New Height Adjustable Bilstein 6100 Series Shock Absorbers Installed on 2021 Bronco

[cgv]

This is how I've done it on all of my Toyotas. Since I've never gone beyond a 35" tire and kept the lifts to 2" or less I've never needed to replace the UCAs and go at it from that angle. With the issues a lot of guys are having when they remove the wheel hub nut and loosen the halfshaft to gain clearance this way seems to be a cleaner route. Unfortunate that the staybar blocks the rear LCA bolt.

I don't think you need to fully remove the staybar to get to the rear LCA bolts. I believe it was Icon that showed you can just remove the bolts on one side of the vehicle and slide the bar aft far enough to remove the LCA bolts, while it is still attached on the other side. I should know for sure this weekend or next when I put on the lift.

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[FlyingScot]

Got all excited about these till I saw that even at the lowest setting they're still 3/4" taller than the stock sas bilsteins. Probably a non-issue for most, but I'd be trading MIC top with the parking garage beams at work if I gain any height.

 

[pakrat]

Got all excited about these till I saw that even at the lowest setting they're still 3/4" taller than the stock sas bilsteins. Probably a non-issue for most, but I'd be trading MIC top with the parking garage beams at work if I gain any height.

True. Only in the front though. Lowest settings front and rear will more or less level your Bronco.

 

[FlyingScot]

True. Only in the front though. Lowest settings front and rear will more or less level your Bronco.

That's not bad, I'd imagine for most people installing these that would be a plus rather than a minus. Hell, it might even work out for me once I finally hang my secondhand modular bumper off the front. Once we leave this craphole office building and its parking garage that was designed by someone who would be surprised by the fact that people in Texas drive a lot of pickups, I might go this route.

Only wildcard here would be near-ish term parts counter availability of the HOSS 3.0 fox shocks (list prices sit considerably lower than the Bilsetins, but since you can't get them )

 

[pakrat]

So installed my 6100's yesterday. This is a job most owners can do if they have the tools. The only specialty tool is the spring compressor and you can usually rent for free at most auto parts stores or buy your own for aboutt $40. Really not bad and I was going slow double checking everything. First side up front took about 1 1/2 hrs. After doing the first side the second side was well under an hour. Follow the BN video I posted a link to. Super easy and really the only thing you might need a second pair of hands on is putting the stabar disconnect back on. Kinda heavy in an awkward position. You could also just put a jack under it if you don't have help. Rears are super easy and once you've done the fronts the rears should take less than 1 1/2 hrs. total. I personally enjoy working pn my own cars and know it gets done right and torqued correctly. Lots of places were auto shops might cut corners and I imagine that it will save you $300-$500 bucks.

Results were 1.5" lift in front on the #4 clip setting. I left the the rears on the lowest (stock setting) and the Bronco sits perfectly level and rides great and looks way better also. Will be getting an alignment just to be safe tomorrow.

 

[Sruiz]

So installed my 6100's yesterday. This is a job most owners can do if they have the tools. The only specialty tool is the spring compressor and you can usually rent for free at most auto parts stores or buy your own for aboutt $40. Really not bad and I was going slow double checking everything. First side up front took about 1 1/2 hrs. After doing the first side the second side was well under an hour. Follow the BN video I posted a link to. Super easy and really the only thing you might need a second pair of hands on is putting the stabar disconnect back on. Kinda heavy in an awkward position. You could also just put a jack under it if you don't have help. Rears are super easy and once you've done the fronts the rears should take less than 1 1/2 hrs. total. I personally enjoy working pn my own cars and know it gets done right and torqued correctly. Lots of places were auto shops might cut corners and I imagine that it will save you $300-$500 bucks.

Results were 1.5" lift in front on the #4 clip setting. I left the the rears on the lowest (stock setting) and the Bronco sits perfectly level and rides great and looks way better also. Will be getting an alignment just to be safe tomorrow.

Give us your unbiased review. How is the ride compared to stock suspension?

 

[JMY217]

Give us your unbiased review. How is the ride compared to stock suspension?

This right here, is the million dollar question.... or $1300 question I guess

 

[Desert_6G]

Will these work on the BL non sas? Their Bronco had the sas pkg and from what I can find sas suspension doesn't work on the non sas.

 

[Rusty Sheckelford]

Yea some youtuber isnt a reliable source tho

Some of the best Bronco info you'll ever find will come from " some forum member" or "some youtuber"

Can't speak to this one, but I wouldn't outright dismiss someone just because they're a youtuber.

 

[VIRUS]

I have the 6100's on a sasquatch badlands 2.7
37x12.5 17 0 offset icon rebound pro wheels. Set at top level.
Only a few hundred miles into them.
No off-road driving until next weekend.
On-road with the new tires I am happy with the result. Driving the same bad roads that I drove when stock, it's smoother. More planted. My wife says it rides nicer. She isn't the type to ever notice or comment on something like that.
Can't give any off-road feedback for about a week.
I put these on to clear 37's until I choose a different coilover setup.
If they perform well on the trip next week, they might just stay on it.

Edit: after around 1500 miles, I noticed all 4 tires were wearing abnormally. Feathered badly on the outside of the fronts and passenger rear. Inside of driver rear also.
Shop in Madison either didn't align it or messed it up.
Took it back to them and they weren't able to align it. Owner claimed he didn't trust his rack. Way more to that story.
Took it to Full Boar Auto in Dodgeville Wi. These guys are legit. Wish I had taken it to them from the start.
Took new rear links to get the back straight. After they were done with it, rides excellent!
With the rear freed up and aligned, it drives really well on and offroad.
I would recommend doing rear links if lifting at all. Very noticeable improvement!

 

[pakrat]

Give us your unbiased review. How is the ride compared to stock suspension?

To be fair, I'm far from biased. I've used 6112's on a few Tundras and 4Runners in the past so I knew what I was getting and have always thought they are a good value (especially if you can install them yourself). But here is what I think of them anyhow on a sasquatch BL.

First, I put them at clip setting"4" in front and it gave me exactly 1.5" lift measured at centerline of the hub from the ground to the bottom edge of the fender flare. The Bilstein manual said I would get 1.7" but I only got 1.5" which is what I wanted anyhow. In the rear I left them on the lowest setting which was supposed to keep it at stock height, which it did. Since my Bronco was exactly 1.5" low in the front on one side and 1 5/8" low on the other my Bronco is now perfectly level. I hoping to end up with a small amount of 1/2" rake to level and I got exactly what I wanted. IMO the Bronco looks so much better level or closer to level. I don't know what everyone else has for factory rake but that 1.5" was too much for me.

Now the performance. The front end is noticeably stiffer on the road in a good way. The highway ride seems more controlled and confident on mountain twisting highways and less front end dive under hard braking which I feel is a plus. Around town you lose a little of that softer plush feel but hardly noticeable. Yesterday I spent the day off road on some challenging trails and forest service gravel roads that were pretty rocky and bumpy in sections. On the rocky steep trails that I was using 4L and stabar disconnect and lockers at times I really didn't notice any difference between these and the stock sasquatch set-up. These were trails I've done before and my range of motion remained the same and no change in how it tackled these obstacles (though the higher front end was noticeable for visibility or lack thereof - trail cameras are sure nice at times). The biggest difference for me was on the higher speed fire roads. I was driving faster with what seemed more control in 4H and not in fear of bottoming out over the rolling waterbars cut into the roads. Broncos really excel at this and now it is even better.

So there you have it. I feel it was a very well spent investment. Because I am actually offroad on a regular basis I wasn't ever going to put a spacer lift on mine just for looks. I got my desired lift in the front and a decent boost in performance. Is it a game changer in terms of performance...definitely not, especially if you already have a sasquatch Bronco but if you wait for the Bilstein springs to become available or you upgrade from a non-sasquatch Bronco to Bronco springs with 6100s you will probably notice it alot more. Hope this helps for those thinking about their lifting/performance options.

 

[OuterBets]

Some of the best Bronco info you'll ever find will come from " some forum member" or "some youtuber"

Can't speak to this one, but I wouldn't outright dismiss someone just because they're a youtuber.

Bilstien sent/sponsored her the 6100s specifically for install on her 2dr so I would think they are suitable for a 2dr as well 4dr when paired with the correct springs.

 

[Mainerunr]

Thing about Bils is when you use them to lift, you lose droop because you already forced some of it to gain the lift. fully extended they generally do not extend farther than stock and you're just changing where you sit in the stroke.

 

[WheelMe]

To be fair, I'm far from biased. I've used 6112's on a few Tundras and 4Runners in the past so I knew what I was getting and have always thought they are a good value (especially if you can install them yourself). But here is what I think of them anyhow on a sasquatch BL...

Thanks for your very informative review of the install. During my last offroad adventure I landed on my crossbars pretty hard coming off a tall rock ledge, hence my interest in a chassis lift - these 6100s seem to be a relatively economical answer (compared to full coilover systems).

I just need to confirm that no new UCAs are necessary, and proper front-end alignment is possible? Have you re-aligned your headlights? Lastly, is it possible to adjust the shock height (change the clip setting) post-install, if I weren't happy with the fore/aft stance of the vehicle?

Thanks.

 

[pakrat]

Thanks for your very informative review of the install. During my last offroad adventure I landed on my crossbars pretty hard coming off a tall rock ledge, hence my interest in a chassis lift - these 6100s seem to be a relatively economical answer (compared to full coilover systems).

I just need to confirm that no new UCAs are necessary, and proper front-end alignment is possible? Have you re-aligned your headlights? Lastly, is it possible to adjust the shock height (change the clip setting) post-install, if I weren't happy with the fore/aft stance of the vehicle?

Thanks.

First off I am Liking these even more now that I returned from a long road trip with some more off-roading thrown in. Off-road still about the same performance and feel of the stock sasquatch set-up but on twisty mountain roads they really do add improvement in control and feel. Plus it just looks better!

Funny you should ask about the headlights. Someone flashed me for the first time since last night. I've had it for almost a year and 12k miles and that was the first time. But I don't plan on adjusting the lights. One out of hundreds if not thousands of people I have passed since the install tells me I'm still good and I like the beam pattern.

As far as the adjusting the clips after install I'll have to look. There are several ways to do it on the vehicle( plenty of you tube videos), but obviously better to pick the height you want from the start. I've done it in the past on my Tundra and it wasn't bad. UCA's are not necessary at 2" lift or less. I would maybe start to think about it over 2" but I have yet to see any posts about anyone not being able to get it back to proper alignment. Les Scwab had no problem with mine at the #4 setting which was supposed to be 1.7" lift but gave me exactly 1.5".

My suggestion is to pick your front end height the way you want it. Go with the higher clip setting if you are on the fence between two heights, the rears can be done in less than 30 minutes each (1 hr. total) so you can adjust that height up or down really easy if you want to change the rake.

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