I went with the Fox 2.0. A much better, softer ride.

 

I went with bilstein 6112/5160 combo I set the 6112 at max lift it leveled the truck perfectly. I like the way it rides it's a bit firmer but not harsh and no body roll or noise diving when I hit the brakes. Taking it in Monday morning to get it aligned then it's off to America's tire for a wheel and tire package..

 

My review : I bought a set of bilstein 8112 / 8100 for my 2015 Fx platinum screw 3.5 EcoBoost with 6.5 foot bed I had originally replaced the oem shocks about 6 months after buying the truck with a full set of bilstein 5100 with the front shocks set at the stock height ... the swap made a huge difference in the ride to the better . Jump forward almost 6 years and I find that bilstein has released a new to the f150 an upgraded shock . I had been looking at their 6112/ 5160 combination. With thoughts of raising the front 1.5 inch . Most sites had them on back order . Very popular set up it seems . Well up jumps the bilstein 8112 / 8100 , since they were recently released for the f150 and finding any info about them was scarce. I pushed the button and spent money I didn't have on possibly something I did not need . I had immediate buyers remorse , five days later they were at my door ( beautiful ) . I immediately put the rear shocks on and the feel of the ride became something close to invincible ( big smile ) two days later I made arrangements and had the fronts installed at the lowest setting of 1.5 inch lift . The truck came back with a rake of 1.75 . Drove it home and all regrets disappeared.
The truck handled firm but not harsh , feels glued to the road through the roundabouts . Some of the paved back streets are worse than dirt and they are no longer an issue . Loving the ride and feel confident when spring arrives and I venture out into the many places a person can drive to here in Alaska that these shocks are a good investment no matter what I drive on .

 

Large diameter shocks are a big improvement. Costly but at that point it's hard to find a bad set no matter who makes them. Firm yet smooth with far better control over 2.0 shocks I took some ribbing for deciding to go with Icon 2.5s all the way around, now I can honestly say the ribbers know nothing far as premium shocks go. I looked long at the 8100 8112 setup but they were not made for 2wd F150's

 

@leckbandg Thanks for the info. Could you speak directly to the similarities/differences between the new and old setup from a ride perspective?

 

Bilstein 8112 / 8100 vs 5100
The 8112 / 8100 are 3x better than the 5100 but still offer a smooth and firm driving experience. The fronts come set at a 2.3 lift out of the box and if I had kept that setting my truck would be dead level . My thinking is that also would of opened up a spending frenzy : bigger tires , rear block so on so forth . At 1.5 lift gave me a 1.75 inch rake . In the near future I'm going to soften the rear shocks ride ( just a couple of clicks . There are 10 settings on the rear . I'm happy with my decision of buying these and once the rear shocks are tuned to my liking for each job if needed I use the truck for .
Until I'm able to get truly out and about my review is limited most like now until spring

 

wow.thnx for the in-depth rating on the bilsteinsThat’s awsome thnx.

 

I don't understand the desire to have a truck 'dead level'. Put any reasonable load in the bed and it now looks grossly overloaded, and the headlights are aimed at the sky. Why?

 

I just installed Bilstein 4600s in the rear. I was concerned that they would make the ride a bit harsh, but it is not at all. In fact I think the small bump compliance is actually a little bit better. The ride is better controlled with less pitching around. In hindsight I probably could have went with something a bit heavier duty and been happy, but for the money this was a nice upgrade.

The FX4 shocks I took out were pathetically weak, I can't believe Ford spec'd those and then charged extra for them. Pure junk. No wonder my truck wallowed and pitched so much. I'm hoping my towing experience is now closer to my 2006. Probably won't find out until spring though.

 

Question for everybody/anybody- What are the most comfortable shocks? I don’t go off road much anymore and I’m looking for a smooth riding shock on my SCREW FX4. (I spent the last 30 years driving dirt roads in muddy fields, so I’m good for now on that). What shock/coil over combo is the smoothest on mostly paved roads?