B4 Bilsteins and other work!

barkclark

barkclark

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Car is just shy of 160,000 and i am looking at getting new shockers all round amongst other work for my car as it's handling like a 3 legged pig!

Anyone recommend B4 Bilsteins or will I stick with OEM shocks? Can get the Bilsteins set for £260. Looking to lower it next year, either on 30mm Eibachs & B5 perches or maybe something like AP 40/30's. Will B5 perches fit on the Bilsteins? Any other spring / shock recommendations?

What main things would you's get done suspension wise or at least get checked?

I am keeping the car and looking to get it back up to a good standard.

I'm also looking to spend less than £1000.

Any recommendations are welcome!
 
May be worth looking at getting a front suspension arm kit depending on the milage & condition of bushes & ball joints.
Many of us go for the Meyle HD kit.

Rear bushes can also perish.

Cant comment on Billstiens as I run coilovers, but they seem to get good feedback.

Another mod you may want to bare in mind is the rear RS4 anti-roll bar, tightens up the back end abit and helps reduce understeer.
 
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AlexGSi2000 said:
May be worth looking at getting a front suspension arm kit depending on the milage & condition of bushes & ball joints.
Many of us go for the Meyle HD kit.

Rear bushes can also perish.

Cant comment on Billstiens as I run coilovers, but they seem to get good feedback.

Another mod you may want to bare in mind is the rear RS4 anti-roll bar, tightens up the back end abit and helps reduce understeer.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was having a look at Meyle HD kits too, anyone know a rough price fitted for this? I'll probably source the parts myself or through my mate and get him to fit them.
 
Not sure on labour costs, but be wary of the top suspension arm pinch-bolt though - they are known for seizing (steel bolt in aluminium housing), mine were a nightmare.
I managed to free one up but ended having to purchase a new suspension upright for the other side.
 
barkclark said:
Car is just shy of 160,000 and i am looking at getting new shockers all round amongst other work for my car as it's handling like a 3 legged pig!

Anyone recommend B4 Bilsteins or will I stick with OEM shocks? Can get the Bilsteins set for £260. Looking to lower it next year, either on 30mm Eibachs & B5 perches or maybe something like AP 40/30's. Will B5 perches fit on the Bilsteins? Any other spring / shock recommendations?

What main things would you's get done suspension wise or at least get checked?

I am keeping the car and looking to get it back up to a good standard.

I'm also looking to spend less than £1000.

Any recommendations are welcome!
Click to expand...

Bilstein B4 are oe.

Eibach Pro Kit with B4's are a well proven comfortable handling solution.
 
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Replacing all the front arms, bushes, and ARB drop links makes a massive difference to the handling. I did all mine along with new shocks, H&R springs and B5 perches in summer. I'm stock piling all the rear arms and bushes to do in the new year too along with a RS4 RARB.

The guy I bought my RS4 RARB and pedals off @Big Al is selling a HD kit, brand new and unfitted I've seen it.
I can vouch for all the parts he's selling as to be in the condition he states as I've been into his car cave.

To answer one of your other questions though I don't think the B5 perches fit anything other than standard shocks from Audi. So if you went with the B4 shocks you might have to get a set of staggered drop springs to loose the RR.
 
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Jimmy TDI said:
Replacing all the front arms, bushes, and ARB drop links makes a massive difference to the handling. I did all mine along with new shocks, H&R springs and B5 perches in summer. I'm stock piling all the rear arms and bushes to do in the new year too along with a RS4 RARB.

The guy I bought my RS4 RARB and pedals off @Big Al is selling a HD kit, brand new and unfitted I've seen it.
I can vouch for all the parts he's selling as to be in the condition he states as I've been into his car cave.

To answer one of your other questions though I don't think the B5 perches fit anything other than standard shocks from Audi. So if you went with the B4 shocks you might have to get a set of staggered drop springs to loose the RR.
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I know you probably fit all the front end stuff yourself? How much did it set you back excluding the springs & shocks?
 
Did all the arms a couple of years ago, this summer went for a Bilstein/Eibach kit, along with new engine mounts, gearbox mounts, snub mount and anti-roll bar bushes at the front (did the RS4 upgrade at the rear 2 years ago). Night and day difference. Can't recommend Bilsteins and Eibachs highly enough. Not cheap but you get what you pay for.
 
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jbcalvin said:
Did all the arms a couple of years ago, this summer went for a Bilstein/Eibach kit, along with new engine mounts, gearbox mounts, snub mount and anti-roll bar bushes at the front (did the RS4 upgrade at the rear 2 years ago). Night and day difference. Can't recommend Bilsteins and Eibachs highly enough. Not cheap but you get what you pay for.
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Ah yes I seen in another thread that you had done this! Sounds fantastic!

Any pictures of how it sits on the eibachs?
 
barkclark said:
I know you probably fit all the front end stuff yourself? How much did it set you back excluding the springs & shocks?
Click to expand...

Yeah mate I fitted everything myself, was a right pita of a job.
My friend got me all the arms (Lemforder) at trade price mate, so it would be unfair to say, but your looking around the £400 mark for good quality parts over the counter.
You can get them cheaper, but if your planning on keeping the car past 12 months I wouldn't skimp.

Give Al who I tagged a pm to see if he still has the HD kit as you will make a good saving on it and it's new in the box.
 
Jimmy TDI said:
Yeah mate I fitted everything myself, was a right pita of a job.
My friend got me all the arms (Lemforder) at trade price mate, so it would be unfair to say, but your looking around the £400 mark for good quality parts over the counter.
You can get them cheaper, but if your planning on keeping the car past 12 months I wouldn't skimp.

Give Al who I tagged a pm to see if he still has the HD kit as you will make a good saving on it and it's new in the box.
Click to expand...
Yeah I'm going to keep it for a while and I like to stick to OEM quality parts. So Lemforder or Meyle HD I'd go for! I also have a friend that can source them at trade, also mates rates to get it fitted! :)
 
Barkclark, im running the B4's with H&R 45mm springs, and i also changed the top mounts front and rear whilst this was done with new. The car is tight with a firm ride. The B4's are the OEM replacment shock but are much better in quality in the important areas. I can reconmend what i have done, but for me the car sits quite low at the front so maybe the eibach 50/40 spring set up would be good just so the nose isnt looking heavy. I have a couple of pics in the 'what have you done to your B6 today' thread, last page iirc if you want a look at how my old girl sits.

I also run the Meyle HD kit which is ok, but i wish i held out for the 034 kit to be honest, but is a fine alround front arm kit. I also run the Neuspeed snub mount and Neuspeed short shifter so the front end with all these feels tight and with a nice short change.

Best of luck mate :)
 
Jim_P said:
Barkclark, im running the B4's with H&R 45mm springs, and i also changed the top mounts front and rear whilst this was done with new. The car is tight with a firm ride. The B4's are the OEM replacment shock but are much better in quality in the important areas. I can reconmend what i have done, but for me the car sits quite low at the front so maybe the eibach 50/40 spring set up would be good just so the nose isnt looking heavy. I have a couple of pics in the 'what have you done to your B6 today' thread, last page iirc if you want a look at how my old girl sits.

I also run the Meyle HD kit which is ok, but i wish i held out for the 034 kit to be honest, but is a fine alround front arm kit. I also run the Neuspeed snub mount and Neuspeed short shifter so the front end with all these feels tight and with a nice short change.

Best of luck mate :)
Click to expand...
Ah yes your car looks great! Sits well too on the H&R's! It's weird cause every picture I look at of cars on lowered springs they all sit different! Like I have seen others on 45mm look lower than yours or whatever. I suppose it all depends on the age of other contributing components!

Meyle or Lemforder will suit me as I doubt I'm expert enough to spot little differences in handling and quality. Although I know not to go cheap as the quality will majorly suffer haha
 
Buy once and buy what you can afford and pay a bit more if you know what I mean. I replaced all round with AP shocks and lowered springs at £310 which is cheap and although the car handles better I do wish I'd gone for the bilstein / eibach combination coz tbh it is a bit firm but that option worked out at £700.
 
I was told not to lower on B4's as they are a standard shock and not designed to work with lowered springs, will be fine for a while but wear out quick.
 
Mine's on Eibach with AP dampers, handles perfectly. Since then it's had RS4 RARB, RS4 engine mounts, stiffer snub mount and probably more but to be none of this made anywhere near the kind of difference the springs and shocks made.
 
Im sure that the B6 part number is... (well thats the kit for my 1.9tdi quattro saloon with the stabiliser link bars included.)

116 050 0083/HD

The kit BIGAL is selling is...

116 050 0085/HD

hope this helps.
 
I would imagine the only difference would be the track rod ends due to the different steering rack on the B7, but that's just my thinking not the gospel.
 
Well ive just downloaded the parts list for each kit (B6 1.9TDI QUATTRO and a B7 2.0TDI QUATTRO) and some components are the same in each kit and some aren't so i wouldn't really be worth getting the B7 kit for the B6 model as half of it wont fit.
 
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Don't have any pics of mine at the moment as it is now running it's 16" winters rather than my normal 18's. Mine was quattro sport so the Eibach springs didn't really drop it that much. Think my kit was around £550....
 
I fitted Bilstein B4s in Sport spec (as mine is a Q sport) with standrad Sport springs. I read that Sport suspension is a bit firm so thought it would be ok. As it is, it grips and handles fantastically, and is Uber comfortable, but slightly bouncy at times. Always controlled but could do with the compression and rebound damping turnign up a bit, which can't be done, and maybe slightly stiffer progressive springing.

But I have no real complaints- they're a zillion times better than the rusted out oil-less originals that had been pogoing around for the last 185k miles with the previous custodians.

Stance is fine for grown ups and has absolutely NO problems on speed bumps and the dirt tracks we call paved roads around here in cowshit land. After lowering BMWs and Golfs and deeply regretting it, it's not somewhere I wish to lower myself to again...
 
Think I'll replace the control arms early next year. So excluding that, what do people suggest replacing if I replace all the springs and shocks with standard sport shocks or b4 bilsteins and lowering springs (ie eibach pro / H&R 35mm or something similar!)
 
Just replace every bush, arm, mount you can mate that's what I've done on the front, and plan to do all the rears in the new year.
I went for new standard sport shocks with 35mm H&R springs, and B5 perches. I've never been in a car with new B4 shocks so can't give any comparison on the two sorry.

If you have a petrol then you would be best replacing the snub mount with a polly one, but if you have a diesel like me then I recommend the Passat rubber one.


Just warm it up in some boiling water so it goes nice and supple and it will pop straight onto the mount with a tiny bit of rubber friendly grease.
 
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Cheers man, your posts are always truly helpful and very informative!!

Yeah that's why I maybe fancy the H&R's as I seen yours and it looks good and it looks like a sensible drop, not too low! Don't think I'll fit the perches though as it looks a little nose heavy for me.
 
Cheers, it does sit slightly nose down with the perches fitted, but that's how I like my cars to sit tbh.
I think without them it would sit pretty much level going off the extra 10-15mm drop people say they give you.
 
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Jimmy TDI said:
Cheers, it does sit slightly nose down with the perches fitted, but that's how I like my cars to sit tbh.
I think without them it would sit pretty much level going off the extra 10-15mm drop people say they give you.
Click to expand...
Yeah it looks good! A more level stance is what I'd like to go for anyways.
 
My mate can get me front and rear genuine shock absorbers at trade for £200. Which I think is a pretty good price. What do people think? I can get b4 bilsteins for £260 but I want to fit my b5 perches so I think I'll opt for genuine!
 
I think I paid £70 a corner from TPS, so that's a really good price.
 
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Who makes genuine shocks? Monroe? Sachs? Can anyone confirm that Sachs front & rear shockers on ECP are genuine shocks for my 1.9 sport avant? I have entered the reg number and all I'm ultimately interested in is if b5 perches would fit them? Lol

Edit: just checked the spec and it says for standard chassis, even after entering my reg :/
 
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