Bilstein 8112 Review: My GX470 Became a SXS Killer

Estimated reading time: 18 minutes

The Bilstein 8112 Zone Control CR shocks took my Lexus GX470 from comfortable old luxury SUV to trail-floating hunting rig. After 5,000 miles of rocks, washboards, forest roads, and no-road nonsense, these shocks made a serious case against spending SXS money.

Why Spend SXS Money When a GX470 Can Hunt This Hard?

I am the type of guy who hunts, fishes, and explores the outdoors a lot, and over the years, my mode of transportation for hunting and outdoor endeavors has evolved as much as my optics, packs, rifles, and bullets. When SXSs (Side-by-side UTV) began to hit the market in the late 2000’s, they took the market by storm. They started to evolve, with the addition of windshields, back seats, doors, heaters, and eventually full cabs with every bell and whistle imaginable, including heated seats. These amenities come with a hefty price tag, with some of the more luxurious SXS’s costing over $60,000. If you find that price for an ATV preposterous, keep reading.

While I admit that these machines definitely have their place in the hunting world, I was never too eager to run out and buy one. I find most of them to be loud, dusty, terribly overpriced, and not nearly as comfortable as a regular vehicle. A four-seater SXS is also quite large these days, and most of the trails they are driven on can be accessed by a mid-sized vehicle like a Jeep or a Toyota Tacoma with similar wheelbases and widths.

In my mind, what makes an SXS so popular is its suspension. They ride so smoothly and won’t beat you up going over rocky roads and trails. The reason people don’t want to hunt out of a regular vehicle is that they don’t want to beat themselves up or their everyday driver over rough, rocky roads and trails.

I always thought to myself, when I was driving down a trail or road in an SXS, how great it would be if a Toyota Tacoma or 4Runner, or a Jeep could be as smooth as an SXS. You could haul 4 people, have a heater, air conditioner, radio, and a full cab that was built well enough to have a conversation inside without yelling over the engine and road noise that comes with an SXS.

Why I Picked the Lexus GX470 for a Bilstein 8112 Hunting Rig

So began my journey to find a shock that could transform a mid-sized vehicle into my ultimate hunting machine. In 2020, I purchased a 1999 Toyota 4Runner and installed Bilstein 6112s on the front and Bilstein 5100s on the rear. I was in heaven, the vehicle rode amazingly! But over time, I began to find the limits of the suspension and wanted more. After I gained confidence in my vehicle not breaking, I began to bottom out the rear shocks often. While the shocks performed well at high speeds, they were stiff at slower speeds, which is critical for hunting. This is common for digressively valved shocks. While researching, I saw that Bilstein had released their 8112 Zone Control CR shocks, and the reviews were out of this world. I desperately wanted them on my 4Runner, but Bilstein did not make a set for the 3rd-gen 4Runners, though they did for the 4th gen. So, I decided to sell my precious 3rd Gen, which, in my opinion, is one of the very best off-road vehicles ever made, and find another vehicle that would accept the 8112s.

Toyota is the only company I trust to build a vehicle tough enough to endure the kind of abuse I put my hunting rigs through. I ended up with a 2004 Lexus GX470. I know what you’re thinking: why would you buy a luxury model vehicle to beat the hell out of off-road? The reason is that Lexus and Toyota are the same company, with Lexus offering higher-end, more luxurious models. They share the same frames, parts, and engines. The GX470 also came exclusively with the V8 4.7-liter engine, while the 4th Gen 4Runner came with a 4.0 V6 and the V8 4.7-liter engine. I wanted the 4.7 because it is the most reliable and bulletproof engine Toyota has ever produced. There have been documented cases of this engine going a million miles! Finding the 4th-gen 4Runner with the V-8 is challenging, but there are plenty of GX470s on the market. Add in the fact that Bilstein built a set of 8112-zone-control shocks for this model, and it was an easy decision.

Ordering Bilstein 8112 Shocks Without Getting Upsold

I ordered the Bilsteins right after I got the GX470. If you plan to get a set, I suggest emailing and calling several distributors to get the best price. Some distributors will try to tell you that you must have other aftermarket parts, such as upper control arms, to install these shocks, which is a lie. These are direct-fit bolt-on shocks; they will fit your vehicle without any additional aftermarket parts. Be sure to do your homework on what your vehicle will need and doesn’t need when ordering. I found that several distributors knew far less about the shocks and the mounting process than I did when I called them. My GX470 was already outfitted with 2-inch rear coil springs, so that saved me $250 plus installation.

I ended up ordering from ShockWarehouse.com; they gave me the best price and were great to work with. The price difference between them and another distributor was laughable. I ended up getting the shocks shipped to my door for a total of $4,200 after a holiday discount. Now that I have experienced these shocks, I expect the price to go up! While the average Joe can do the mounting with the right tools, I had mine installed by Albert’s Custom Shop. Albert is a neighbor kid who is still in high school and lives down the road from me, and is the best mechanic I’ve ever met. It took Albert about 5 hours to install the 8112’s. He said now that he knows what he’s doing, he could easily cut an hour off the install time.

Bilstein 8112 Zone Control CR Specs From This GX470 Build

Shock Model	Bilstein 8112 Zone Control CR
Vehicle Platform	2004 Lexus GX470
Engine	V8 4.7-liter engine
Front Ride Height Adjustment	Approximately 0-3 inches
Author’s Front Lift Setting	1 ½ inches
Rear Springs Already Installed	2-inch rear coil springs
Shock Technology	60mm piston, jounce-cutoff secondary piston, rebound-cutoff secondary piston
Warranty Mentioned	100,000 mile warranty
Install Time	About 5 hours
Shipped Price Paid	$4,200 after a holiday discount
Test Mileage Before Review	5,000 miles
Vehicle Weight	Around 4800 lbs
SXS Weight Comparison	1400-2500 lbs
Rear Sway Bar Upgrade	Nolathane 24mm rear sway bar
Stock Rear Sway Bar	19mm

Dialing in Ride Height Without Killing Off-Road Performance

The shocks have a threaded body that allows the ride height to be adjusted by approximately 0-3 inches. After reading the instructions that came with them, I set mine to lift the front end 1 ½ inches. If you plan on adjusting the ride height, I highly recommend having a friend help; it takes a lot of torque to compress the springs and move the shock body up. Measurements were taken before and after, and I got exactly a 1 ½-inch lift, meaning Bilstein really did their homework when they built their shocks for specific vehicle platforms. I did not want to lift the vehicle higher than this, as it can actually hurt off-road performance. With independent front suspension, the higher up you go, the less you can go down. This is the best video I have found explaining why. Why LOW Trucks Perform Better OFF-ROAD

The second you install these shocks, something magical happens. The vehicle, which was honestly smooth to begin with, feels like it is floating over the road. You can drive at any speed you desire, no kidding. I keep finding that I do not dare to push these shocks to their limits; the required speed is too great. Think of trophy trucks in the Baja 1000; that is the type of driving these shocks are designed for. But I didn’t upgrade from the 6112s just for the speed. I also wanted the vehicle to be smooth at slower speeds, something that was not available before the 8112 Zone Control CRs.

How Bilstein 8112 Zone Control CR Shocks Pull Off That Bottomless Feel

Most shocks are either built for speed or comfort, but can’t do both well. For example, most King shocks are built for comfort and can’t handle high-speed off-road or take big hits. Shocks designed for high-speed off-road use and big hits, like the Bilstein 6112, are not nearly as compliant and comfortable at lower speeds. Bilstein knew this and addressed both issues with their 8112 zone-control shocks. They are great EVERYWHERE.

Bilstein designed the 8112’s to have a “bottomless” feel. They achieved this with a 60mm piston, a jounce-cutoff secondary piston, and a rebound-cutoff secondary piston, which act like 3 shocks in one. This technology allows the shocks to operate across three distinct control zones and prevents them from top- or bottoming out harshly. They also have large external reservoirs and large-diameter oil lines to keep the oil cool and moving freely from the external reservoir to the main shock body. Best of both worlds.

Bilstein 8112 zone control shocks also come with a very impressive 100,000-mile warranty! Most high-end shocks built for serious off-road use, like Kings or Fox, only come with a 30,000-mile warranty.

The Sway Bar Lesson I Learned the Hard Way

I did learn some lessons driving with the 8112’s that I’ll note here to save anyone thinking of buying these shocks some trouble. If you plan on driving like a crazy person off-road, remove your front sway bar. The load on the front sway bar’s mounting brackets is too great to handle when driving your vehicle like a trophy truck. I ended up breaking my brackets on the front sway bar within the first two weeks of having the 8112’s. After inspecting what had happened, I removed it. This allowed me to gain a lot of articulation on the front of the vehicle, which helps a lot on uneven terrain. Here’s a video to explain if you’re interested.

While the added articulation on the front of the vehicle was great for off-roading, it did make the GX470 have more body roll in the corners. It was also not as stable at highway speeds as I would have liked. To negate this, I installed an aftermarket rear sway bar made by Nolathane. The stock rear sway bar on the GX470 is a 19mm. The Nolathane is a 24mm and is MUCH sturdier. The difference between the two sway bars is night and day. With the Nolathane rear sway bar installed, the GX470 rode very comparably to when the front sway bar was attached. I now have all the travel and articulation of running without the front sway bar, while keeping the negative effects to a minimum.

Can a GX470 Really Ride Like an SXS?

I have taken a lot of my friends and family who own SXS for rides in the GX470 to see how it compares to their SXS in terms of suspension. I have gotten pretty consistent feedback so far. While it is not as good as, say, a Polaris RZR turbo 1000 with Fox Live Valve X2 with Dynamix Dual Valve technology, it is better than, say, a Polaris Ranger, a Can-Am Defender, or even the Honda Talon with Fox Live Suspension. SXSs weigh anywhere from 1400-2500 lbs; the GX470 weighs around 4800 lbs.

I find it very impressive that Bilstein can make a vehicle that heavy ride so smoothly! I also put 10 ply tires on the GX470. I will admit it did take some of the plushness away compared to the 6-ply tires it came with, but I will take a slightly harsher ride for the peace of mind that comes with not getting flats when driving off-road over rocks and brush.

I wanted to write a review immediately after putting on the 8112s, but I forced myself to wait until I had put 5,000 miles on them. This took some effort on my end, as I have a work truck that I use for my job and only use the GX470 for mainly off-highway use. Here is my take on how they perform across different types of driving you’ll encounter.

Bilstein 8112 Performance: Highway, Gravel, Two Tracks, and No Roads

Highway: Smooth, Smooth, Smooth. Instead of dreading the parts of the highway that need repair and cause you to nearly wreck in a normal vehicle, you’ll smile when traversing these treacherous sections on the 8112’s. If you don’t plan on seriously off-roading your vehicle, these shocks are definitely overkill for everyday driving.

Gravel roads: While driving with a friend, I still had the 6-ply tires, and I saw him intently staring at the road ahead of us. I asked him what he was looking at. He stated, I can see washboards on the road, but I can’t feel them! If the washboards are terrible, you’ll feel them, but they will not slow you down or make your teeth chatter. The amount of feedback they give to you as a driver is very minimal.

Forest service roads: Great! There’s really nothing on a forest service road that the 8112’s won’t handle at a high rate of speed. Water bars, no problem! Culverts, no problem! These shocks are so good that it’s actually difficult to catch air while driving on them, as they stay planted to the road and give you great control over your vehicle. But if you’re persistent like me, you definitely can! They are so smooth that it’s difficult to know whether you’re airborne.

Two tracks: If you’re planning on taking your 8112’s on nasty, rocky, narrow two tracks, as I do, then you’re in luck, the 8112’s handle this with ease as well. I would suggest airing down your tires for more grip and a smoother transition from the tires to the driver’s seat. This was one of my biggest complaints about the 6112’s, they had to have speed to be plush. With the 8112 Zone Control CR’s, they are plush whether you’re going slow or fast.

No roads: This is probably my favorite type of driving for the 8112 Zone Control CR’s, especially if I have someone with me who doesn’t know what the GX470 is capable of with them on. My vehicle is only lifted a couple of inches, and the tall but skinny tires make it pretty inconspicuous. If I know that the ground doesn’t have any deep holes or large rocks, I’ll bail off the road and bomb through terrain at a high rate of speed. I have had people say some very colorful words to me that I won’t repeat here. They will see a bump or change in the terrain coming and brace themselves for impact! Only to go over the obstacle as smoothly as butter. I often take it on my kids’ dirt bike track just for kicks. The reactions you’ll get from people are priceless.

Bilstein 8112 Pros and Cons After 5,000 Miles

• Pros: Smooth at highway speeds, plush on rocky two tracks, shockingly comfortable at slow hunting speeds, direct-fit bolt-on design, impressive 100,000-mile warranty, and capable enough to make a GX470 feel like a legitimate SXS alternative.
• Cons: The $4,200 shipped price is not pocket change, the install takes real work, ride-height adjustment needs serious torque, and if you drive like a trophy truck hero, your front sway bar brackets may not appreciate your enthusiasm.

Final Verdict: Are Bilstein 8112 Shocks Worth SXS Money?

I would highly recommend the Bilstein 8112 zone control shocks to anyone serious about using their vehicle off-road. They have transformed my Lexus GX470 into the ultimate hunting vehicle. I don’t have to worry about loading my SXS into a trailer, hooking up to my pickup, unloading it to go hunting, and loading it again to go home. I drive the GX470 from the house to my hunting destination, whether that’s a few miles down the road or several hundred. Thanks to the Bilstein 8112 zone controls, I can go almost anywhere I need to go in absolute comfort. No dust, obnoxious engine noise and heat, lack of storage for rifles, packs, or gear. It is a fun, comfortable ride.

While the sticker price on these shocks may turn some people away, I look at it this way. I am currently in my Lexus GX470 for around $15,000. This includes the vehicle, shocks, off-road lights, 10 ply tires, alignment, miscellaneous repairs, and installation fees. As of this writing, it has around 170,000 miles on it. With minimum maintenance, I expect it to go well over another 100,000 miles without any major expenses.

When you compare that to an SUV that can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000, and may go 10,000 miles before it needs serious repairs, I think they are one of the best bargains in the off-road market.

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