Bilstein 5100 First Impressions (installed on 2024 Tacoma TRD Off-Road)

[Yotota]

Surprised the 5100s are an upgrade from the red external resevoir bilsteins on the TRD OR. Glad to hear they are working out!

Depending on your preferences and driving style, they are or they aren't.

The 5100s will have firmer damping at ride height. The Taco TRD OR ESCV shocks firm up substantially halfway through the travel to be firmer than 5100s, with more bottoming resistance. The vast majority of people who say their TRD OR Taco "bottoms out" are actually feeling that mid travel ESCV "tap". And at least on my truck, that feeling softens once the shocks break in.

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[JayTech]

Surprised the 5100s are an upgrade from the red external resevoir bilsteins on the TRD OR. Glad to hear they are working out!

External reservoirs don't necessarily mean better dampers, they just have the potential to handle cooling of the fluid inside them better during more strenuous use. The valving internally which determines the flow rate(which in turn determines how soft or stiff they are) under both compression and rebound could be far superior on the 5100s vs the stock OR dampers. The external reservoirs on the OEM shocks just means they might be able to last longer before getting serious suspension fatigue during off roading.