Bilstein B6 Struts and Shocks

[derbo904]

Hey sorry just getting back to you. I'm bad with emails these days. So, I have been in San Fran and in my Civic as well. You guys have some mighty steep hills around there and more in some parts than others. So, with the B6 shocks, the dampening is a thing, but the actual movement is more restricted than with twin tube shocks like the originals. You may like the Bilstein B4 shocks better. I will venture a guess that the B4 will exceed some others and yet yield more like original ride. I am okay with the B6 because they are not ultra stiff and Bilstein make them with ample compliance and yet there is more gas pressure inside them, which controls motions more. Sometimes the car will sort of bounce left and right on the bumpy road but the big hits are dampened better and high speed cornering is much improved. With the original twin tubes, there was less left and right bouncing as the suspension arms would simply articulate unabated if that makes sense.

I've dived into the rabbit hole of suspension frequencies, damper curves, etc for my M3 so I understood! I appreciate the mention about oscillations across bumps, that is helpful to make my decision. I mainly drive my civic on the freeway and the overpass uneven junction connects always felt poor in this car.

In comparison to my M3's 2-Way MCS coilovers, the stock civic suspension far greater at dealing with the bumps in San Francisco.

It looks like I am ordering B6s.

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[James3spearchucker]

I've dived into the rabbit hole of suspension frequencies, damper curves, etc for my M3 so I understood! I appreciate the mention about oscillations across bumps, that is helpful to make my decision. I mainly drive my civic on the freeway and the overpass uneven junction connects always felt poor in this car.

In comparison to my M3's 2-Way MCS coilovers, the stock civic suspension far greater at dealing with the bumps in San Francisco.

It looks like I am ordering B6s.

Sounds good. I think you can't go wrong with either one. I was shocked that I could drive offroad over washboard with the stock Civic suspension. I had never found a car that could do that as well. Summit Racing and Tire Rack should have the B6's. Stock option is not bad but they don't tend to last as long and are pricier. FYI: check the large bushing on the main lower control arm, but Honda sells the whole unit for about 200$ and the "compliance bushing" alone is 175, so it does not make sense to service it. I think mine is fine for now. Also, the rear shocks are easy to install while the front not so much on account of tight fit of strut inside the knuckle. The knuckle should be expanded with a masonry chisel (don't be shy) that you jam in the small slit/opening and once you just barely expand the opening the struts come out easily. Remember that the knuckle stays on the car and there is about a six inch or five inch length of strut that has to come out of the knuckle. The spring does not have to be compressed but the lower ball joint needs to be off of the arm to allow the arm to fully droop down and allow the strut/spring assembly to come out upwards from the knuckle. Use sandpaper to remove corrosion and lube the inside of the knuckle before reassembly. Cheers

 

[derbo904]

Sounds good. I think you can't go wrong with either one. I was shocked that I could drive offroad over washboard with the stock Civic suspension. I had never found a car that could do that as well. Summit Racing and Tire Rack should have the B6's. Stock option is not bad but they don't tend to last as long and are pricier. FYI: check the large bushing on the main lower control arm, but Honda sells the whole unit for about 200$ and the "compliance bushing" alone is 175, so it does not make sense to service it. I think mine is fine for now. Also, the rear shocks are easy to install while the front not so much on account of tight fit of strut inside the knuckle. The knuckle should be expanded with a masonry chisel (don't be shy) that you jam in the small slit/opening and once you just barely expand the opening the struts come out easily. Remember that the knuckle stays on the car and there is about a six inch or five inch length of strut that has to come out of the knuckle. The spring does not have to be compressed but the lower ball joint needs to be off of the arm to allow the arm to fully droop down and allow the strut/spring assembly to come out upwards from the knuckle. Use sandpaper to remove corrosion and lube the inside of the knuckle before reassembly. Cheers

It looks straight forward on the fronts and no worse than typical MacPherson struts. I appreciate it the note about the bushing. I'm looking at other parts to refresh as well since I'm at 167k. At this time, most likely new top hats, spring pads and now, adding that lower control arm if needed.

It looks like the rears are out of stock at Summit, so I'll order those now and see when they arrive. Do these come with bumpstop?

 

[sventhecivic]

Jumping in to ask for a recommendation. In reading this thread it seems like the Bilstein B4s would be the right replacement for my EXT Sedan. Just took it in to get a flat fixed and was told my struts and shocks are rusted out (I live in New York). I won’t service them yet as I think the ride is fine, but I am considering upgraded ones when I do.

Is it recommended to replace the springs at the same time? I added the B4s to my cart on tire rack, and then I was looking at the Eibach Pro-Kit spring set. Is that overkill, or a might as well? My car still has stock suspension, wheels, and tires all around.

 

[James3spearchucker]

Jumping in to ask for a recommendation. In reading this thread it seems like the Bilstein B4s would be the right replacement for my EXT Sedan. Just took it in to get a flat fixed and was told my struts and shocks are rusted out (I live in New York). I won’t service them yet as I think the ride is fine, but I am considering upgraded ones when I do.

Is it recommended to replace the springs at the same time? I added the B4s to my cart on tire rack, and then I was looking at the Eibach Pro-Kit spring set. Is that overkill, or a might as well? My car still has stock suspension, wheels, and tires all around.

I take it you mean you live in NYC? In most urban cities with so many harsh irregularities, I think you can use more full shock compression during jounce which you will find with twin tube shocks like the B4 or the stock ones. The B6 shocks which cost a little more money you will feel as stiffer but more controlled during high performance driving. I cannot speak from experience regarding the B4 but only stock and B6. As for the Eibach pro kit, it could be great but I'm not sure and would lean against it just on account that this car lets you feel things and if you use harder tires and stiffer springs, it will be even more.

 

[James3spearchucker]

It looks straight forward on the fronts and no worse than typical MacPherson struts. I appreciate it the note about the bushing. I'm looking at other parts to refresh as well since I'm at 167k. At this time, most likely new top hats, spring pads and now, adding that lower control arm if needed.

It looks like the rears are out of stock at Summit, so I'll order those now and see when they arrive. Do these come with bumpstop?

Hi, and sorry for the late reply. I am bad with emails. I think our cars are so new that certain items you can reuse. If the car was over ten years old, I could see changing out more parts. Even my lower control arms looked very good on inspection this past week when I took the wheels off for replacement of my brake fluid. The ball joint is 42-50 bucks each and will feel slightly better if replaced. The sway bar links will also have some wear and looseness but if the boots are not torn, they should still be reasonably ok. You asked about bump stops. Well you either have to reuse the bellows on the rear shocks which are part of the upper saddle that attaches with two bolts to the frame, and you want to pull the edge of the bellow (the flexible dust shield that looks like an accordian) over the tabs on the shock so that you will keep dust off of the shock rod and it will stay cleaner. I lubricated the rubber with a little saliva to be honest to make it more slippery since it is a tight fit. If in fact your bellows are cracked you may want to replace them. The bumpstops should be just fine. The B6 shocks come only with a new lock-nut. Lately the struts seem a little stiff but it could just me getting older! Cheers

 

[derbo904]

Hi, and sorry for the late reply. I am bad with emails. I think our cars are so new that certain items you can reuse. If the car was over ten years old, I could see changing out more parts. Even my lower control arms looked very good on inspection this past week when I took the wheels off for replacement of my brake fluid. The ball joint is 42-50 bucks each and will feel slightly better if replaced. The sway bar links will also have some wear and looseness but if the boots are not torn, they should still be reasonably ok. You asked about bump stops. Well you either have to reuse the bellows on the rear shocks which are part of the upper saddle that attaches with two bolts to the frame, and you want to pull the edge of the bellow (the flexible dust shield that looks like an accordian) over the tabs on the shock so that you will keep dust off of the shock rod and it will stay cleaner. I lubricated the rubber with a little saliva to be honest to make it more slippery since it is a tight fit. If in fact your bellows are cracked you may want to replace them. The bumpstops should be just fine. The B6 shocks come only with a new lock-nut. Lately the struts seem a little stiff but it could just me getting older! Cheers

I appreciate it! I'm also a big fan of addressing other parts where labor is shared. I have a higher mileage car than most (just hit 168,xxx miles on my 2017!) so I will most likely address it all at once due to the amount of miles on the items. The parts may be good for now but I won't really know till I start the installation and that may be too late.

 

[James3spearchucker]

I appreciate it! I'm also a big fan of addressing other parts where labor is shared. I have a higher mileage car than most (just hit 168,xxx miles on my 2017!) so I will most likely address it all at once due to the amount of miles on the items. The parts may be good for now but I won't really know till I start the installation and that may be too late.

So, I harp on Honda for the poor quality of the door "clickers" (have worn out twice, how have yours endured?)and the paint flaking on plastic body parts but I should be happy that most mechanical bits are quite robust and durable. My VW Passat had five arms per side and the ball joints developed play in two years time. The tires wore badly. In contrast this Civic shows great tire wear and if I had not torn the boot of one ball joint due to struggling to take the strut out of the knuckle, it would not have needed replacement. The wheel bearings are so smooth compared to other cars and are still good. My front pads are showing lots of meat and my rears may need addressing in the summer. I have 110k now. So trust that you will struggle some getting struts in and out but you will likely not need to replace anything else. There is an American brand that makes masonry chisels that can be found at Home Depot and you need a medium width one and not be shy with hammering it into the crack in the knuckle that allows expansion. The knuckle develops some rust and takes up more space making things tight and the suspension design wants the strut to fit very tightly. Also be sure and remove the three studs of the lower ball joint from the lower control arm but leave the ball joint in place. If you really want to change it, the corrosion and press fit of the tapered end will make removal a bear. As long as not shy you can do it though. Cheers

 

[Lokistherem]

So, I harp on Honda for the poor quality of the door "clickers" (have worn out twice, how have yours endured?)and the paint flaking on plastic body parts but I should be happy that most mechanical bits are quite robust and durable. My VW Passat had five arms per side and the ball joints developed play in two years time. The tires wore badly. In contrast this Civic shows great tire wear and if I had not torn the boot of one ball joint due to struggling to take the strut out of the knuckle, it would not have needed replacement. The wheel bearings are so smooth compared to other cars and are still good. My front pads are showing lots of meat and my rears may need addressing in the summer. I have 110k now. So trust that you will struggle some getting struts in and out but you will likely not need to replace anything else. There is an American brand that makes masonry chisels that can be found at Home Depot and you need a medium width one and not be shy with hammering it into the crack in the knuckle that allows expansion. The knuckle develops some rust and takes up more space making things tight and the suspension design wants the strut to fit very tightly. Also be sure and remove the three studs of the lower ball joint from the lower control arm but leave the ball joint in place. If you really want to change it, the corrosion and press fit of the tapered end will make removal a bear. As long as not shy you can do it though. Cheers

You said that you have the stock springs with the B6, how much did it lower or raise the car? I have read that the stiffer B6 will raise the car due to this, and found a mention that you can put lowering springs on the B6 but to keep lowering springs to a max of 1" with them, but this was on BMW forum. I have the Eibach sportline on the stock shocks/struts, I asked for the prokit springs but they mis-quoted me and put on sportline and wouldn't fix it without it costing me. And now it sits too low for my preferences, and I hate the factory shocks/struts, too soft for me here in Edmonton, Canada especially with all of our potholes, and crappy roads, which have made them worse. Before they put on the lowering springs I measured about a 2.5" gap on all four wheels, and a 6.7" ground clearance from the side skirts, now the gap is 3/4"/front, 1/2"/rear with 5.5" ground clearance, which is still good to barely clear most curbs and parking stops. These measurements are not exact, but the back is slightly lower than the front now. I could accept this height if it wasn't for the soft factory shocks/struts making potholes and sewer drains to harsh, and hitting the bump stops that had to be shaved for the lowering springs.

 

[James3spearchucker]

You said that you have the stock springs with the B6, how much did it lower or raise the car? I have read that the stiffer B6 will raise the car due to this, and found a mention that you can put lowering springs on the B6 but to keep lowering springs to a max of 1" with them, but this was on BMW forum. I have the Eibach sportline on the stock shocks/struts, I asked for the prokit springs but they mis-quoted me and put on sportline and wouldn't fix it without it costing me. And now it sits too low for my preferences, and I hate the factory shocks/struts, too soft for me here in Edmonton, Canada especially with all of our potholes, and crappy roads, which have made them worse. Before they put on the lowering springs I measured about a 2.5" gap on all four wheels, and a 6.7" ground clearance from the side skirts, now the gap is 3/4"/front, 1/2"/rear with 5.5" ground clearance, which is still good to barely clear most curbs and parking stops. These measurements are not exact, but the back is slightly lower than the front now. I could accept this height if it wasn't for the soft factory shocks/struts making potholes and sewer drains to harsh, and hitting the bump stops that had to be shaved for the lowering springs.

I guess the B6(Summit)aka B8(Tire Rack) Bilsteins or Koni would suit you best. You could send email to verify with either company for your application.

I want to like my car and don't really care what others think so an inch less wheel gap is not going to help me as much as a new paint job will. Also I go on offroad trails and have traveled to really strange places where intersections cause your front to scrape(certain places in California). Personally I am still not sold on Bilstein long term quality from the comfort perspective. I think they keep the gas charge in them but small bumps in road do not get absorbed later in the shock life. I will try B4 Bilstein(twin tube) or Koni next time. If I had the money I might give KW a whirl but they are 3k and pricey. I did see air ride is available on Summit website for 1.1k per "axle".

 

[gtrac]

I bought a set of B6 struts and shocks for my 2017 Civix LX sedan last year. I finally got around to installing them today. Unfortunately, the diameter of the struts were larger than the diameter of the holes in the hub carrier and I could not get them installed. I bought the front struts from Summit and the rear shocks from Rock Auto. Now it is too late to return them. I am going to put them up for sale in the marketplace later when I find the time. I bought the 752 (L) and 769 (R) for the fronts and a pair of the 743's for the rear.

 

[James3spearchucker]

I bought a set of B6 struts and shocks for my 2017 Civix LX sedan last year. I finally got around to installing them today. Unfortunately, the diameter of the struts were larger than the diameter of the holes in the hub carrier and I could not get them installed. I bought the front struts from Summit and the rear shocks from Rock Auto. Now it is too late to return them. I am going to put them up for sale in the marketplace later when I find the time. I bought the 752 (L) and 769 (R) for the fronts and a pair of the 743's for the rear.

Hey I am just now seeing this. Yes I noticed that hatchbacks and sedans differ on a few things. All hatches were made in England and sedans were made in USA/Canada. The rear shocks will work. But you need matching front and rear. Have you contacted Bilstein to ask if they can swap out the fronts to a spec that will fit? You will suffer hassle selling them but can get them sold quickly. I liked the ride when stock also. You could go stock and have a friend buy them wholesale for you: someone with an account with the dealership..

 

[gtrac]

Hey I am just now seeing this. Yes I noticed that hatchbacks and sedans differ on a few things. All hatches were made in England and sedans were made in USA/Canada. The rear shocks will work. But you need matching front and rear. Have you contacted Bilstein to ask if they can swap out the fronts to a spec that will fit? You will suffer hassle selling them but can get them sold quickly. I liked the ride when stock also. You could go stock and have a friend buy them wholesale for you: someone with an account with the dealership..

Thanks for the info James. I was thinking that the smaller spindle was due to the fact that I have the 2 liter NA engine. Yes, it sucks that I am stuck with the shocks now. I have the rear shocks as well. I scratched up the paint on the front strut when I tried to install them and I do not think the seller will let me return them. I think I will try to sell them on the forum here.

 

[Longislandcivic]

Do you want to sell the rear shocks?

Thanks for the info James. I was thinking that the smaller spindle was due to the fact that I have the 2 liter NA engine. Yes, it sucks that I am stuck with the shocks now. I have the rear shocks as well. I scratched up the paint on the front strut when I tried to install them and I do not think the seller will let me return them. I think I will try to sell them on the forum here.

 

[James3spearchucker]

Thanks for the info James. I was thinking that the smaller spindle was due to the fact that I have the 2 liter NA engine. Yes, it sucks that I am stuck with the shocks now. I have the rear shocks as well. I scratched up the paint on the front strut when I tried to install them and I do not think the seller will let me return them. I think I will try to sell them on the forum here.

You should not have too much trouble selling them. Struts are a wear item and it have proven a little challenging to find the Bilstein shocks and struts in stock. As for the paint, I imagine the yellow to be easily matched if you spray a little Rustoleum yellow from a can or with a light paint brushing and a brushable pint of it. I doubt that they will notice but maybe they will. That is very honest of you to be honest about things. I think I sanded down the paint some to make it easier to fit but the masonry chisel is really the most important tool to get the knuckle to open up a bit. Cheers!

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