The 2019 and newer Ram 1500 rides better than any half-ton Ram before it, until you hook up a trailer, load the bed, or hit continuous ruts. This is when you find out how inadequate the factory shocks and struts are when you're trying to do truck-duties. The nose dips hard under braking with a camper behind it, the front floats over expansion joints, and the truck sits rake-down on a stance that makes 35s rub. Bilstein's 6112 swaps the strut and the coil for one matched assembly. Its 2.6-inch monotube body and 60mm digressive piston hold far more oil than the factory part, and its springs are rated for the Hemi's weight.

A set of Bilstein shocks like this makes a night and day difference compared to factory twin-tube dampers. The catch is that Bilstein ships it loose: shocks, springs, and spring-seats, and you need a strut compressor to put it all together. We do that on our bench. Each pair is built at the circlip you choose, fitted with new OE-spec upper mounts, torqued, labeled and boxed as a set. You or your shop install two finished coilovers.

How We Build Them

We build each pair after you choose your drivetrain, package and height above. Here's what happens before it ships:

• Set the circlips. The 6112 body has a row of numbered grooves, and where the circlip sits decides your ride height. On the 2019+ Ram 1500, 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 your Ram left the plant. 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.
• Same groove, both sides, checked. One groove off on one side and the truck sits crooked. We set both to the number you order and check them side by side.
• New mounts included. The loose Bilstein kit reuses your factory upper mounts. Ours come with new ones.
• Less shop time. Your shop removes two struts and installs two. No coilover assembly on the bill.

We build only the settings Bilstein approves. 4WD without the Off-Road Package: factory height at #1 to 2.6" at #8. 4WD Rebel or Off-Road Package: factory height at #3 to 2.0" at #8. 2WD without the package: 0.6" at #1 to 2.6" at #7. 2WD Off-Road Package: factory height at #1 to 2.0" at #7.

How to choose: Check the window sticker for the Off-Road Package first. It already lifts the front about an inch, so the same groove sits lower on those trucks. Then measure center of wheel to fender lip at both ends. The front-to-rear difference is your rake; pick the setting closest to it to level the truck. Tow most weekends? Tongue weight drops the rear, so one setting under level rides flatter hitched up. Heavy steel bumper or winch? One setting higher. Between two settings? Send us your numbers and we'll call it.

Matching the Rear: Bilstein 5100 or 5160?

The 2019+ Ram 1500 rides on coil springs in back, so the shock doesn't set the height. It only has to match it. Bilstein builds a 5100 and a 5160 for this truck, and both are for coil-spring rears only.

The Bilstein 5100 (24-233354) is the everyday pick. A 46mm digressive piston in a monotube body, 25.43" extended, 15.89" compressed, 9.54" of travel, for factory rear height up to about 1" of lift. It puts Bilstein damping at the back of the truck for the least money, which matters when the front is already firmer than stock.

The Bilstein 5160 is the towing pick. A remote reservoir per shock holds extra oil, so damping holds steady on long grades with a trailer and on washboard. On this truck the reservoirs are side-specific: 25-325102 rear left and 25-316919 rear right. Bilstein rates them for 0-2" of rear lift without the Off-Road Package, 0-1" with it.

Run the 5100 if:

• The rear is at factory height or close to it
• The truck commutes and tows a few times a season
• You want matched Bilstein damping at the lowest cost

Run the 5160 if:

• A camper, boat or equipment trailer is behind the truck most weekends
• The bed carries tools or a slide-in most of the week
• You run spacers or taller rear coils, up to 2" (1" on Off-Road Package trucks)

When you need something else: Rear lift beyond 2" needs a longer shock. Call us with your setup and we'll size it: (213) 433-3616.

Shop the Bilstein 5100 Rear Pair for the 2019-2024 Ram 1500

Shop the Bilstein 5160 Rear Left for the 2019-2024 Ram 1500

Shop the Bilstein 5160 Rear Right for the 2019-2024 Ram 1500

On the Road

The difference shows up loaded. With a trailer on, the front holds its height through stops, the truck tracks straighter past semis, and a dip at highway speed settles in one motion. Empty, it feels tighter and more planted than stock, with more of the road coming through on sharp edges. If you bought the Ram for its soft ride and never tow, the factory strut may suit you better.

Off the Road

Most of these trucks see gravel, ranch roads and the boat ramp, not rock trails. That's where the bigger body pays off: more oil, steadier damping when it heats up on washboard, and a digressive piston that stays firm over chatter and gives on the big hits. Pair it with a 5100 or 5160 out back so the rear isn't still bouncing after the front settles.

The Honest Trade-Offs

• Coil springs only. Bilstein lists this kit for trucks without air suspension. Ram's four-corner air ride uses a different front assembly.
• Hemi only on paper. Bilstein's chart lists the 5.7L V8. It doesn't chart the 3.6L V6, the 3.0L EcoDiesel, or eTorque separately. Lift may differ on those trucks. Call us first.
• The Off-Road Package changes the numbers. The same groove sits about 0.6" to 0.7" lower on a Rebel or Off-Road Package 4WD. Pick the right spec.
• 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 2019-2024 Ram 1500 (DT, the new body) 4WD and 2WD with factory front coil springs and the 5.7L Hemi, including the Rebel and trucks with the Off-Road Package.
• Not for trucks with factory air suspension. Check for the "Active-Level" or "4-Corner Air Suspension" line on your window sticker, or send us your VIN.
• Not for the TRX. Its front suspension is a different design.
• V6, EcoDiesel or eTorque? Call us before ordering. Bilstein's chart is written for the 5.7L V8.
• Bought a Classic? The older-body 2019-2024 Ram 1500 Classic takes Bilstein 47-311015: see our Ram 1500 Classic assembled 6112 listing. 2009-2018 Ram 1500 owners: see our 2009-2018 Ram 1500 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

Ram 1500 owners on coil springs who tow, haul, or both, and want the front end to stop diving and floating: a camper or boat on weekends, a bed full of tools on weekdays, and a level stance for bigger tires. Good for Big Horn, Laramie and Rebel trucks that have outgrown their factory struts. If all you want is a level stance on a budget, the Bilstein 5100 adjustable front struts reuse your factory springs.