truck, and it came out as our value pick. We haven't run this 13th-gen kit on one of our own trucks, but it's the same 60mm damper design with springs matched to the 2015-2020 truck.

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 F-150, 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 engine 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 F-150, 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 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. 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 F-150, so we only build the settings in the dropdown. Gas trucks stay at stock height at #1 and go up to 2.0". The 3.0L diesel is stock at #2 and goes up to 1.5"; Bilstein says not to use #1 on it.

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 for your engine 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?

The F-150 rear is a leaf-sprung solid axle, so rear height comes from the leaf pack (or an add-a-leaf), 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 and both fit 2015 and newer F-150 4WD rears. The choice comes down to how hard you work it.

The Bilstein 5100 (33-253190) is the default. It uses a 46mm digressive piston in a zinc-plated monotube body and covers stock height up to 2" of rear lift (28.74" extended, 17.52" compressed, 11.22" of travel). With Bilstein valving at both ends, the front doesn't feel sharp while the rear bounces around on tired stock shocks.

The Bilstein 5160 (25-311372) is for loaded or working rears. The remote reservoir adds oil capacity, so it runs cooler and fades less with a trailer behind it or on long washboard roads. Same 0-2" rear lift range.

Run the 5100 if:

• You're keeping the stock leaf pack, or adding up to 2"
• The truck is mostly pavement and dirt roads, with a trailer now and then
• You want Bilstein control front and rear without spending reservoir money

Run the 5160 if:

• You tow often or carry real weight in the bed
• 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 F-150 4WD

Shop the Bilstein 5160 Rear Pair for the F-150 4WD

On the Road

Bilstein tunes for control first. Compared to worn factory struts, expect a tighter front end: less nose dive when you brake, less body roll on on-ramps, and a front end that settles after a highway dip instead of bobbing. On our 14th-gen test truck, the Bilstein setup stayed planted at speed and didn't wallow or fade while towing. 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. One thing it won't fix is the rear. On rough roads, an F-150's axle hop and rear-end buck come from the stock leaf springs and shocks, so plan on a rear shock to match (see above).

The Honest Trade-Offs

• Diesel trucks lose a setting. Bilstein says not to use groove #1 on the 3.0L Power Stroke, so the diesel has four settings and tops out at 1.5".
• 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 can run out of alignment. At 1.5-2", the factory upper control arms and ball joints run at steeper angles. If your alignment shop can't bring camber back into spec, aftermarket upper control arms fix it.
• 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 2015-2020 Ford F-150 4WD with the 2.7L EcoBoost, 3.5L EcoBoost, 5.0L V8, or 3.0L Power Stroke diesel. Choose your engine above; the height settings are different.
• Base 3.3L or 3.5L V6 owners: call us before ordering. Bilstein's chart for this kit lists the EcoBoosts, the 5.0L and the diesel only.
• Not for the Raptor or 2WD trucks.
• For a 2021 or newer F-150, see our 2021-2026 F-150 assembled 6112 listing.
• 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

2015-2020 F-150 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 tow, work trucks that see dirt roads, and weekend trail trucks. If you want more wheel travel and a bigger lift, look at a full lift kit with control arms. If you want to get closer to a Raptor, you're going to need a bigger budget.