bilstein

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.


More To Read

The Ultimate Off-Road Shock Guide for Trails, Dunes, and Deserts
Off-Roading Nuances When we’re talking about off-roading, we’re essentially focused on 3 differen...
Shock & Suspension Buyer's Guide - What is Control, Comfort, and Performance
Our product is Knowledge, gained through Experience. Your vehicle and driving style is unique, wh...
Definitive Shock Guide for Towing & Hauling
How Good Shocks Help Towing & Hauling Factory suspensions are notoriously oversprung and unde...
KYB Truck Plus Complete Performance Assembly
Truck-Plus Benefits From KYB: Complete Assembly Already assembled with the correct sprin...
Bilstein 6112 vs. 5100 Shocks, what are the major differences?
To get straight to the point, these shocks are for different types of drivers and vehicles. The 2...