I have the 5100 Series on my JK at the moment that came with the 4.5 AEV lift but was thinking about switching em out for the 5160. Anyone here have any info. on the 5160 or how they might have liked it compared to the 5100? My JK is 4 door by the way if that makes a difference.

 

I had 5100's and was interested too in changing out for the Bilstein 5160's. Dave at Northridge 4x4 mentioned the only difference between 5160/5100, the 5160 will offer a more consistent feel because of the cooler dampening from the reservoir, otherwise feeling much like the 5100's. They talked me into Fox 2.0 Remote res shocks as they are better performers offroad where the Bilsteins tend to be more suitable for street. Just what I was told from Northridge. I really liked my 5100's, but couldn't be happier with how awesome my Fox 2.0 remote res shocks turned out to be, love em.

 

Ran these shocks on my previous suspension setup, they're nice and smooth but even better if you have a heavier 4-door with hardtop, and full bumper with tire carrier. These shocks have like 11.75 of travel up front and 11" in rears with the EVO rockstar skids. Wished they came with built in adjusters like the Kings.

 

Ah nice good stuff. How have you liked the Fox 2.0 on the streets compared to the Bilstein 5100s? any complaints?

 

I just did the AEV lift with the 5100s after talking to a few so called "experts" at 4-wheel shops around town. They said if you plan on going on dirt roads for an extended period of time to the point where your shocks will be constantly working, then the reservoir will help out as it will keep the shocks from heating up and becoming less efficient. Not sure how accurate that is, but thought I'd pass it along.

 

Pretty helpful i'd say I work on a farm here in Georgia so somedays I'm driving the Jeep around instead of the work truck and with these dry summers its pretty dusty out so thats some pretty good info preciate it

 

Truth be told, the 2.0 remote res feel a tiny bit stiffer on the street, not much though. Off road is where they really shine. They turn most any bumps into nothing, that I notice on the street too hitting pot holes or speed bumps. They flow over anything rough, much smoother than the 5100's for me.

 

Sounds like a good thing to me. I might need to get me some of those then

 

Yeah I have no regrets with these for sure. Another bonus, these are said to not oxidize or get corosion like the Bilstein bodys, also come standard now with the cooler single billet res clamp

 

That is totally accurate. As the shock gets warmer, the oil gets thinner and has a higher chance to foam up. This foam is more compressible which creates "shock fade" and reduces the efficiency of the shock. Think of it like air in your break lines.