Bilstein Shocks for OEM Replacements
Posted by Sean Reyes on
Bilstein Exceeds Original Equipment Standards
It's difficult to call any Bilstein shock a direct OEM replacement (Original Equipment Manufacturer - the parts that came on your vehicle from the factory) because Bilstein's quality and overall performance exceeds OEM standards.
Bilstein shocks regularly get upwards of 100,000 miles of use - according to thousands of Bilstein customers' feedback. Durability, and low warranty rates are one of Bilstein's strong suits.
Many vehicles such as from Porsches, modern Toyota pickups, and most Mercedes-Benz vehicles come equipped with Bilsteins from the factory.
For a lot of vehicles, especially light truck, SUV, and Jeep - a Bilstein shock to replace the worn out black or white shocks will come with significant handling improvement, and predictability in vehicle feel.
Bilstein B2 Twin Tube
The B2 twin tube line is designed to mimic OEM quality and performance on vehicles in which a gas charged monotube shock is not conducive to the way the vehicle is designed. Many older vehicles which never had a gas-charged shock from the factory, will often experience a harsher ride with gas charged shocks. To accommodate this, Bilstein produces an especially tuned twin tube for these applications with little to no gas charge to them.
Bilstein B4 OE Series
The B4 series is recommended on most modern passenger cars as an OEM replacement. A number of top manufacturers use Bilstein as the original equipment for their vehicles. Although designed to restore the factory ride and handling to your vehicle, in many cases B4 OEM replacements often provide a small improvement over the factory ride comfort and body control.
B6 Performance
The B6 line including B6 performance shocks and struts for passenger cars and 4600 shocks and struts for trucks and SUVs are going to be a stellar upgrade for your stock height vehicle. They offer a larger monotube type design as well as digressive valving that will do a fantastic job of managing body roll and unwanted body motions, while still retaining a compliant ride. The B6 is arguably firmer than factory, but many people find the overall ride actually improves. Essentially if you are looking for a boost in performance on your stock height vehicle while keeping a great ride, or potentially improving it, the B6 is the way to go.
Related: What does "Improved Ride Quality" actually mean?
Depending on shock design and intended purpose, a 'firmer' shock can actually lead to improved comfort by eating up the bump or irregularity - then settling the vehicle as quickly as possible. A single shock can only do so much, to truly have a huge difference on ride quality requires a comprehensive suspension system.
