I’ve had a set of Eibach Pro kit lowering springs on my ST since I bought it. They definitely go some way to improving the handling but with the OE shocks, there’s still room for improvement.
After a bunch of research I settled on a full set of Bilstein B8’s. I paid £515 from a Spanish seller on EBay who ordered them direct from Bilstein. They arrived in a Bilstein Box from Germany.
I also fitted ProSport adjustable drop links to the front (rear is a torsion bar). These were £40, are way beefier than the OE ones and probably should’ve been on since I first lowered the car.
Overall I can’t recommend the Bilstein B8’s enough. The car feels firm and tight, but not stiff. It’s hard to describe but they flatten out the road without crashing into dips. There are a few stretches of road near me littered with repair bumps, divots, and drain covers. Before, the car would crash down into them and bounce up and down, often slamming into the bump stops. The car now drives over them with zero drama and even at much higher speed. You can obviously tell you’re hitting bumps but the car deals with it so much better.
The biggest difference though is in the corners. I’m sure the new fat drop links are helping, but I can throw the car into corners and it stays completely flat and steady. The car just hooks up and goes where I point it. I can hit speed in certain corners now that I could never do before. All with complete confidence. There’s a huge reduction in body roll. I can’t state enough just how big a difference there is in body roll. The car feels completely planted.
Worth noting that I’ve changed the steering and differential settings with Carista too, but those have been changed for over a year.
All in all, the B8’s are twice the price of a full set of OE replacements but well worth the investment. I live in North Yorkshire surrounded by country roads so these feel like a worthy buy. They’re apparently built to high standards with a mono tube design that is more consistent over time than standard shocks. If you’re thinking of picking some up, you won’t be disappointed.Any other questions, just let me know...
After a bunch of research I settled on a full set of Bilstein B8’s. I paid £515 from a Spanish seller on EBay who ordered them direct from Bilstein. They arrived in a Bilstein Box from Germany.
I also fitted ProSport adjustable drop links to the front (rear is a torsion bar). These were £40, are way beefier than the OE ones and probably should’ve been on since I first lowered the car.
Overall I can’t recommend the Bilstein B8’s enough. The car feels firm and tight, but not stiff. It’s hard to describe but they flatten out the road without crashing into dips. There are a few stretches of road near me littered with repair bumps, divots, and drain covers. Before, the car would crash down into them and bounce up and down, often slamming into the bump stops. The car now drives over them with zero drama and even at much higher speed. You can obviously tell you’re hitting bumps but the car deals with it so much better.
The biggest difference though is in the corners. I’m sure the new fat drop links are helping, but I can throw the car into corners and it stays completely flat and steady. The car just hooks up and goes where I point it. I can hit speed in certain corners now that I could never do before. All with complete confidence. There’s a huge reduction in body roll. I can’t state enough just how big a difference there is in body roll. The car feels completely planted.
Worth noting that I’ve changed the steering and differential settings with Carista too, but those have been changed for over a year.
All in all, the B8’s are twice the price of a full set of OE replacements but well worth the investment. I live in North Yorkshire surrounded by country roads so these feel like a worthy buy. They’re apparently built to high standards with a mono tube design that is more consistent over time than standard shocks. If you’re thinking of picking some up, you won’t be disappointed.Any other questions, just let me know...
