Bronco Bilstein 8112s...Going for it!!

[CTamir]

So have been wanting to try this for a while, decided to pull the trigger. I know its not a tremor but I have the full tremor front swap ready to go and since I was disappointed with the specs on the F150 8112 dampers (short OAL, only 4.77" of travel, steel body, no damping control) i decided to see if I can make a set of Bronco 8112 dampers work. The lower joint will bolt up I'm pretty sure and I bought some Dirt King and FOA Damper top mount adapters to replace the top plate that comes with the Bronco dampers. If it works, there will provide much more travel, and have damping adjustment. I may have to work on spring rates a bit but that's no big deal!

Here we go!!!

 

[ApolloChurchill]

Good luck

 

[deepblack]

What’s the compressed and extended lengths on the bronco 8112s?

 

[deepblack]

Well if these numbers are correct:
Collapsed Length (in) : 17.59
Extended Length (in) : 23.40

They should work with the right set of springs and ~1” of lift.

 

[CTamir]

Yea and if you do the math there you see slightly above tremor OE front damper travel at 5.81". Seems like it could be a solid Tremor upgrade if it works out, or prob a decent chunk of cash on my part if not....

 

[CAMDENN]

This will be interesting.

 

[CMar]

I thought there was an issue with clearance at the top of the strut?

 

[PNWTremor]

Damnit. I just moved and spent a ton of money. Now you’re telling me there’s a chance I might have to spend more, but on my truck?

Good luck. Watching closely.

 

[CTamir]

Well both top mount adapters use 1/2in bolts while the bolt on the Bilstein is 12mm i think. The spacers seem common so I ordered up a few different sets of 5/8in outer (measured Bilstein outer dia) and 1/2in inner to fit both the Dirt King 1.5" spacing and the FOA 1.25" spacing. Nothing else looks like an obvious issue thus far except that the top mount adapters seem to add another inch or so to the top mount height. Once the spacer orders get in ill bolt it together and measure resulting OAL.

 

[CTamir]

What i really need is the top mount plate from the F150 8112s shown here. The aftermarket adapters have the mounting flange just above the through bolt, while both the bronco and f150 8112s have the flange below the through bolt. With these generic adapters I think the OAL will end up being around 24.xx in which may be too much on ball joints and/or CVs.

 

[deepblack]

OEM and 6112 shock lengths are ~23” so it’s probably ok (on your truck ) for science and all

 

[deepblack]

You’ll probably need UCAs also

 

[CTamir]

Yea have True Travel adjustable upper control arms ordered (wanted steel adjustable arms), some extra ReadyLift 3in lift upper arms for mocking things up. Have Icon tremor knuckles, lower cam bolts and GSP extended travel axles to install too. Have a decent chunk of work to do to get these and the 37s to fit nicely.

 

[CTamir]

Did some more exploratory measurement today. The top mount diameter that protrudes through the hole in the upper mount is roughly the same on both the F150 and the Bronco. Also, the bolt circle is 116mm on the F150 and 96mm on the Bronco. Since the bronco pattern is clocked to roughly fit inside of the existing pattern of the F150, I'm actually half tempted to make a template and drill the Bronco pattern on the F150 bucket. That is only if the aftermarket adapters don't work out. I think I confirmed today that there is no other issues besides mounting the top mount, so honestly looks pretty promising.

 

[PNWTremor]

Yea have True Travel adjustable upper control arms ordered (wanted steel adjustable arms), some extra ReadyLift 3in lift upper arms for mocking things up. Have Icon tremor knuckles, lower cam bolts and GSP extended travel axles to install too. Have a decent chunk of work to do to get these and the 37s to fit nicely.

Steer clear of the ReadyLift upper control arms. They do not have a high articulating ball joint like the OEM one. Ask me how I know .

Ok I’ll tell you. I tried the 2.5-3” Ready lift UCAs and shattered BOTH ball joints within an hour offroad. The collar that holds them in (admittedly very strong) broke almost immediately when I hit a jump. Luckily nothing happened. I drove it back into the shop and noticed both boots were torn and upon inspection saw large chunks of metal Hanging out. Cheap junk.

if you have them on hand, compare them to the OEM ones. You’ll notice the virtual circumference — measured by moving the ball around 360 degrees — of the OEM one is much larger, allowing more travel from your suspension without damage to the joint.

 

[CTamir]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Aliass24]

Did some more exploratory measurement today. The top mount diameter that protrudes through the hole in the upper mount is roughly the same on both the F150 and the Bronco. Also, the bolt circle is 116mm on the F150 and 96mm on the Bronco. Since the bronco pattern is clocked to roughly fit inside of the existing pattern of the F150, I'm actually half tempted to make a template and drill the Bronco pattern on the F150 bucket. That is only if the aftermarket adapters don't work out. I think I confirmed today that there is no other issues besides mounting the top mount, so honestly looks pretty promising.

You probably already looked into it but are you able to maybe swap the top hats because they look similar to the 150.

 

[Longbow072]

You have my attention.

I’m looking hard at the 6112 and 5100 combo

 

[CAMDENN]

You have my attention.

I’m looking hard at the 6112 and 5100 combo

Good combo but you might want to go with the 5160’s over the 5100’s because they’re a little longer which means more travel.

 

[Longbow072]

Whoops yeah I meant to say the 5160s.

They fit the price point I’m looking for and will improve the smooth but wallowing driving characteristics of the 2024 Tremor. Articulation where needed, but control under speed on and offroad without having to try throwing money at the problem.

Sucks because the 8000 series Bilsteins are incredible shocks for the money. I still haven’t gotten a straight answer on what is different on the Tremor F150s.

But I’m curious how this plays out.