Owner reviews for shock absorbers

Prefer the bilstein of the oem kyb. I have the 4600 yellow and blue stock replacement for over ten years. They’re still going strong. The ride is less harsh and also more responsive.

My first impressions of the b6 with the stock springs was also, yes, this is oversprung. After 500 miles, I decided to try the DCC deflected wheels adaptation/update and can confirm it made a difference. Maybe placebo, as the ride height should be the same but it certainly felt less "springy" after. The comfort setting felt the most restored, which made me happy.

I recommend H&R Sport Springs 20 mm lift, and Koni Heavy Track adjustable hydraulic shock absorbers (no gas).

This combination reduces body roll and sway enormously. It feels tight and sporty around the urban jungle, although sometimes I feel the springs are too stiff when there is no load in the back.

Off the pavement, this combination provides a brilliant ride. It soaks up corrugations, ruts, potholes and rough surfaces really well. I'd describe the ride as plush but firm, extremely comfortable even while taking a lot of punishment. And I never feel any loss of control even when pushing it hard on the worst dirt surfaces. The spring rates and the shocks on a light adjustment (1/2 turn or 20%) are ideal for gravel track bashing.

If you don't need a suspension lift then avoid it, or minimise it, which is what I did.

For shocks, Bilstein 5100s are pretty much the go-to mid-range shock. A little more expensive than twin tube, but 1/3 the price of stepping up to the next best set, and also long-term streetable unlike Fox, King, or Radflos that require frequent rebuilds.

I think I've got the B6 on my 9-3, might be the B8 I can't remember, whichever one is "street" option for slightly lowered cars not the racing shocks and they ride great! They're bit harsh on rough roads but they perform so good everywhere else. Absolutely transforms the cars handling

Had the Bilstein B8 with H&R springs for some 5K Km during 2 summers and then threw the B8 out for KONI yellow adjustables.

Can only recommend ????

i just did b4s all corners. feels great. i dont want to pay more for a harsher ride

bilstein 5100s. i installed them myself on the 2016 i owned at the time, made a huge difference in the way the truck handled

It's ok, feels kinda soft when you hit the brakes and such.

All these shocks like Bilsteins, OME, etc are firmer than OEM, no matter what they say. They will limit lean more than OEM, but they will not be more comfortable overall than a set of new OEM shocks.