Bilstein 8112 DSA+ / Better than Hoss 3.0?

[popo_patty]

A few months ago, a good friend of mine and fellow Gold Country Bronco's member approached me asking if I wanted to review his Bilstein 8112 coil-overs that he had on order. Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity! So once he had a couple thousand miles on the setup to break it in, we took it out to the desert to put it through its paces.

For this review, I also brought in a friend with a stock Hoss 3.0 (Factory Fox) Bronco. Both broncos were stock and on 35" tires for this test to make it as fair as possible.

Obviously, the biggest thing that stands out about the shocks at first glance is the knobs. Each coil-over had 3 knobs. Hi-speed and low-speed compression as well as an adjustable bump-stop.

I'm going to try and keep it brief but you get a TON of adjustment out of these coil-overs... The telescoping bump-stop can be adjusted to slow down the stroke of the shock as it extends to give it a more bottomless feel. They also include fancy terms like RCO and JCO. Here is a snapshot of what that all means with some of the fancy science behind these beauties.

These shocks also have 3 compression zones and 2 rebound zones making for a different "tune" or "valving" so to speak depending on where you're at in the stroke cycle.

The first zone is where you'll be riding at just driving around normally and is softer. As you compress the shock further from road chatter, washboards, etc you get into the second zone. This zone stiffens up a bit to keep you planted and minimize shock bounce.

As you really start to push the suspension by flying through the whoops, you're now in the 3rd compression zone which really stiffens it up. This zone plus the telescoping bump-stop really let you fly like butter through the whoops while the rebound keeps it all controlled and stable on the rebound.

In the tests, we did 15-25 mph, 25-35 mph, and then honestly as fast as we felt comfortable going. The Hoss 3.0 honestly did really, really well for a factory offering. It was stable at the first two speed sections and felt nice, smooth, and controlled. The Bilsteins also felt really good and on the lowest speed section, was about on par with the Hoss 3.0.

Once we got into the mid-range speed section, however, the Bilstein's began to set themselves apart from the Hoss 3.0. The rebound control was noticeably better, it felt more controlled and the in-cab feel was much smoother.

After that, we hit the hi-speed sections. There were two lines to take and the harder line was very bouncy in the Hoss 3.0 and it was hard hitting it faster than 45 mph without the back end beginning to pop out we were bouncing quite a bit. I will say though, it did really well and we did hit it once at about 52 mph though it felt sketch.

The Bilstein though was now way ahead and we were hitting it at 68 MPH with ease and felt like we had even more in the tank to give. I felt like the biggest difference was the rebound control and the adjustable bump-stop. We bottomed out many times on the Hoss 3.0 but never felt like we did with the Bilstein 8112's.

Now for some things to note:

The Bilstein's are expensive... very. But they do offer what I believe to be my new favorite go-fast suspension. It felt insanely good! I was giggling while hitting the whoops and couldn't keep the smile off my face.

There are a lot of adjustments to learn so know that it may take some time before you dial in where you like.

These do not lift much at all over Sasquatch and more so level it then lift.

These do not offer a ton of extra travel over stock and are designed to stay right in the limits of your factory geometry. The travel actually favors compression a bit more than extension, as a result, 37's may go into your fender wells without some clearance work. Honestly this is fine because even the shocks that really push the travel limits are only giving you 1-1.5 inches of extra travel over stock. But this can come at the cost of over-extending cv's.

I made a video here if you wanna watch to see some action shots and watch me talk... or not... IDK:

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[Squatch]

Watched it with the sound off and at 3:55-4:00

Really cool video, though, when I went back with sound on.

 

[popo_patty]

Watched it with the sound off and at 3:55-4:00

Really cool video, though, when I went back with sound on.

Oh I saw that too!

 

[Rory]

A few months ago, a good friend of mine and fellow Gold Country Bronco's member approached me asking if I wanted to review his Bilstein 8112 coil-overs that he had on order. Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity! So once he had a couple thousand miles on the setup to break it in, we took it out to the desert to put it through its paces.

For this review, I also brought in a friend with a stock Hoss 3.0 (Factory Fox) Bronco. Both broncos were stock and on 35" tires for this test to make it as fair as possible.

Obviously, the biggest thing that stands out about the shocks at first glance is the knobs. Each coil-over had 3 knobs. Hi-speed and low-speed compression as well as an adjustable bump-stop.

I'm going to try and keep it brief but you get a TON of adjustment out of these coil-overs... The telescoping bump-stop can be adjusted to slow down the stroke of the shock as it extends to give it a more bottomless feel. They also include fancy terms like RCO and JCO. Here is a snapshot of what that all means with some of the fancy science behind these beauties.

These shocks also have 3 compression zones and 2 rebound zones making for a different "tune" or "valving" so to speak depending on where you're at in the stroke cycle.

The first zone is where you'll be riding at just driving around normally and is softer. As you compress the shock further from road chatter, washboards, etc you get into the second zone. This zone stiffens up a bit to keep you planted and minimize shock bounce.

As you really start to push the suspension by flying through the whoops, you're now in the 3rd compression zone which really stiffens it up. This zone plus the telescoping bump-stop really let you fly like butter through the whoops while the rebound keeps it all controlled and stable on the rebound.

In the tests, we did 15-25 mph, 25-35 mph, and then honestly as fast as we felt comfortable going. The Hoss 3.0 honestly did really, really well for a factory offering. It was stable at the first two speed sections and felt nice, smooth, and controlled. The Bilsteins also felt really good and on the lowest speed section, was about on par with the Hoss 3.0.

Once we got into the mid-range speed section, however, the Bilstein's began to set themselves apart from the Hoss 3.0. The rebound control was noticeably better, it felt more controlled and the in-cab feel was much smoother.

After that, we hit the hi-speed sections. There were two lines to take and the harder line was very bouncy in the Hoss 3.0 and it was hard hitting it faster than 45 mph without the back end beginning to pop out we were bouncing quite a bit. I will say though, it did really well and we did hit it once at about 52 mph though it felt sketch.

The Bilstein though was now way ahead and we were hitting it at 68 MPH with ease and felt like we had even more in the tank to give. I felt like the biggest difference was the rebound control and the adjustable bump-stop. We bottomed out many times on the Hoss 3.0 but never felt like we did with the Bilstein 8112's.

Now for some things to note:

The Bilstein's are expensive... very. But they do offer what I believe to be my new favorite go-fast suspension. It felt insanely good! I was giggling while hitting the whoops and couldn't keep the smile off my face.

There are a lot of adjustments to learn so know that it may take some time before you dial in where you like.

These do not lift much at all over Sasquatch and more so level it then lift.

These do not offer a ton of extra travel over stock and are designed to stay right in the limits of your factory geometry. The travel actually favors compression a bit more than extension, as a result, 37's may go into your fender wells without some clearance work. Honestly this is fine because even the shocks that really push the travel limits are only giving you 1-1.5 inches of extra travel over stock. But this can come at the cost of over-extending cv's.

I made a video here if you wanna watch to see some action shots and watch me talk... or not... IDK:

Thank you for this review. I added the 8112s to my Badlands Sas a few weeks ago and while they obviously haven’t been broken in yet, the difference in ride was immediately noticeable. Love that they are a drop-in replacement for the OEM Sas shock. With the current recall and looming failure of the OEM rear shock and Ford’s inability to source a replacement until end of year, many Bronco owners are looking for a today solution to avoid an unexpected failure on the highway or trail. They are expensive no doubt and very, very difficult to find. Retailers claiming to have in-stock inventory are less than honest. While researching which shock to purchase many self-described experts told me to go with Fox. Glad I chose the 8112s and your review validates that decision. Thanks again. Anyone willing to make the investment, and it is indeed an investment, won’t be disappointed.

A few months ago, a good friend of mine and fellow Gold Country Bronco's member approached me asking if I wanted to review his Bilstein 8112 coil-overs that he had on order. Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity! So once he had a couple thousand miles on the setup to break it in, we took it out to the desert to put it through its paces.

For this review, I also brought in a friend with a stock Hoss 3.0 (Factory Fox) Bronco. Both broncos were stock and on 35" tires for this test to make it as fair as possible.

Obviously, the biggest thing that stands out about the shocks at first glance is the knobs. Each coil-over had 3 knobs. Hi-speed and low-speed compression as well as an adjustable bump-stop.

I'm going to try and keep it brief but you get a TON of adjustment out of these coil-overs... The telescoping bump-stop can be adjusted to slow down the stroke of the shock as it extends to give it a more bottomless feel. They also include fancy terms like RCO and JCO. Here is a snapshot of what that all means with some of the fancy science behind these beauties.

These shocks also have 3 compression zones and 2 rebound zones making for a different "tune" or "valving" so to speak depending on where you're at in the stroke cycle.

The first zone is where you'll be riding at just driving around normally and is softer. As you compress the shock further from road chatter, washboards, etc you get into the second zone. This zone stiffens up a bit to keep you planted and minimize shock bounce.

As you really start to push the suspension by flying through the whoops, you're now in the 3rd compression zone which really stiffens it up. This zone plus the telescoping bump-stop really let you fly like butter through the whoops while the rebound keeps it all controlled and stable on the rebound.

In the tests, we did 15-25 mph, 25-35 mph, and then honestly as fast as we felt comfortable going. The Hoss 3.0 honestly did really, really well for a factory offering. It was stable at the first two speed sections and felt nice, smooth, and controlled. The Bilsteins also felt really good and on the lowest speed section, was about on par with the Hoss 3.0.

Once we got into the mid-range speed section, however, the Bilstein's began to set themselves apart from the Hoss 3.0. The rebound control was noticeably better, it felt more controlled and the in-cab feel was much smoother.

After that, we hit the hi-speed sections. There were two lines to take and the harder line was very bouncy in the Hoss 3.0 and it was hard hitting it faster than 45 mph without the back end beginning to pop out we were bouncing quite a bit. I will say though, it did really well and we did hit it once at about 52 mph though it felt sketch.

The Bilstein though was now way ahead and we were hitting it at 68 MPH with ease and felt like we had even more in the tank to give. I felt like the biggest difference was the rebound control and the adjustable bump-stop. We bottomed out many times on the Hoss 3.0 but never felt like we did with the Bilstein 8112's.

Now for some things to note:

The Bilstein's are expensive... very. But they do offer what I believe to be my new favorite go-fast suspension. It felt insanely good! I was giggling while hitting the whoops and couldn't keep the smile off my face.

There are a lot of adjustments to learn so know that it may take some time before you dial in where you like.

These do not lift much at all over Sasquatch and more so level it then lift.

These do not offer a ton of extra travel over stock and are designed to stay right in the limits of your factory geometry. The travel actually favors compression a bit more than extension, as a result, 37's may go into your fender wells without some clearance work. Honestly this is fine because even the shocks that really push the travel limits are only giving you 1-1.5 inches of extra travel over stock. But this can come at the cost of over-extending cv's.

I made a video here if you wanna watch to see some action shots and watch me talk... or not... IDK:

 

[jofer]

Does anyone know if these are adjustable enough to take the lighter weight of 2-doors into account? I'd naively expect different coils for 2-door vs 4-door (and 2.3 vs 2.7), similar to OEM. But the difference isn't that large, and the adjustability here might easily compensate for that...

 

[userdude]

Does anyone know if these are adjustable enough to take the lighter weight of 2-doors into account? I'd naively expect different coils for 2-door vs 4-door (and 2.3 vs 2.7), similar to OEM. But the difference isn't that large, and the adjustability here might easily compensate for that...

Bilstein's demo Bronco is a 2dr, so hopefully it's supported, although not sure if it's a different sku or not. @Caleb@PandaMotorworks will probably know more specifically.

 

[Bilstein]

 

[Caleb@PandaMotorworks]

Bilstein's demo Bronco is a 2dr, so hopefully it's supported, although not sure if it's a different sku or not. @Caleb@PandaMotorworks will probably know more specifically.

They only have 1 SKU, listed as supporting 2 and 4 door

 

[userdude]

Bilstein drives a WT??

Obviously, with those sweet sweet 8112's installed...

 

[userdude]

@popo_patty Since these are marketed for 35's, do you think the only trade off is the up articulation and getting it to fit with 37's?

 

[JediMcMuffin]

Bookmarked the video to watch later, is there any discussion or comparison to the 6100s? This would be a rather extreme amount of money for me to allocate, but i can dream right?

 

[popo_patty]

@popo_patty Since these are marketed for 35's, do you think the only trade off is the up articulation and getting it to fit with 37's?

100%. I obviously want them really bad now but I also run 37’s… I think it can be made to work. Just someone needs to be first and start cutting!

 

[popo_patty]

Bookmarked the video to watch later, is there any discussion or comparison to the 6100s? This would be a rather extreme amount of money for me to allocate, but i can dream right?

Not that I’m aware of. We ran out of time but there was a 6100 bronco there as well I rode in. It’s a digressive shock and non adjustable. In the stock bronco I was in that had it, we smashed through whoops and it handled about on par with the Hoss 3.0. I have very limited experience though

 

[F-Spot]

100%. I obviously want them really bad now but I also run 37’s… I think it can be made to work. Just someone needs to be first and start cutting!

I remember the Bilstein podcast mentioning 37’s could possibly work with aftermarket fenders. A mild body lift might work too.

 

[murphtron]

I want to ensure I understand this chart correctly. For a 4dr Badlands non-SAS, with 3/4" thread showing, the 8112's provide 2" of lift above stock (assuming I also start running 35s and replace the OEM 33s)?

Also, thanks @popo_patty for the video. Fun to watch. I like the whoops. Where did you shoot the video? Would love to see someone offer up their Ride suspension as a comparison.

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