[rageshgr]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Bilsteins or Konis are the way to go. If you can get someone to carry it back from the UK this site is good -

http://bilstein.suspensiondirect.co....6R-1.6_TDi.jsp

This is assuming the Vento will be able to fit the same shocks as the Polo.

Otherwise also do look online for these Koni shocks. The part number for front is 8741-1548 and for rear is 80-2815.

Sorry to quote an old post, but this website serms to offer great prices. A set of B6 come for just 41k. Does that mean it cost extra 35k for customs and shipping?

And one more doubt. B8 is similarly priced. Is it better than B6 but very hard?

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by rageshgr

Sorry to quote an old post, but this website serms to offer great prices. A set of B6 come for just 41k. Does that mean it cost extra 35k for customs and shipping?

And one more doubt. B8 is similarly priced. Is it better than B6 but very hard?

B8 is more for lowered cars, or people who want stiffer shocks than B6. Yes shipping will be 10-15k at least, customs is approx 35% for automobile parts.

[rageshgr]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

B8 is more for lowered cars, or people who want stiffer shocks than B6. Yes shipping will be 10-15k at least, customs is approx 35% for automobile parts.

Yes Akshay, I tried checking out now. For India, shipping is 20K. Customs, as per you wouod be 14k. That comes to exactly a whopping 75K as suspected

[sudeep.pandya]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

I have changed the rear struts to TRW in my i20 . The bounciness has reduced to a great extent and the rear does not wallow that much when pushed into corners. Although the ride quality is not superb it has improved quite a lot at the rear . Will change the front one also after they reach end of life

Hi Sir,

How are the struts performing in your i20? I have the 2012 Crdi version, I am sure it can be used in mine too.

Now that you have been using it from last 18 months, can we have a quick review? Also, need your guidance regarding part number and vendor details.

Thanks!

[Dr.Naren]

I had changed both front and rear shocks on SX4 to TRW. Initially I was happy with handling. But after running 10K KM, the rear shocks have gone bad. There is oil leak and the shocks are almost drenched in oil. My OE shocks had average life of 80K KM.

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

I had changed both front and rear shocks on SX4 to TRW. Initially I was happy with handling. But after running 10K KM, the rear shocks have gone bad. There is oil leak and the shocks are almost drenched in oil. My OE shocks had average life of 80K KM.

That is not good. Even in Vento, TRW rear shocks have gone bad early in two instances that I am aware of. 14K in one car; details on that are available online.

Frankly, while taking a glance at these TRW shocks, the build quality and finished seemed subpar. The TRW parts available in most other countries, seem better in quality.

On that note, VW made in India shocks look similarly bad too. The situation is pretty bad.

P.S. That damper in the pics seems to be defective, as they usually do not leak this much. I got one replaced in warranty from VW, that also suffered a similar fate. Do not drive the car much, if at all, and get it fixed as soon as possible. As you may know, this can be dangerous, if the car is driven around unfixed, for you and as well as other road users.

[coolboy007]

After completing 60k kms in my Vento and experimenting with multiple shock absorbers, i can say with authority that the OEM gabriel made in India shocks are absolutely pathetic when it comes to quality and pathetic when it comes to performance as well.

The front OEM shocks these days in Polo/Vento are oil damped and while they are good for providing ride quality, the are soft/soggy and contribute to poor cornering, braking etc. I had switched to new OEM Gabriel VW shocks and TRW shocks around 24-25k kms back and while the TRW performed brilliantly without any leak or loss of damping ability, these front oem shocks again went bust in just 22k kms. Was reading a fellow member's thread about Bilstein in Polo and he mentioned that at 12k kms, his dampers had just 30% life remaining, am not surprised at all. My front two dampers were so soft that i could push the piston inside with 1 finger, the left one was knocking as well.

Researched a lot and managed to get hold of Sachs front shocks for Polo - part no: 314717 and rear 310 980. The front were made in Germany and rear were made in Spain costing 8600 and 7200 respectively, all are gas charged and oriented towards handling as they are designed for euro spec cars.

The front shocks are just brilliant and really feel like a german product, there is no bobbing or nose dive during braking and the steering response has also sharpened a lot, they are silent in their operation and the ride is great as well. The car does not bounce over speed breakers and the pitching nose heavy tendency associated with Polo/Vento is gone now, this is more evident with 1.6 TDI due to the heavy engine. The car feels so eager to change directions and the body roll is superbly controlled now.

The rear shocks are good too but since they were for Polo, the piston rod was a bit shorter than stock. A member faced similar issue with B6 for Vento, the shorter piston runs out of travel over speed breakers and undulations and causes the stock like rear thud which is very irritating, the only way out is to opt for Polo's rear coil springs which am not doing. Would have to get them removed and sell it off on olx to some polo owner.

Wish i could keep the rear Sachs too since they were so good, the rear TRW'S have done 25k kms and help up pretty well, the rebound damping on one shock was weak so would replace with another new TRW set. The only issue with TRW's was that after clocking 22-23k kms, they became a bit noisy over potholes, nothing apart from that.

Had also replaced ball joints Lemforder, strut mounts (oem), bearing (oem) and link rod (TRW JTS393), the car never felt so good to drive and now my Vento is good for its shot to 85-90k kms when i would sell it off. Special thanks to bhpian halfbythecode for endowing me with so much info about Vento's suspension.

Please if you change your shocks, do not go for oem made in India VW shocks, they are utter crap and these are one of the reason why reviewers these days do not sing praises about Vento/Rapid's handling, these shocks manage to mess it all up.

The car has become so flat over undulations that these days my F30 seems bouncy and a bit irritating due to the soft rear, would have to shell out 60-70k for its Bilstein's now., the Germans have an issue with suspension tuning for India, they go too soft or too stiff, just can not get the right balance like a humble 10L Fiesta.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

After completing 60k kms in my Vento and experimenting with multiple shock absorbers, i can say with authority that the OEM gabriel made in India shocks are absolutely pathetic when it comes to quality and pathetic when it comes to performance as well.

Hey, thank you for the update my friend.
Perfect timing as I am going next week for my car's 75K servicing. My front shocker mounts have play so I was planning on getting those changed and my front left shocker had minor leakage so was thinking of getting it changed as well. I am also really confused with all the options and did not really want the Indian made one's but was not confident about any other alternatives as well.

Can you please help me from where did you source your Sachs front springs?
Also where did you get these fitted? The reason I ask this is, while changing shocks there could be some other stuff that might need change that particular workshop might not have that stuff with them.

I am thinking that I will get my mounts changed at the service center and the get the shocks changed from outside with Sachs then.

Thanks

Rachit

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Researched a lot and managed to get hold of Sachs front shocks for Polo - part no: 314717 and rear 310 980. The front were made in Germany and rear were made in Spain costing 8600 and 7200 respectively, all are gas charged and oriented towards handling as they are designed for euro spec cars.

The rear shocks are good too but since they were for Polo, the piston rod was a bit shorter than stock. A member faced similar issue with B6 for Vento, the shorter piston runs out of travel over speed breakers and undulations and causes the stock like rear thud which is very irritating, the only way out is to opt for Polo's rear coil springs which am not doing. Would have to get them removed and sell it off on olx to some polo owner.

The only issue with TRW's was that after clocking 22-23k kms, they became a bit noisy over potholes, nothing apart from that.

Thanks for the update Coolboy007!

1) Is Rs 8600 the cost of 1 piece or 2 pieces?

2) Did you check with Sachs whether they had struts for the Vento? If not, it's surprising since the same is sold in Russia, UAE etc!

3)With 43k on the clock, the ride has become very bouncy and I don't feel confident cornering at high speeds any more! And I'm totally confused about the TRW's! Your's seem to be shot within 25k km compared to the stock 35k km! Would love to go for Bilstiens B6, but I just can't imagine spending close to 50-60k on a depreciating asset. Would love to finish it off with the Sachs if possible!

[styx71]

Mods - Could't find an appropriate thread to post this question. If there is one, kindly move this post to the appropriate one.

Question : If the aftermarket shock absorbers are shorter than the stock ones - say by 1 cm, does the ground clearance reduce by as much?
Could someone please clarify on this.

Thanks!

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Can you please help me from where did you source your Sachs front springs?
Also where did you get these fitted? The reason I ask this is, while changing shocks there could be some other stuff that might need change that particular workshop might not have that stuff with them.

Hi Rachit, i did change the front shock absorbers along with the strut mounts and the bearing that sits inside the mount as my car had done 60k kms. OEM parts from Lemforder are available on spareshub and all these mounts/bearings are made in germany and the service support of this site is very good, have a look or drop them a mail.

I sourced the shocks from Metro spares, Malviya Nagar and i think i got them for 8600-8900 for a pair, the part no is 314 717, spares hub did not have the part in stock then, the online site does throw in a 6 month warranty on Sachs shocks, so its a good option.

I am thinking that I will get my mounts changed at the service center and the get the shocks changed from outside with Sachs then.
Thanks
Rachit

No need to do that buddy, just get the health of your lower control arm bushings and stabilizer link/link rod checked at VW workshop. Get the lemforder mounts, bearings from spares hub and get every thing changed at one go from outside, why pay labour and waste your time twice for it. Ping me if you need any help.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Thanks for the update Coolboy007!
1) Is Rs 8600 the cost of 1 piece or 2 pieces?
2) Did you check with Sachs whether they had struts for the Vento? If not, it's surprising since the same is sold in Russia, UAE etc!

8600 or 8900 was the cost for a pair, as i told Rachit above, even spares hub now has stock for it and they also offer a 6 month warranty on Sachs shocks, so it is a good idea to buy from them. The front shocks are made in germany and tuned for european conditions, they are firm and extremely well damped.

My guy could not source rear shocks for Vento but spares hub gave me a part number that was 556 268 and costed 7.5k which when i checked online were for VW Bora, i was happy with TRW so far and then cost was 3.8k, so i stuck with them. I intend to drive the car for another 35-40k kms and this set up should last fine now, the rear TRW's were not shot on my car, damping on 1 shock was weak but i have an ocd for such things, so got them changed, we do spend like crazy on our cars.

If your car has become bouncy, your shocks may have become very weak, do get the strut mounts and bearings changed at the front when you do it, costs 2.5-3.0 k and makes sense to get them changed at 45k kms when you are dismantling the front suspension, get the health of lower arm bushings + stabilizer link rod checked for any play. The link rod makes a huge difference on how your car handles.

Originally Posted by styx71

Question : If the aftermarket shock absorbers are shorter than the stock ones - say by 1 cm, does the ground clearance reduce by as much?
Could someone please clarify on this.
Thanks!

Have no clue about that buddy but i think the car would be lowered and you may face issues with the car. Sachs shocks for Polo were shorter for Vento by around 2 cm and i started facing the irritating thump on speed breakers.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

.


8600 or 8900 was the cost for a pair, as i told Rachit above, even spares hub now has stock for it and they also offer a 6 month warranty on Sachs shocks, so it is a good idea to buy from them. The front shocks are made in germany and tuned for european conditions, they are firm and extremely well damped.

My guy could not source rear shocks for Vento but spares hub gave me a part number that was 556 268 and costed 7.5k which when i checked online were for VW Bora, i was happy with TRW so far and then cost was 3.8k, so i stuck with them. I intend to drive the car for another 35-40k kms and this set up should last fine now, the rear TRW's were not shot on my car, damping on 1 shock was weak but i have an ocd for such things, so got them changed, we do spend like crazy on our cars.
.

I happened to contact Spares hub yesterday. They said that they have suspended the sales of the Sachs struts as there are complains of installing them. They advised me to go for the TRWs instead.

[halfbytecode]

The Sachs equivalent to the rear shock dampers, in my car, seems to be 310 981. OE part number 6R0 513 025 A.

http://m.bestpartstore.co.uk/1224121

coolboy007 installed 310 980, which turned out to be shorter in length.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by halfbytecode

The Sachs equivalent to the rear shock dampers, in my car, seems to be 310 981. OE part number 6R0 513 025 A.

http://m.bestpartstore.co.uk/1224121

coolboy007 installed 310 980, which turned out to be shorter in length.

Nice!
Is this the strut for the sports chassis or for the regular Vento?

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Nice!
Is this the strut for the sports chassis or for the regular Vento?

Well actually this is a mess. I think the OEM front dampers are rated for normal suspension, the rear dampers for sports suspension, and the entire suspension setup is called heavy-duty suspension, for the cars manufactured earlier.

Anyhow, these Sachs ones may work for your cars too, if they have softer suspension, considering the front ones work fine in coolboy007's car.