Shock absorbers Bilstein or KYB

But we also bled the brakes and I removed the extremely warped front lip with the useless fog light cutouts.

I plan the same, had Bilsteins on my Mazdaspeed3 and loved them. B6 are designed for stock ride height, sounds like that's what you're aiming for.

I have OEM GTI fronts / Golf R rear springs, and Bilstein B6 rear shocks. I love this setup, it has a rear bias so it turns nicely, still comfortable, vastly better than the oem setup. A full GTI setup works well IF you use with those B6 rear shocks, otherwise the damping feels too light.

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 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.

I had GR-2s on an old Mk3 Golf. They were fine.

My experience with KYB on Volkswagen's was not the greatest, they have a lifetime warranty, which is good, because I found myself replacing shocks constantly (about every 5,000 miles).