Choose Bilstein 4600, 5100, 6112, or 5160 to fit your truck and routes, then follow simple seasonal checks to keep steering steady and ride quality consistent all year.
Keeping a truck composed in every season is not luck. It is a mix of choosing the right Bilstein family for your height and usage, installing carefully, and following a short seasonal routine that protects the feel you like. Do that, and the wheel rests near center, the body moves once, and passengers stop bracing for the next seam, no matter what the calendar says.
Start with an honest baseline. If your pickup sits at factory height and you want the original calm back, Bilstein 4600 is the straightforward choice. The monotube design manages heat and keeps damping consistent on long drives. You will feel shorter recovery after dips, steadier tracking in crosswinds, and less chatter through the steering wheel. Because ride height stays stock, geometry is happy and tire wear remains predictable.
If you want to dial out the factory rake or support a light front accessory while keeping manners intact, build around Bilstein 5100. The height-adjustable front body lets you raise the spring seat by a sensible amount without starving the suspension of travel. Pair front 5100s with rear 5100s so the truck feels balanced. Choose a clip position that brings the nose to a level stance, then book an alignment to lock in straight tracking.
Trucks that split time between weekday pavement and weekend dirt benefit from bigger pistons and more oil. Up front, Bilstein 6112 coilovers bring a 60 mm piston and a usable height range. Set a conservative ride height that keeps bump travel in hand and the front will stop chattering on graded climbs. In the rear, Bilstein 5160 remote reservoirs add oil capacity so damping stays consistent on long, hot sections. The axle stops hopping across washboard, bed gear calms down, and you still have a composed ride home on Monday morning.
Good parts deserve good habits, and seasons are the best reminder to check the small things. In winter, rubber stiffens and pressures drop. Set tire pressures on a true cold morning before you drive, not after you reach the highway. If you are running 5100 height up front, confirm you still have sensible up-travel with snow chains or winter tires mounted. Rinse salt from shock bodies and brackets whenever the temperature allows. Salt is relentless, and a two-minute spray keeps coatings intact for years. On rough winter routes, your truck may feel sharper over broken edges; take a short test loop and note any new noises. A quick snug at an end link or a top nut can silence a chirp before it turns into a rattle.
Spring brings thaw cycles and potholes. Re-torque critical fasteners at ride height and check for witness marks inside liners that hint at contact under big compressions. If you leveled the front with 5100, measure hub-to-fender on all four corners and compare with your notes from the install. A half inch of drift can point to a bushing that settled or a tire size change that nudged your numbers. Schedule an alignment if the steering wheel sits off center or if the truck wanders on a flat road. With fresh holes in the pavement, small corrections now save tires later.
Summer tests damping with heat and weight. Traffic, long grades, and family gear raise temperatures, which is exactly where 5160 rears earn their keep. The extra oil volume helps the truck react once and quit, instead of growing a wag that tires out the driver. Set pressures in the shade before you roll and carry a gauge so you can return to your preferred number at the first fuel stop. If you tow a small camper or a pair of ATVs, confirm the trailer sits level and that the truck remains within its bump travel at your chosen 5100 clip. A few minutes with a tape measure prevents a long day of guessing.
Fall is the right moment to reset your baseline. Clean accessible threads, inspect bushings for cracks, and make a simple note in your phone that includes front ride height, rear ride height, tire brand and size, and the pressures that felt best empty and loaded. If you changed 6112 height earlier in the year, record the clip position so you can return to it quickly after future work. A two-line note will save you an hour the next time you swap tires or add a bit of weight to the bed.
Seasonal checks keep things steady, but installation details decide how easy the next months will be. Torque rubber-bushed hardware at ride height so bushings sit neutral and stay quiet. Verify brake line slack and reservoir hose routing with the suspension near full droop and full bump. After your first hundred to two hundred miles, re-torque the hardware. None of these steps takes long, and all of them protect the feel you just paid for.
Your test loop matters more than you think. Pick a route you know well that includes a broken section, a medium-speed sweeper, and a short highway segment. Set pressures cold in the shade, take the loop, and make notes. If you adjusted 6112 height or 5100 clips, the truck should move once over the rough stuff and settle before a second oscillation arrives. In the sweeper, count how many times you correct the wheel. Fewer corrections mean you are moving in the right direction. On the highway section, the truck should track near center without asking for busy hands.
What about loads. Dampers do not change payload, but they do decide how quickly weight transfers and how well the tires follow the road. With 4600 at stock height, the rear reacts once to tongue weight instead of bouncing two or three times before it calms. With 5100 at a sensible clip, the front keeps its headroom and stops topping out on sharp joints. With 6112 and 5160, heat becomes less of a villain, so the truck behaves the same in the afternoon as it did at dawn. That consistency is the point of this entire plan.
Avoid extremes and you will avoid most problems. A level that eats travel will feel harsh in winter and vague under load. Reservoir lines that brush a tire at full lock will not fix themselves. Skipping alignment after a height change will show up at the gas station when you notice feathered edges on a new set of tires. The checklist is short because it works. Keep travel, protect geometry, and treat small noises as early clues, not background music.
Build a year-round suspension plan like this and the truck stops arguing with every mile. The chassis takes a hit, settles, and goes quiet. Crosswinds feel like a nudge, not a wrestling match. The wheel sits near center for entire counties at a time. That is what a sorted setup feels like in January, April, July, and October.
Closing:
If you want that consistency, order Bilstein 4600, Bilstein 5100, Bilstein 6112, and Bilstein 5160 from Shockwarehouse for your exact year and trim. You will get fitment help, practical setup advice, and fast shipping so your truck stays composed in every season.