Shock absorbers Bilstein or KONI

Now on the shocks: Before I cut the bump stops, the car would frequently bottom out on the rears, so they weren't really able to do any work. Afterwards though, she smooth. I'll still feel bumps and holes through the chassis from the springs and hear the tires going over cracks, but I don't really feel the cracks quite as much. Train tracks that used to rock the wheels are more floaty and smooth now.

My 2001 Mercedes CLK200 KOMPRESSOR with Bilstein shock absorbers, H&R lowering springs and Amg monoblocks

I put 75000 hard miles on my 5100/FJ spring combo. Started with sand dunes in North Carolina and the rest was terrible northern and coastal Maine roads, mixed dirt/unmaintained/pavement. They're getting soft now, but I'll do it again. They still look pretty decent after a couple of harsh winters too.

I had this debate and went Bilstein 5160s (the ones with the springs included) love them

Bilstein B4 OE Replacement FRONT (used 20xxx miles)- $75

I installed a pair of Koni Special Actives in the rear, but didn't have time to do the front yet. Initial impressions (remembering that I only have the Koni installed in the rear): - Compression damping feels about the same as what I remember newer OEM valving feels like. - Hitting small to medium bumps feels pretty good. It's firm but still controlled. Probably a little better than stock. - In low-frequency mode there is a little too much rebound damping. I noticed this when driving past expansion joints on the freeway that form a /\\ shaped ramp. The rear feels like it's being picked up and then dropped. It's subtle though. - In high-frequency mode there might be too little rebound damping. I noticed this when corning hard on smooth roads with occasional rough patches. The Tiguan tilts a little more than I would have expected. But since my front dampers are still worn this really isn't a fair evaluation yet (roll couple is way off). I'm not sure what I feel about the FSD valving yet. The change in valving from the FSD is a little "weird" if I'm paying attention to it. I would say that there is a touch too much rebound, but that gives the impression of sportiness. I think for most people these would be pretty good dampers. They feel sporty but still handle bumps well.

Now I am in the middle of getting some Koni Special Actives installed to help with the ride.

I LOVE the B6 shocks. I don't think they feel any different from the day I first installed them. I much prefer monotubes over twin-tubes, and I prefer European over Japanese (still talking about shocks). Bilstein has always been perfect for me, and I cannot say the same about Koni, KW, Tokico, etc.

Bilstein is my go-to, Sachs or KYB if I can't get Bilstein; Bilstein 5100s on my WJ are great, 5100 coilover's I had on a Tundra were great; 4600s I had on a Tacoma were great.

I then went with WRD sport springs and Koni ST.R shocks/struts with a eibach 25mm rear sway bar. It was much softer and I enjoyed it but it has more body roll than I want and the Koni's seem to be too soft for what I want, so I am going to change it again.