[raajks]

Car: VW Polo GT TDi

I have been debating on which would be the best setup to go for,
My driving ranges on the following road conditions
1) Track days
2) B roads
3) Smooth high ways
4) Gravel / Semi gravel roads

Needless to say, my driving is spirited to say the least.

What I am looking for from the suspension is
1) Make cornering explorations fun
2) Be versatile in varied road conditions
3) Has to be strong to withstand the abuse

Price is not a deciding factor for me but the fun and the driving aspects of the suspension would orient the buying decision!

Seeking the help of the gurus here!

Mods: I looked around for a comparison thread but could you find one. If you do find one that I could have missed, please merge!

[Akshay1234]

Bilstein B14 is a coilover if I'm not mistaken, so it is the B6 you may need springs with. With B6 + Eibach lowering springs you will be making the ride stiffer and the car a bit less practical, but yes the handling and stability will be much better. The B14s being coilovers will be able to keep you ride similar to stock but make the cornering, etc better. And you can adjust the lowering and find a height that you like. But these are more than twice the price of the B6s.

Honestly if you are not looking to lower the car just get B6s with the stock springs. The handling will improve a fair amount and the car will still be practical. Not to mention the remap and brake upgrade you can get along with them in the price of B14s.

[brraj]

Was enquiring petes bangalore for a demo vehicle to check Bilstein but sadly no test drives like what red rooster does.

[raajks]

Thanks Akshay, I am orienting towards the B14 as I dont want to lower the car.
While the remapification can be considered checked

The intent is to make the car more stable at high cornering speeds.
GTO's post on Polo R2 with its "All disk brake set-up" has been very encouraging.

[BackInTheFold]

Originally Posted by raajks

Thanks Akshay, I am orienting towards the B14 as I dont want to lower the car.
While the remapification can be considered checked

The intent is to make the car more stable at high cornering speeds.
GTO's post on Polo R2 with its "All disk brake set-up" has been very encouraging.

Just wanted to point out that using the stock springs with B6's will retain the GC and not lower the car, while giving you most of the benefits you desire. I briefly had Eibach springs + Bilstein's in an erstwhile ride (Audi A4) and soon reverted to just the Bilstein's - they did most of the work in eliminating "dive" and "squat" and helped corner like the car was on rails.

I believe Santoshbhat has the B6's with stock springs on his Laura. He has written about them on his thread. Why don't you PM him for some impressions? I understand that the rides are different, but you might still get some useful inputs.

[azeemhafiz]

Originally Posted by raajks

Thanks Akshay, I am orienting towards the B14 as I dont want to lower the car.
While the remapification can be considered checked

The intent is to make the car more stable at high cornering speeds.
GTO's post on Polo R2 with its "All disk brake set-up" has been very encouraging.

I am pretty certain you mean B6. B14 comes with springs, are twice as expensive and will require you to lower the car.

[aah78]

If you don't want too much lowering, then the Bilstein B6's should pair well with the Eibach springs.

The B14s being coil-overs will substantially lower the car. This setup will probably be good for track use but coil-overs, generally, are harsh for regular road use even at the softest settings.

See if you like the Eibach Pro-System kit. It includes matched Eibach springs and I think they use Bilstein/Sachs shocks.

They have a Plus kits that also include sway bars but you'll have to check availability for the Polo.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by raajks

Thanks Akshay, I am orienting towards the B14 as I dont want to lower the car.
While the remapification can be considered checked

The intent is to make the car more stable at high cornering speeds.
GTO's post on Polo R2 with its "All disk brake set-up" has been very encouraging.

You mean the B6s right? Get those with stock springs.

With a remap this car will be pretty quick, do make a thread on it.

[megazoid]

Originally Posted by raajks

Car: VW Polo GT TDi

What did you finally decide on? Please update.

[raajks]

I am planning on going for the B16 for the Polo GT TDi

The details are as follows,
Volkswagen Polo (6R) 1.4 B16 PSS9 Coilover
Bilstein number or Part number: 48-168229
Type: Bilstein B16

Reason:
I want something that is more than a B6,
When I sat in the B14's of megazoid's Polo GT TDi, I found the rebound rate to be high on the b-roads.

B16s would offer adjustable rebounds.
Once I get it, I am planning on experimenting with the settings.

[bosporus]

Originally Posted by raajks

I am planning on going for the B16 for the Polo GT TDi

The details are as follows,
Volkswagen Polo (6R) 1.4 B16 PSS9 Coilover
Bilstein number or Part number: 48-168229
Type: Bilstein B16

Reason:
I want something that is more than a B6,
When I sat in the B14's of megazoid's Polo GT TDi, I found the rebound rate to be high on the b-roads.

B16s would offer adjustable rebounds.
Once I get it, I am planning on experimenting with the settings.

Did you have them installed? How's the ride? Would be great if you could share your experience across a variety of driving conditions.

Also, how much did they cost you?

[Prabhu]

Guys,

I'm planning to buy Bilstein B6 shocks for my Vento TDI (1.6L, 2012 manufactured). Since Pete's is the only authorized dealer in India, I have emailed them my requirement. Surprisingly they quoted Rs 1,06,000/- including H&R springs and mentioned that GC would be lowered by 30-35 mm. Since I don't want to buy H&R springs along with B6 shocks, I have asked them to give me the price without them. The customer support representative called me back and told that currently Bilstein does not allow them to sell B6 shocks without H&R springs. I told them clearly that I don't want to lower the GC of my car hence I want to use the stock springs, but they are not ready to sell without H&R springs. I don't know how the B6 sale is tied up with some other brand springs. I don't understand the marketing strategy of Bilstein if this is true.

Hence I have searched online and found out below Bilstein part numbers based on Euro spec Vento TDI - POLO (6R, 6C):

Front: 35-168560, BILSTEIN - B6 SPORT
Rear : 24-067898, BILSTEIN - B6 SPORT

Please let me know whether the above part numbers are correct.

Also I have found a sellers on ebay(UK) who can ship the shocks internationally, please check the below links and let me know if I can go ahead with the purchase and fit these in a local garage:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bilstein-B...8AAOSwyQtVgSLt

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bilstein-B...item4d2e5c5e09

[devilwearsprada]

Originally Posted by prabhu

Guys,

I'm planning to buy Bilstein B6 shocks for my Vento TDI (1.6L, 2012 manufactured). Since Pete's is the only authorized dealer in India, I have emailed them my requirement. Surprisingly they quoted Rs 1,06,000/- including H&R springs and mentioned that GC would be lowered by 30-35 mm. Since I don't want to buy H&R springs along with B6 shocks, I have asked them to give me the price without them. The customer support representative called me back and told that currently Bilstein does not allow them to sell B6 shocks without H&R springs. I told them clearly that I don't want to lower the GC of my car hence I want to use the stock springs, but they are not ready to sell without H&R springs. I don't know how the B6 sale is tied up with some other brand springs. I don't understand the marketing strategy of Bilstein if this is true.


Also I have found a sellers on ebay(UK) who can ship the shocks internationally, please check the below links and let me know if I can go ahead with the purchase and fit these in a local garage:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bilstein-B...8AAOSwyQtVgSLt

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bilstein-B...item4d2e5c5e09

Well, the policy sounds like a pushover just to sell the springs along but I would recommend you upgrade the springs too.
However, you can contact the nearest Pete's dealer and double enquire or just get KW or Koni Struts. Direct Imports work well too.
You can also check Car Fantasy. A couple of friends have ordered from there.

[Gannu_1]

I wanted to change the shocks on my GT to the B6 as well and found that Pete’s is the lone official retailer for Bilstein in the country (listed in Bilstein Germany’s website as well) and the charges were high (almost 2x). And the warranty offered was 2 years instead of the lifetime warranty offered globally by Bilstein. The B4 comes with a 2 year warranty from them. The only gripe being sending the shocks back to them in the event of a replacement claim - rare but can’t be ruled out.

Purchasing from those eBay UK links will set you back by 455.9 GBP (46k INR) + PayPal charges. Duties will be levied additionally. Here’s a link from eBay Germany cheaper by 13k INR - 475.4 Euros (33.6k) inclusive of shipping from Germany. Ask the seller to attach the MSDS (material safety data sheet) along with the shipment in a pouch. Here’s the link if he doesn’t have it.

As for the lowering springs, buy it only if you need a lowered stance. VW sells the OEM lowering springs from Eibach. Depending on the car’s front axle load, you have 3 different sets you can purchase. For the 105 hp TDI, the front axle load is 940 kg.


(Source: VW)

And the relevant part number is 6R0071677B as per Partsbase (link).

Amazon France has the kit for 245 Euros (17k INR) shipped to India inclusive of customs duties. Sweet deal IMO.

[Prabhu]

Finally my Bilstein B6 suspension arrived from Germany few days back. I have ordered the suspension from ebay Germany - http://www.ebay.de/itm/261827343434
Thanks to Gannu for providing the information. Overall buying experience is good. The product was packaged well and delivered through DHL to india. Up on arrival in India, the package was handed over to Foreign post office, Mumbai. Customs clearance was done in 3 days. Three days later, the package reached delivery office(Local post office) Hyderabad. Total shipping time was approximately 25 days. It costed me 49k including customs duty. Seller attached material safety data sheet to the shipment upon my request.

Cost of the suspension including shipping charges : 35,453/-
Custom duty : 13,608/-

- Prabhu