Best Shock absorbers for Volkswagen Passat

When I did the shocks and struts on my passat, I went ZF and TRW which are OEM.

Bilstein claims around 10% stiffer dampening and rebound over OEM. I've had both B6 and B4's on my Passat, and the B4's was something I preferred more.

I picked the car up yesterday after having the Special Actives installed. AMAZING difference in the way the car rides and drives. Gone is the Toyota Avalon feeling, having been replaced by an Audi-like feeling.

For this project I used Bilstein HDs and the freshly powder coated H&R lowering springs.

Bilstein B6 is for stock springs. The B8's were noticeably firmer than the B4 (sport, which was available for my Passat, due to the available sport package on the car).

My 2013 B7 SEL Premium on H&R Sport Springs and Koni Yellow SPORTS on Audi S7 20" reps. The perfect setup IMO.

I think it is very likely that your low front end is caused by the wrong shocks being installed for the heavy W8 engine.

I replaced everything on my front suspension at 150,000. Went with Bilstein B4s, but I wasn't super happy with them when they were new. They're well-damped, but ride on the stiff side.

I installed them with the ECS 23mm bar. In retrospect I can't justify the additional price over say a Bilstein B6 (I installed those on my previous Jetta). I thought they would be smoother/more expensive riding than the Bilsteins, but you can still pick up every little expansion joint and imperfection in the road....unless that's what you are going for.

When I broke down the struts, I was surprised to see they were completely blown. Konis usually fare much better. But, I’m using Bilsteins as replacements so all will be well soon enough.