Bilstein 6100's and 35x11.50R17's Installed

adcam

Looks good! So you did you buy the 6100’s elsewhere and just paid for labor for the install?

raqball

I didn't see a thread on Bilstein 6100's so I thought I'd share my experience with them. I have a 2023 Badlands - non Sasquatch, 2dr.

I did not do the install myself and had Total Offroad in Portland, OR do it. It took them 2 hours to complete the install of all 4 of the 6100's, which is insanely fast. (see paid invoice for the non believers). I had other shops quote me between 5-7 hours of labor or about $1K just for the install then additional for alignment.. WTF? Yeah, shop around people..

The 6100's gave me slightly more lift in the front and in the rear than advertised. Here are the numbers I ended up getting with the clip portion used..

Front 6100: Clip position 5 = 2 1/2"
Rear 6100: Clip position 1 = 1"

I have about 100+ pounds added to the front via winch, winch mount and ARB dual. I now have about 1/2" of rake.

Please don't ask me about MPG as I do not care about MPG and it's not something I've ever kept track of, especially if you are planning on lifting or slapping on 35's or larger. Look at it as SPG (Smiles Per Gallon) and you'll be much happier than worrying about few MPG difference on a lifted 4x4.

Tire road noise? I am probably not the best person report on this as I roll with the top off 24/7 from the start of Spring until the end of Fall. I also don't really care about road noise as I'll just turn the radio up a notch or two. 😜 I guess come winter time when I slap the hardtop back on I could give an opinion on road noise.

As I expected, the on-road ride quality is slightly diminished with the 6100's -vs- the stock Badlands shocks. You feel the bumps and differences / imperfections in the road a bit more. Fine by me as they were purchased for their off-road improvements.

I've only had them on for 2 days now so maybe as they settle in, the on-road ride quality will improve but I honestly couldn't care less if they don't. It's fine for me.

The Flaken Wildpeak A/T4W 35x11.50R17's were just installed today so I have almost nothing to report on with them. In anticipation for the 35's, I did order a 3rd brake light extension bracket for the spare. It's a good thing I did as the 35's would have covered it up otherwise.

I am heading out tomorrow morning to do some off-roading for the day so I'll have some initial thoughts on their off-road performance once I get back. I'll update this post as I go and get a better feel for the on-road and off-road performance of the 6100's.

Front:




Rear:




Bronco: (snapped a quick photo when dropping off my old tires at my public storage unit) Better photos coming tomorrow.




Poke: 1.75" Bora Wheel Spacers on Ford Performance 17x8 Wheels with Wildpeak A/T4W 35x11.50R17's.

And while you are at it, look at all that glorious pinstriping.. I am a bad Bronco owner! 😇



Install Invoice: Needed new gloves so I bought some of those as well. ;)

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raqball

Correct... 2 hours of labor, an alignment and some new gloves because my old gloves were trash.. 😂

I got a killer deal on the 6100's at $800 for all 4 - shipped and delivered..

I could have got the alignment done at Firestone for free as I have their lifetime alignment thing but since I just had them do a free one a few weeks ago, I didn't want to push it. That alignment had to be done ASAP and could not wait due to it getting seriously knocked out of whack on the trails.

2 hours to install all 4 is crazy fast! Most shops were telling me anywhere between 5-7 hours of labor. Total Offroad had originally quoted me 3-4 hours but they had it done in 2.. Since they got it done so fast I just had them do the alignment instead of driving to a Firestone.

EvlNvrDys

I will agree, 2 hours is a fast install. I did the rear shocks myself and that's probably an hour or so, and those are the easy ones. The fronts are the PIA. Did they put new wheel nuts on or reuse old? Last time I did fronts, one of the nuts had screwed up threads, probably came that way from factory as CV axle had bad threads as well. Plus I've read about alot of people seeing those nuts as being 1 time use as well, seems to be an issue for some.

raqball

Went out for a full'lish day of off-roading. Left at 6am and got on the trails about 7. Wheeled until about 2PM then headed home as I need to meet a dude at 4 who is buying the Toyo tires I took off.

I hit 4 unmapped trails in the area and while 3 were what I'd consider easy, one became a challenge that I eventually had to abandon. More on that in the trip report thread I'll post later.

The 6100's performed awesome and I am very happy with the swap. Sure it's only one trip but they felt more grounded, secure and the Bronco felt like it was stuck to the trail no matter how it flexed. The Bronco just handled better and felt much more stable.

At the start of the 1st trail, I encountered washboards and with the stock Badlands shocks I was thrown all over the place on washboards. These stuck me to the trail and I never felt out of control. I know it's not an exact comparison as all washboards are not created equal, but I could tell these easily outperformed the stock stocks.

Just quick notes for now and some photos. I need a shower then I gotta go meet the dude buying my Toyo's..

I need more trail time and over different trail conditions but after one days use off-road, I am very happy with them.

No real comments on the new 35" Wildpeak's, they are fine. But then again my 34" Toyo's were fine. Both are great tires and thus far, I don't think one is better than the other.

A few photos showing the Bronco stance and a few images of the terrain I encountered today. I'll post more photos later in my separate trip report..

Bronco with the 6100's and 35x11.5R17





Some of the terrain: (photos never do a trail justice) The 2nd and 3rd photo are of the trail that I had to eventually abandon.

Click to expand...

raqball

Went out for a full'lish day of off-roading. Left at 6am and got on the trails about 7. Wheeled until about 2PM then headed home as I need to meet a dude at 4 who is buying the Toyo tires I took off.

I hit 4 unmapped trails in the area and while 3 were what I'd consider easy, one became a challenge that I eventually had to abandon. More on that in the trip report thread I'll post later.

The 6100's performed awesome and I am very happy with the swap. Sure it's only one trip but they felt more grounded, secure and the Bronco felt like it was stuck to the trail no matter how it flexed. The Bronco just handled better and felt much more stable.

At the start of the 1st trail, I encountered washboards and with the stock Badlands shocks I was thrown all over the place on washboards. These stuck me to the trail and I never felt out of control. I know it's not an exact comparison as all washboards are not created equal, but I could tell these easily outperformed the stock stocks.

Just quick notes for now and some photos. I need a shower then I gotta go meet the dude buying my Toyo's..

I need more trail time and over different trail conditions but after one days use off-road, I am very happy with them.

No real comments on the new 35" Wildpeak's, they are fine. But then again my 34" Toyo's were fine. Both are great tires and thus far, I don't think one is better than the other.

A few photos showing the Bronco stance and a few images of the terrain I encountered today. I'll post more photos later in my separate trip report..

Bronco with the 6100's and 35x11.5R17





Some of the terrain: (photos never do a trail justice) The 2nd and 3rd photo are of the trail that I had to eventually abandon.

Click to expand...

SoCal6gBronco

Hey bro not to sound rude but your comparing factory shocks to aftermarket. I’ve been off-roading for a while now (Over 20 years). You started with a stock badlands and you do get what you pay for with ford. You swapped out tires and shocks so you could say it was the shocks that are making your Bronco perform better BUT in my opinion it’s the whole package (shocks & tires) that made it perform better.
Here’sa question for you
If you could do it all over would you have gotten the Sasquatch package any not have these issues?
I see allot of stock factory broncos doing trails and allot of them are regretting not getting the package

raqball

I am obviously comparing stock shocks to aftermarket, I though my comments made that clear..

Only 20 years? I've been off-roading since the mid 1980's. 😜

The tires, in this case, are absolutely irrelevant. I went from Toyo OpenCountry A/T III in 34" to Wildpeak A/T4W in 35". The tires are playing zero role in my comments and thoughts on the swap to the 6100's.

I would not buy the Sasquatch package if I had to do it all over again. As with my previous Jeeps, I want the base model that has lockers and sway disconnect then I want to build and equip it how I want. If I had purchased the Sasquatch, half of it would be stripped out my now.

SoCal6gBronco

Weren’t you the same guy complaining about your factory socks giving up on you?
If you’re a seasoned off-roader you would understand that socks wear out
Btw not all tires are built the same just like your Bronco compared to mine

robatl067

Are these the same as the Ford Performance 2" Lift shocks????

• Fits: 2021-2024 Bronco 4-Door
  
  • Unique shock tuning specific to 4-Door Bronco
  • Designed and optimized as an upgrade to Base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, and Outer Banks Series
  • Not validated against Sasquatch Package, Badlands, Everglades, and Raptor
  • For 2-Door specific kit, see M-18000-B1A
• Direct bolt-in replacement suspension package, improving both ride quality and stance of vehicle
• This proprietary kit utilizes unique shock tuning led by Ford Performance Parts engineering developed over ruthless terrain
• Approximately 2" of lift results in optimal ground clearance and approach/departure angles
• Kit includes bolt-in front and rear coil-over packages, utilizes both Bilstein and Ford OE components to ensure lasting Ford Performance
  
  • Front and rear 60mm digressive piston in a massive 2.65" mono-tube Ford Performance shock package
  • Front and Rear springs/top mount as found on factory Sasquatch package
• Largest shock diameter of any production Bronco (excluding Raptor)
• Comes with Ford Performance 3yr/36,000 mile warranty when installed by a Ford Dealer or ASE/Red Seal certified technician
• Each shock features a unique "Tuned by Ford Performance" decal placed over steel damper

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SoCal6gBronco

Hey bro not to sound rude but your comparing factory shocks to aftermarket. I’ve been off-roading for a while now (Over 20 years). You started with a stock badlands and you do get what you pay for with ford. You swapped out tires and shocks so you could say it was the shocks that are making your Bronco perform better BUT in my opinion it’s the whole package (shocks & tires) that made it perform better.
Here’s a question for you
If you could do it all over would you have gotten the Sasquatch package and not have the issues you’ve had?
BTW Sasquatch factory built broncos are not build with the same steering components as stock.
I see allot of stock factory broncos doing trails and allot of them are regretting not getting the package.
After you swap out shocks tires rims differential gears plus lockers if you didn’t get them you’ve paid more than the package cost