# Sticky  Chevy Cruze Bilstein B6 HD Shock/Strut Review



## MB2014LT2 (Feb 23, 2015)

How much do they cost...?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

MB2014LT2 said:


> How much do they cost...?


I can't disclose the price I paid for them, but as soon as they show up on the BNR website, I'll be able to let you know. Expect somewhere in the range of $600 for all 4, give or take.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Nicely done Xtreme. Your usual high quality work. 

In the early 1990s GM started offering Bilsteins as optional on the already hot 9C1 police pursuit vehicles. As I recall they were a $200 option at the time. 

My 1999 Tahoe PPV came with Bilsteins as stock. I remember talking to an engineer at Bilstein at that time, and they made three shocks for GM to place on the GMT400s all with different jounce and rebound numbers. 

Did you by any chance obtain similar numbers for the B4, B6 and B8 models?

Would you know of the other applications that Bilstein recommends the B4, B6 and B8 for?

Do you have the Z-link rear suspension?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Tomko said:


> Nicely done Xtreme. Your usual high quality work.
> 
> In the early 1990s GM started offering Bilsteins as optional on the already hot 9C1 police pursuit vehicles. As I recall they were a $200 option at the time.
> 
> ...


Thank you. 

I don't have the numbers for the B4, but the numbers for the B6 HD (there is no B6 Comfort for the Cruze) and the B8 are:


B6 (HD) 
OEM Replacement:
Front Left: 35-171669
Front Right: 35-171676
Rear: 24-171687


B8(Sport) 
For Lowering Springs:
Front Left: 35-171690
Front Right: 35-171706
Rear: 24-171717

Courtesy of Cass23VSU4: http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/12-g...kes-nice-quality-replacement-shock-strut.html

B4 is an OEM replacement shock similar to what you'd get in a KYB Excel-G, for example. B6 HD is a sporty OEM upgrade for stock ride height vehicles. B8 is for vehicles with lowered suspension. 

I do not have Z-link rear. I contemplated adding it but it would require a new axle, and there aren't enough of these cars in junkyards for me to run out and pull an axle off of one.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

I must say that it's days like today, with ice bumps and potholes all over the road, that I truly appreciate the Z-link the most. 

The rest of the year when the road is smooth, the difference is negligible.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Once I have a spring that doesn't allow the car to lean so far it shoves the front ground effects into the ground (on a 20mph turn in my subdivison), I am excited to see how my '81 handles, as I have brand new B6 shocks as well.

While the shaft sizes weren't any different - the fact they didn't come out of the box fully compressed like the OEM front shocks came out of my car was a plus (they also weren't attached at the top)...**** of a quality product.










When the time comes, these will likely be my strut/shock of choice. 

I do with they were available for my Cavalier.


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## Davep (Apr 14, 2014)

How are you finding the Bilsteins after a couple of weeks of commuting?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Davep said:


> How are you finding the Bilsteins after a couple of weeks of commuting?


I work from home full time, but they've been excellent. I have about 200 miles on them since I installed them 2 weeks ago and the ride hasn't changed. I still have a bit more ride height in the rear than before, which is great since I have a sound system that weighed the rear down a little. Either that, or I lost a bit of ride height on the front. No complaints either way.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Here's a picture of how the car sits now. 










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## Davep (Apr 14, 2014)

I've got a 14 Canadian spec RS package which has 11mm shorter springs, re-valved struts/shocks and 18" wheels. (Mine is silver too.) With my winter steelies and snows, mine looks to sit almost identical to yours, but that is the tire gap from the snows.

I started researching Bilsteins a couple of years ago. The North American Cruze is a match for the European Astra J. For Canadian's we're better off ordering from one of the big online English sites. The USD kills us.

My car is 35 months old with only 34M kms on it (20M miles). No rattling end-links yet, but they must be reaching the end of their lifespan. The struts/shocks are still excellent, but I have owned cars with Bilsteins on them going back to the 1970's. Back then, Bilsteins were sold as high-pressure gas shocks, and easily lifted a car an inch or so. To compress a strut, you had to brace it on the floor and really put your weight into it. I vaguely remember being told back then that Bilsteins had 80lbs gas preload pressure on them. But I have no idea if that is accurate or not. On my rally car, I could race along the most gawd forsaken rutted and pot holed forest roads with no problems. The big teams had fancy coilover suspension setups. The rest of us just sourced out the heaviest stock spring we could find, and bolt in a set of Bilsteins.

I'm thinking about Bilsteins strictly for the fun of it. My struts/shocks will last years more, but why wait to change them and probably dump the car a year later? Better to change them now.

One of the Bilstein sites I found said the B8 was good for cars lowered 10-60 mm, but I will probably go for B6's


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## Butt_Dragger0903 (Aug 29, 2013)

Hello! I'm quite excited that you posted this thread only a few weeks ago, as I've been researching struts/shocks to replace on my 2012 LT 130K miles.

Question: If I get the B4s, do I need to find corresponding Strut Mounts from Billstein? Or I can throw on some from Monroe, etc.. I cannot find Strut Mounts from Billstein, and I imagine if I do, they might be a tad overpriced.

Thoughts?

I'll report back how I feel about the B4s.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Butt_Dragger0903 said:


> Hello! I'm quite excited that you posted this thread only a few weeks ago, as I've been researching struts/shocks to replace on my 2012 LT 130K miles.
> 
> Question: If I get the B4s, do I need to find corresponding Strut Mounts from Billstein? Or I can throw on some from Monroe, etc.. I cannot find Strut Mounts from Billstein, and I imagine if I do, they might be a tad overpriced.
> 
> ...


The B4 shocks will feel just like stock; there should be no difference aside from the difference between your worn shocks and new OEM-like shocks. I'd recommend moving up to the B6 HD. 

You can use any strut mounts with the shocks; OEM, Monroe, KYB.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Thanks for your review.

Surprisingly after 100K on my odometer my suspension still feels comfortable and I have no complaints. But I know its only a matter of time in which they will need to be replaced.

Out of curiosity, who manufactures the OE struts?


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## carbon02 (Feb 25, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I can't disclose the price I paid for them, but as soon as they show up on the BNR website, I'll be able to let you know. Expect somewhere in the range of $600 for all 4, give or take.


I just noticed that these part number 35-171669, 35-171676, and 24-171687 have been added to the Rockauto catalog, but the items are listed notify me when available. I'm guessing these are made in Germany based on Extreme's boxes, and stock has not reached US warehouses yet. 

I was a bit surprised to see Rockauto carrying performance part numbers for shocks. It will be interesting to see how competitive they might be for pricing.

Seems like a lot of updates in the catalog for suspension options. Since the first Cruze in North America is now 5-6 years old, it makes sense that these items are now being listed in the aftermarket.


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## Poje (Aug 2, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I can't disclose the price I paid for them, but as soon as they show up on the BNR website, I'll be able to let you know. Expect somewhere in the range of $600 for all 4, give or take.


I was off the website when you asked me those questions about Bilstein, lol, sorry. (In other thread)

Sadly, the front Strut dont exist anymore, unless you find them in stock somewhere :

Bilstein, Innovation and High Quality Since 1873


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> B6 (HD)
> 
> Rear: 24-171687


did you reuse the shock mounts or bought new ones?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

boraz said:


> did you reuse the shock mounts or bought new ones?


I bought new 

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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I bought new
> 
> Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk


What was the reasoning for the new shock mounts? I have yet to install mine and previous experience with shocks was buy shock and reuse metal mounts as they really did not wear out. Is there something I need to look at to determine whether or not I should buy? Do you have a part # as well.

2nd Question - did you use any Camber bolts? I purchased a set of Eibach bolts with my struts and wanted to know if they are needed or not.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Blasirl said:


> What was the reasoning for the new shock mounts? I have yet to install mine and previous experience with shocks was buy shock and reuse metal mounts as they really did not wear out. Is there something I need to look at to determine whether or not I should buy? Do you have a part # as well.
> 
> 2nd Question - did you use any Camber bolts? I purchased a set of Eibach bolts with my struts and wanted to know if they are needed or not.


The fronts needed to be done as they were worn. The rears, I replaced just to make sure. They weren't bad, but I didn't want to find out they were bad in 10k miles and have to pull the shocks off again. Not that it's difficult on the rear. 

I bought the mounts from rockauto, KYB for the rear ands Monroe for the front

I did not use camber bolts and don't believe they are necessary on stock springs. 


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

XtremeRevolution said:


> The fronts needed to be done as they were worn. The rears, I replaced just to make sure. They weren't bad, but I didn't want to find out they were bad in 10k miles and have to pull the shocks off again. Not that it's difficult on the rear.
> 
> I bought the mounts from rockauto, KYB for the rear ands Monroe for the front
> 
> ...


I forgot you went stock height. I have Eibach springs and the sport struts.


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## southerncruze (Jun 5, 2013)

Hello all,
I had a shop install Bilstein B6 front struts yesterday on my 2013 Cruze Eco. Everything went well except the top cap/plate bottoms out on the large self locking nut on top of the strut and the cap does not rest on the struct tower. I did a lot of searching and others have similar problems with coil over installations, but I could find no post to why this happens or a solution.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I have only put on a few miles since the installation, but ride quality and handling are greatly improved, the car has 55,000 miles on it and the original struts were worn out.

Thanks, Phil


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## jt_trouble (Jun 15, 2017)

OP. Did you just reuse the OE spring on the fronts? Or did you buy the whole assembly?

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## southerncruze (Jun 5, 2013)

I used the stock Eco springs.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Did you replace the front strut mounts as part of the install? I did. 

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## southerncruze (Jun 5, 2013)

Yes I used a new GM mount.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

The shop used the wrong nut. The nut that goes on top of the first strut plate is much thinner than the one I see under there. I managed to dig up a picture of the nut you're supposed to be using. The nut pointed in the picture is much thinner than the one I'm seeing on your strut.


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## southerncruze (Jun 5, 2013)

Thanks Extreme,
They used the lock nut that came with Bilsteine's. I still have the flat nuts. I suppose the springs have to be compressed if I remove the lock nut to install the flat one while strut is in the car and can that be done without removing the hole strut?
Thank you for your help.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Just adding my $.02:

Since my Bilstein sport struts are warranted for life, I chose to purchase the rest of the needed parts that also has a lifetime warranty. Moog seems to be the only manufacturer to offer this warranty for the parts I needed.

You will need 2ea K160334 – these are the Cruze specific strut mounts – they are hard to locate for some reason, but the Moog Tech Hotline verified them for me.









You will need 2ea K150275 if you have standard struts – These are stock strut bellows (wrongly listed as strut mounts everywhere I looked), this is not needed if you have sport struts.









You will need 2ea K750519 – These are the end links









You will need 1ea K200843 – These are front sway bar bushings









I have no affiliation with DST, but Tammy was of great assistance in pricing and locating parts for me. I ended up purchasing just the Strut Mounts from DST as the others were cheaper on Amazon. This is the only place that seems to have access to these mounts.

Tammy Johnson 
Customer Service Specialist
1-888-406-2330 - Live Chat Support








EDIT: Feel free to move this to a better position, it took me awhile to edit so it is interrupting a conversation.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

southerncruze said:


> Thanks Extreme,
> They used the lock nut that came with Bilsteine's. I still have the flat nuts. I suppose the springs have to be compressed if I remove the lock nut to install the flat one while strut is in the car and can that be done without removing the hole strut?
> Thank you for your help.


Yeah, the locknuts go on the top plate. The flat nuts go on the bottom plate. Springs do have to be compressed to replace that nut. Removing the whole strut is just two more bolts, so I'd just remove it. 

The tough part is getting that nut tightened and the old one off. I'm not proud of my method, but it seems to have worked. Ideally, you want a special tool for that purpose (a strut nut tool). I ended up being able to sort of wedge a 15/16" wrench in there to get the original one off, and used a 15/16" socket with vice grips tightened around it to put it back on. A proper 24mm strut rod nut socket runs $50...


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

A LOT of great work/info here from ExtremeRevolution and Blasirl. Will come in handy when time to replace shocks/struts. Thank you!

I vote for Sticky-fication...anyone second the motion?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Done. 

To add to my review, I was very happy to see how these performed when I was towing my boat. I have a 14' Aluminum boat that weighs about 900 pounds boat + trailer. Since last year, I've added these shocks, a rear sway bar, front and rear upper strut tower bars, and a rear lower chassis bar. 

The improvement in towing capability is incredible. The Cruze had no problem towing the boat before, but now, I don't even feel that the trailer is behind me. Even going over railroad tracks or big bumps, there is no "pogo" effect on the rear (due to the weight shift of the trailer), and the chassis remains very stable. I'm still very happy I spent the money on these shocks, and would encourage everyone else to save a little more and get these instead of OE replacements.


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## southerncruze (Jun 5, 2013)

"Springs do have to be compressed to replace that nut. Removing the whole strut is just two more bolts, so I'd just remove it>"

Yea, that is why I had a shop do them, I don't' have a spring compressor or a tool to hold the strut and tighten the nut. Live and learn.

Thanks, Again


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## southerncruze (Jun 5, 2013)

I wonder if I installed a Ultra Racing front tower brace to take up the gap between the tall self locking nut and the top plate if that would solve my problem or would the plate still bottom out on the nut?[h=1][/h]


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

southerncruze said:


> I wonder if I installed a Ultra Racing front tower brace to take up the gap between the tall self locking nut and the top plate if that would solve my problem or would the plate still bottom out on the nut?[h=1][/h]


I don't know. Others have installed these shocks without the problem you're running into. I don't think the UR front tower brace will fix it. 

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## southerncruze (Jun 5, 2013)

Update on my Bilstein B6 structs. I took my car back to the shop that installed my struts. They removed the top plate and the large lock nut that came with the struts and installed the the thin stock nut to the top of the strut( as ExtremeRevolution suggested) and reinstalled the strut cap. They did not have to compress the springs , the weight of the car kept everything in place.

I highly recommend these shocks/struts, they make a remarkable improvement in ride and handling


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I bought new
> 
> Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk


for the rears, did you reuse the old dustboot, buy new, or go without?

i reused the boot cuz it has that rubber bumpstop?? at the top....

i didnt expect the bumpstops to be there, mine arent in great shape, wouldve preferred to change them out at the same time, sigh.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

I reused the boot and bump stops on the rear. 

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## wasney (Mar 3, 2015)

I found the Repair Manual for the shock and strut install and plan on ordering these this weekend. However, does anyone know the strut top nut torque is? I purchased the tool and would like to do a write up/how to. Not the one on the plate as that's in the repair instructions, but the nut under that on the mounts? Also, do they come with new shock absorber nuts? It calls for new ones.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

wasney said:


> I found the Repair Manual for the shock and strut install and plan on ordering these this weekend. However, does anyone know the strut top nut torque is? I purchased the tool and would like to do a write up/how to. Not the one on the plate as that's in the repair instructions, but the nut under that on the mounts? Also, do they come with new shock absorber nuts? It calls for new ones.


Torque specs can be found here:

Chevrolet Cruze Repair Manual: Front Suspension - Suspension


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## wasney (Mar 3, 2015)

I have a couple questions. Sorry if the first one is really newbish. lol


1. When it says 66 lb/ft + 60 Degrees does that mean you torque it to to 66 lb/ft and then just eyeball 60 degrees more of a turn? Sorry, never used torque specs.


2. Do new rear bolts come with the shock absorbers? It calls for new ones.


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## wasney (Mar 3, 2015)

Blasirl said:


> Just adding my $.02:
> 
> Since my Bilstein sport struts are warranted for life, I chose to purchase the rest of the needed parts that also has a lifetime warranty. Moog seems to be the only manufacturer to offer this warranty for the parts I needed.
> 
> ...


Just to confirm, these are the extras you can get to go with everything? I recently got new mounts and links but debating on ordering the covers and bushings.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

wasney said:


> I have a couple questions. Sorry if the first one is really newbish. lol
> 
> 
> 1. When it says 66 lb/ft + 60 Degrees does that mean you torque it to to 66 lb/ft and then just eyeball 60 degrees more of a turn? Sorry, never used torque specs.
> ...


Yep, eyeball 60 degrees and you'll be good. Give or take 5 degrees won't make a difference. 

Shocks do not come with bolts. That said, I re-used mine. 



wasney said:


> Just to confirm, these are the extras you can get to go with everything? I recently got new mounts and links but debating on ordering the covers and bushings.


Don't bother with front sway bar bushings, they're already poly from the factory. No need to replace the accordion boots either. Definitely replace the mounts and the sway bar linkages.


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## wasney (Mar 3, 2015)

Since I recently replaced the front mounts and links I'll leave them. I have the moog ones. But I'll order mounts for the rear.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

wasney said:


> Since I recently replaced the front mounts and links I'll leave them. I have the moog ones. But I'll order mounts for the rear.


I replaced my rear mounts, but honestly did not feel that I needed to. The rears looked fine.


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## wasney (Mar 3, 2015)

XtremeRevolution said:


> wasney said:
> 
> 
> > Since I recently replaced the front mounts and links I'll leave them. I have the moog ones. But I'll order mounts for the rear.
> ...


So is it not worth the $40 for now? Lol


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## wasney (Mar 3, 2015)

All the noise I hear is in the front. Might go to the pawn shop and pick up an impact with a small compressor


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## 10488 (Apr 16, 2013)

The factory shocks on many cars are a compromise. People want good handling but without the tautness that comes will it. This is really noticeable in pickup trucks where people complain about the rough ride. Upgrading from the factory shocks to a pair of quality shocks can have a big difference in the ride and handling characteristics of a vehicle. For those of us who want a better handling vehicle, assuming everything else in the suspension is up to specs, replacing the shocks with a pair of upgraded shocks built for the kind of ride you want can be a great upgrade, especially if you need them anyways. 


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

W9awx said:


> The factory shocks on many cars are a compromise. People want good handling but without the tautness that comes will it.


The only one I've really noticed that isn't are the struts on my Volt - the weight of the batteries keep the CG low enough to where the dampers can be much softer, while retaining very minimal body roll.

It's quite exceptional, really.


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## 10488 (Apr 16, 2013)

MP81 said:


> The only one I've really noticed that isn't are the struts on my Volt - the weight of the batteries keep the CG low enough to where the dampers can be much softer, while retaining very minimal body roll.
> 
> It's quite exceptional, really.


I've heard the same thing from a couple of other Volt owners. 


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

CG doesn't really have anything to do with dampers though. Curb weight would, but that would only suggest stiffer dampers. I think you're confusing dampers with roll bars. 

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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

XtremeRevolution said:


> CG doesn't really have anything to do with dampers though. Curb weight would, but that would only suggest stiffer dampers. I think you're confusing dampers with roll bars.


No, I'm not. 

Softer dampers will allow for more body roll (assuming the springs are matched accordingly). 

If your CG is at a typical height, you will incur more body roll than if your CG is much closer to the ground, with the same dampers, because your rotational moment will be greater.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

MP81 said:


> No, I'm not.
> 
> Softer dampers will allow for more body roll (assuming the springs are matched accordingly).
> 
> If your CG is at a typical height, you will incur more body roll than if your CG is much closer to the ground, with the same dampers, because your rotational moment will be greater.


The problem is, dampers do more than just control body roll. They also control the rate of suspension travel which, in a vehicle that weighs a few hundred pounds more, would require stiffer shocks, if anything, due to the requirement for stiffer springs to support the additional weight. Shocks still have to be capable of controlling unsprung weight so you don't bottom out over road anomalies like I did in the Cruze when mine had 60k miles on them. The effect on body roll is a secondary benefit changing shock absorber stiffness and will only be noticed in sharp, split-second maneuvers. Exiting a highway on ramp, where body roll increases slowly, shocks will have little to no influence since their purpose is to control the rate of suspension compression and decompression (jounce and rebound), not the position of suspension compression. That task is given to the roll bars. Shocks control the rate of suspension travel in very rapid loads, which is why they are also known as _*shock*_ absorbers. 

Body roll is caused by the weight of the car leaning in a turn. I know you're aware of this, I'm just re-stating it for the benefit of others. Compared to driving over a bump on the highway at 70mph, the onset of body roll is much, much slower. A damper will control how quickly the body rolls, but not how much it does. Body roll occurs slowly enough that dampers don't really have much of an effect on it. At best, you'll feel less body roll for a very short period after you engage the turn, but the shock will give way to more body roll very shortly afterward. If I put my entire weight on a shock absorber off the car, it will fully compress, at a specific rate. If it will compress just under my own weight, why should we expect that it will have a consequential effect in total body roll?


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## wasney (Mar 3, 2015)

Just got my update that they are OTW. (From Cali, but idc as long as they're what I ordered lol) Should be here Thursday or sooner. Will probably get to them Sunday or the following weekend if time allows. Sadly I could not find anyone with front 1.8 springs to give me and I really don't wanna spend $100 for some springs lol. So one day I may have to take it apart to install some but I will see what I get for now from these.


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## GregoryD (Aug 11, 2013)

the z link is so heavy though, how are the shocks now? seeing as its almost 3/4 of a year since this post?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

GregoryD said:


> the z link is so heavy though, how are the shocks now? seeing as its almost 3/4 of a year since this post?


Still excellent. I very much enjoy them every day. @jblackburn can give you some impressions as well since he drove my car at Lordstown. Everything I've said about them still applies.


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## GregoryD (Aug 11, 2013)

GregoryD said:


> the z link is so heavy though, how are the shocks now? seeing as its almost 3/4 of a year since this post?


kewl, where do you live and where can I get these shocks? I'm in Canada.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

GregoryD said:


> kewl, where do you live and where can I get these shocks? I'm in Canada.


I live in Northwest Indiana, and I got the shocks from BNR, but I think their pricing is only for US orders. I don't know what the best place would be to order them from in Canada, unless you can have them shipped somewhere in the US and go pick them up. I should have a link for the product on the BNR site in the first post in this thread. I highly recommend getting these shocks. It's definitely worth the trouble and the wait.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Still excellent. I very much enjoy them every day. @*jblackburn* can give you some impressions as well since he drove my car at Lordstown. Everything I've said about them still applies.


They corner relatively flat, and they ride a bit stiff going down the road at a normal clip. However, they then shrug off massive road imperfections like potholes and dips to the point where the car mostly just glides over them unphased. Most of what you hear is just tire impact noise. I was impressed - his car handled a rough section of road more smoothly than my brand-new Gen 2 Cruze or a 2017 Honda Accord (although he has larger sidewall tires than either of those cars as well). Chucking it into a sharp corner where roads meet at ~30 mph, there was no understeer or tire squealing - it just went where pointed. A normal Eco on the Goodyear tires and stock suspension would try to crash itself. The words "confidence inspiring" would appropriately describe his upgrades to the car.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

GregoryD said:


> kewl, where do you live and where can I get these shocks? I'm in Canada.


have em on my diesel cruze

best price for canada that i found was essex distributors, was cheaper than all the us sites after ship/exch etc...


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

wasney said:


> Just to confirm, these are the extras you can get to go with everything? I recently got new mounts and links but debating on ordering the covers and bushings.


Sorry for the delay, I did not know you had asked a question and wasn't monitoring this thread - so - it looks like XR answered, but as a follow up:

The generic answer to your question is yes. The mounts though, ended up being the wrong type







and I am still waiting on the replacements. Whenever they show up, I'll list the new numbers here.

Front strut plates for 14 LT - need photos


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

Been checking around and a few places are stating Bilstein has discontinued the B6 front option? This is disheartening because I have the B6 rears and wanted to get matching fronts.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

lonewolf04 said:


> Been checking around and a few places are stating Bilstein has discontinued the B6 front option? This is disheartening because I have the B6 rears and wanted to get matching fronts.


Have you contacted BNR to see if you could get them ordered? I have a link posted in the main thread...

I had mine ordered from Germany. Took 6 weeks to get here. Well worth the wait. They might just be "discontinued" from being stocked in the US, but last I checked people could still get them.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Confirmed with BNR, they can still get them, it will just take a while for them to arrive.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

AUTOZONE CAN NOW ORDER THE B6 FRONT STRUTS!

I have been keeping an eye on the front B6 struts since I purchased the rears from Autozne back in Jan. 2017. They FINALLY have the fronts available for purchase. So this is another source to get them from locally and utilize the lifetime warranty with a lot less hassle. Before I could only ever find B4 OE or the B8 performance struts available from a local retailer.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Just an update. I drove 16 hours on the highway this past weekend on a road trip from Chicago to Duluth, MN, at 1040 miles roughly driven. These shocks handle very nicely on the highway. It was me and another guy in the car, going 50-80mph. Solid, stable ride all the way throughout. My experience has not changed since I bought them. I still strongly recommend them. They swallow up larger road anomalies and imperfections like it's nothing while sticking hard to the road in all other conditions.


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## mechguy78 (Jun 6, 2016)

Good to hear as I am still waiting on mine to come in. Last update pushed them back another couple months.


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## froyofanatic (Jul 16, 2018)

I use Bilstein B6s on my race car and they've been great.

You can send them back to Bilstein NA and they will rebuild them when they wear out. You have the option of getting them custom valved at that time too. 

Bilsteins seem to be back ordered everywhere. I don't know why. None of the guys in my series can get the shocks, and we're required to use them by rule. 

I've been considering them for my HB with the factory accessory suspension kit but they're sold out everywhere. I don't care so much about grip--the little thing sticks amazingly well as is--but I'd like some better ride control.


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## mechguy78 (Jun 6, 2016)

froyofanatic said:


> I use Bilstein B6s on my race car and they've been great.
> 
> You can send them back to Bilstein NA and they will rebuild them when they wear out. You have the option of getting them custom valved at that time too.
> 
> ...



So it’s not just an issue from my parts dealer, everyone’s having an issue with getting Bilsteins? I’ve been waiting for several months now and was told sometime in September was the new estimated ship date. I’ll be waiting on these to come in.


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## froyofanatic (Jul 16, 2018)

Anecdotally, I know a LOT of people that are waiting for them, for months. We're even considering a rule change due to lack of part availability.



mechguy78 said:


> So it’s not just an issue from my parts dealer, everyone’s having an issue with getting Bilsteins? I’ve been waiting for several months now and was told sometime in September was the new estimated ship date. I’ll be waiting on these to come in.


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## crunch21 (Jul 16, 2018)

sigh, going to add this onto my to do list for my car. on top of lightweight black rims and eventually the BNR tune.

these struts don't wreck daily commute comfiness and add to cornering? 

Would this be overkill for someone who just commutes and does on weekend drives through the mountains every other weekend? I wouldnt be sort of stupid putting something like this on if i have no intention on racing or going to the track right? Id have to assume an installation and parts bill would be around $1500


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

crunch21 said:


> sigh, going to add this onto my to do list for my car. on top of lightweight black rims and eventually the BNR tune.
> 
> these struts don't wreck daily commute comfiness and add to cornering?
> 
> Would this be overkill for someone who just commutes and does on weekend drives through the mountains every other weekend? I wouldnt be sort of stupid putting something like this on if i have no intention on racing or going to the track right? Id have to assume an installation and parts bill would be around $1500


I would have no regrets driving this car daily with these shocks. Yes you feel minor road imperfections more but you feel larger road imperfections less. They handle a lot of abuse and at stock ride height, you still have all the suspension travel you need to keep the car from feeling uncomfortable. 

Sent from my BlackBerry PRIV using Tapatalk


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## abeke (Jul 28, 2018)

Hi all, I'm thinking upgrade my shocks to B6 it's a bit pricey in my country. So can I replace for example first front pair then after sometime(1-2 months) rear shocks? In this case which is better to replace 1st?
Also I want to change strut mounts can you post here part numbers. What about springs can I use OEM with B6?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

abeke said:


> Hi all, I'm thinking upgrade my shocks to B6 it's a bit pricey in my country. So can I replace for example first front pair then after sometime(1-2 months) rear shocks? In this case which is better to replace 1st?
> Also I want to change strut mounts can you post here part numbers. What about springs can I use OEM with B6?


You can do that, just replacing front at first and then the rear. That wouldn't be a problem. 

You can use the OEM springs with the B6. 

As for strut mounts, you can use any of them, not sure what you have in your country though. Check with your parts store or dealership for that.


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## abeke (Jul 28, 2018)

XtremeRevolution said:


> You can do that, just replacing front at first and then the rear. That wouldn't be a problem.
> 
> You can use the OEM springs with the B6.
> 
> As for strut mounts, you can use any of them, not sure what you have in your country though. Check with your parts store or dealership for that.


Wow that was fast reply. For strut mounts can I replace with this one - Lemforder, PN:35312 01?


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

mechguy78 said:


> So it’s not just an issue from my parts dealer, everyone’s having an issue with getting Bilsteins? I’ve been waiting for several months now and was told sometime in September was the new estimated ship date. I’ll be waiting on these to come in.


Yikes, means I should order know in prep for replacing before winter hits I guess... Not good to hear.


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## rescueswimmer (Mar 28, 2013)

I was told from Billstein this morning not to expect the B6's for the cruze until Sometime late December, but he also said the ride would be much harsher for a daily driver and I should use the B4's 

The one thing that I can't seem to find/concerned. I have a diesel which has different part numbers from ACDELCO and KYB Excel G's which it should since the car is heavier, but MONROE/Gabriel and Billstein all use the same strut numbers for all 3 models of cruises. Anybody have any info on that. I cancelled my order from 3 months ago with Summit for the B6's and and went with the KYB's for about 170 less, I'll let you know how it works out.


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## mechguy78 (Jun 6, 2016)

Rears came in last week, last update on getting the fronts was late October.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

rescueswimmer said:


> I was told from Billstein this morning not to expect the B6's for the cruze until Sometime late December, but he also said the ride would be much harsher for a daily driver and I should use the B4's
> 
> The one thing that I can't seem to find/concerned. I have a diesel which has different part numbers from ACDELCO and KYB Excel G's which it should since the car is heavier, but MONROE/Gabriel and Billstein all use the same strut numbers for all 3 models of cruises. Anybody have any info on that. I cancelled my order from 3 months ago with Summit for the B6's and and went with the KYB's for about 170 less, I'll let you know how it works out.


I can absolutely state that the ride is not "much harsher" for the B6s on the Cruze. It is stiffer, but it feels sporty, more like a BMW, not harsh by any means. I find that I can now run the tires at OEM sidewall pressure and the ride is quite nice. 

If you're not looking for a sporty ride, the KYB shocks will do fine and will feel close to stock.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I can absolutely state that the ride is not "much harsher" for the B6s on the Cruze. It is stiffer, but it feels sporty, more like a BMW, not harsh by any means. I find that I can now run the tires at OEM sidewall pressure and the ride is quite nice.
> 
> If you're not looking for a sporty ride, the KYB shocks will do fine and will feel close to stock.


I have the Bilstein B4s on my Cruze and they ride fantastic. I can't speak for the B6, but I think the B4s ride great. They do an amazing job at soaking up the big bumps and keeping the car well controlled. I won't say it makes the Cruze ride like an old LeSabre with air shocks, its more like how luxury German cars ride. 

Paired with my Turanza Serenity Plus tires, I'd say my Cruze rides better than any of the new Cadillacs. The B4s are also about the same price as the KYB or OEM shocks/struts.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I can absolutely state that the ride is not "much harsher" for the B6s on the Cruze. It is stiffer, but it feels sporty, more like a BMW, not harsh by any means. I find that I can now run the tires at OEM sidewall pressure and the ride is quite nice.


Firm, but not crashy, is probably what I'd guess it is like.

I have the B6s on my '81 Camaro, and despite being a double wishbone and leaf spring setup (granted, all the suspension is new, but is on Hotchkis springs front/rear), it rides absolutely excellent.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

rescueswimmer said:


> I was told from Billstein this morning not to expect the B6's for the cruze until Sometime late December, but he also said the ride would be much harsher for a daily driver and I should use the B4's
> 
> The one thing that I can't seem to find/concerned. I have a diesel which has different part numbers from ACDELCO and KYB Excel G's which it should since the car is heavier, but MONROE/Gabriel and Billstein all use the same strut numbers for all 3 models of cruises. Anybody have any info on that. I cancelled my order from 3 months ago with Summit for the B6's and and went with the KYB's for about 170 less, I'll let you know how it works out.


i have the b6 rears in my diesel

ride is great

im a bilstein sackrider....have them in both my cherokees, and had them in my miata when i had it.


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## rescueswimmer (Mar 28, 2013)

jmlo96 said:


> I have the Bilstein B4s on my Cruze and they ride fantastic. I can't speak for the B6, but I think the B4s ride great. They do an amazing job at soaking up the big bumps and keeping the car well controlled. I won't say it makes the Cruze ride like an old LeSabre with air shocks, its more like how luxury German cars ride.
> 
> Paired with my Turanza Serenity Plus tires, I'd say my Cruze rides better than any of the new Cadillacs. The B4s are also about the same price as the KYB or OEM shocks/struts.


Well I installed the KYB shocks and struts the car had 120K. The KYB/GM/Bill where the only companies that had different part numbers for the diesel engine. Since the b6's and 4's where still out of stock, I went with the KYB, It rides pretty much identical to stock. It might ride just a bit smoother, what was the goal for the wife's car. Probably should have waited for the 6's to get some more improvement but with them being out of stock and a promo they were running I saved over 3/4 of the billstein cost.


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## alexpeters116 (Oct 1, 2018)

Hey there, I'm looking for an affordable (not the cheapest though) set of coilovers that'll fit my 2011 cruze diesel. Is this a good idea? anyone have any suggestions?


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

the b14 bilstien kit is 1100 if i recall. lifetime warranty, can be rebuilt many years down the road, mono tube shocks, fully adjustable ride height, designed to be lowered so no worries of a bottom out hurting the shock. 250 a corner for monotubes and springs is cheap 
https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/prod...43329616391993&SubModelId=5789794930520829581


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

pandrad61 said:


> the b14 bilstien kit is 1100 if i recall. lifetime warranty, can be rebuilt many years down the road, mono tube shocks, fully adjustable ride height, designed to be lowered so no worries of a bottom out hurting the shock. 250 a corner for monotubes and springs is cheap
> https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/prod...43329616391993&SubModelId=5789794930520829581


Daily driver even through the winter. I like all the ground clearance I have currently. With the long wait on Bilstein products its always a treat trying to get replacements it seems. Couple that with a lowered ride just makes things harder to get back on the road when it goes down since you wouldn't have an good alternative to swap in.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

lonewolf04 said:


> Daily driver even through the winter. I like all the ground clearance I have currently. With the long wait on Bilstein products its always a treat trying to get replacements it seems. Couple that with a lowered ride just makes things harder to get back on the road when it goes down since you wouldn't have an good alternative to swap in.


if you want the proper way of lowering this is it. the shocks and springs are engineered together to work as a team vs individual components. it is ride adjustable so you can always have it at the highest ride setting. replacements may take a while but you know they will always stay in business and can do quality rebuilds. today its a miracle to find a set of koni monotubes for my Daytona C/S today. only option is used and to rebuild them. once you got them your good to go. 

if your worried about winter roads why would you ever consider lowering? i would toss in B6 shocks and stock springs and leave it be.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

pandrad61 said:


> if you want the proper way of lowering this is it. the shocks and springs are engineered together to work as a team vs individual components. it is ride adjustable so you can always have it at the highest ride setting. replacements may take a while but you know they will always stay in business and can do quality rebuilds. today its a miracle to find a set of koni monotubes for my Daytona C/S today. only option is used and to rebuild them. once you got them your good to go.
> 
> if your worried about winter roads why would you ever consider lowering? i would toss in B6 shocks and stock springs and leave it be.


I'm not considering lowering. I have the B6 for the rear, getting B6 for the front seems to be the challenge. Even tried seeing what type of availability on the B14 kit was and that wasn't looking the same. Not sure what is up with Bilstein lately as far as manufacturing. Seems they are always behind. I thought it was bad when it took a month to get replacement front shocks for my truck under warranty. This has been 5x worse. Hard to give good feedback to good product when you can't get it though.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

rescueswimmer said:


> I was told from Billstein this morning not to expect the B6's for the cruze until Sometime late December, but he also said the ride would be much harsher for a daily driver and I should use the B4's
> 
> The one thing that I can't seem to find/concerned. I have a diesel which has different part numbers from ACDELCO and KYB Excel G's which it should since the car is heavier, but MONROE/Gabriel and Billstein all use the same strut numbers for all 3 models of cruises. Anybody have any info on that. I cancelled my order from 3 months ago with Summit for the B6's and and went with the KYB's for about 170 less, I'll let you know how it works out.



Any update on your Bilstien B6 order? Still been trying to order and OOS. Hoping they haven't gotten pushed back further than they already are.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Tire Rack appears to have the rear B6 struts available for purchase. Fronts are backordered.

Summit Racing lists the estimated ship date of the front struts as 12/17/18


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## rescueswimmer (Mar 28, 2013)

MP81 said:


> Tire Rack appears to have the rear B6 struts available for purchase. Fronts are backordered.
> 
> Summit Racing lists the estimated ship date of the front struts as 12/17/18



My summit order keeps getting pushed back, I have had them on order for 3 + months now. I kick my self in the ass about 8-10 months ago Tire rack listed the fronts and rears as discontinued and on clearance and they were like 100.00 Ea but only had 2 of each then when I went back about 2 weeks later they were out of stock, but its good to see they have them listed back on the sight.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

rescueswimmer said:


> My summit order keeps getting pushed back, I have had them on order for 3 + months now. I kick my self in the ass about 8-10 months ago Tire rack listed the fronts and rears as discontinued and on clearance and they were like 100.00 Ea but only had 2 of each then when I went back about 2 weeks later they were out of stock, but its good to see they have them listed back on the sight.


Ahh, so that's what they're doing. Was similar when I was watching the in-stock dates for my Dakota Digital gauges (which I had ordered through a seller on eBay, but the dates would have still aligned), and it was amazing to see how much they'd move around.


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## mechguy78 (Jun 6, 2016)

Last update for my order was mid January to get the fronts. Still patiently waiting.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

mechguy78 said:


> Last update for my order was mid January to get the fronts. Still patiently waiting.


Good to know. I guess I won't be looking for them anytime soon then. Will have been almost 2 years since I bought the rears and would like to eventually get the fronts. Kinda stupid on their part because people usually want to buy matching items for all 4 corners.


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## DECruzer (Jul 19, 2015)

Finally got both of my rear shocks. Ordered from 2 different places and it took several weeks to get them. Looks like they are directly shipped from Bilstein. Now to wait for the fronts....


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## vietnamprivatecar (Jan 24, 2019)

Thank you for sharing


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

DECruzer said:


> Finally got both of my rear shocks. Ordered from 2 different places and it took several weeks to get them. Looks like they are directly shipped from Bilstein. Now to wait for the fronts....


From the sounds from other members you are going to have a long wait... My rears are going to be blown out before I can even order a set of fronts because where I am trying to order keeps saying they're OOS.


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## mechguy78 (Jun 6, 2016)

Got an update on my order this week. Supposedly the fronts are going to start being made sometime in the beginning of next month. Still patiently waiting and hoping these come in soon.


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## DECruzer (Jul 19, 2015)

What a nice upgrade. Just changing the rear shocks made a huge difference in ride and handling. IMO Bilstein should be standard equipment with the sport suspension.


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## Wishin (Oct 9, 2018)

This is what I got from Summit Racing today, I ordered my front struts on 6/29/2018. This happens everytime I ask on the last known ship date. Keeps moving out 2 months. My rears arrived several months ago but I have not installed them yet.

"[FONT=&quot]We appreciate your recent order. This email is to notify you that part numbers BSN-35-171669 and BSN-35-171676 are currently out of stock. Based on the most recent information from our supplier, these parts are expected to arrive in stock for shipment on 04/30/2019."[/FONT]


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Wishin said:


> This is what I got from Summit Racing today, I ordered my front struts on 6/29/2018. This happens everytime I ask on the last known ship date. Keeps moving out 2 months. My rears arrived several months ago but I have not installed them yet.
> 
> "We appreciate your recent order. This email is to notify you that part numbers BSN-35-171669 and BSN-35-171676 are currently out of stock. Based on the most recent information from our supplier, these parts are expected to arrive in stock for shipment on 04/30/2019."


Honestly, you should have ordered them from BNR like I recommended. They at least are able to reach out to their sales rep and find an actual order date instead of just sitting on the order and waiting for it to arrive.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

I'm still kind of curious why Bilstein drags their feet on making/shipping them.

I had my Camaros' B6s from Tire Rack in two days.


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## mechguy78 (Jun 6, 2016)

Per the last update on my order, the Cruze struts were considered a slow mover.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

mechguy78 said:


> Per the last update on my order, the Cruze struts were considered a slow mover.


Since many sites won't place an order if they are not in stock, ya, they won't move anywhere if there is no stock. Tell them you know a **** ton of people wanting to order and some places won't place an order if there is no stock.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Again, this is why I recommended you contact BNR. BNR had them drop shipped to me straight from Germany. Stock is irrelevant.


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## MOTO13 (Mar 26, 2014)

On the advice of MP81, I ordered from Tire rack. Got them in like 2 days. They had the shocks in stock and shipped the same day.


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## mechguy78 (Jun 6, 2016)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Again, this is why I recommended you contact BNR. BNR had them drop shipped to me straight from Germany. Stock is irrelevant.


That is what I’m currently waiting on, a drop ship from Bilstein. The fronts still need to be made to fulfill my order.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Again, this is why I recommended you contact BNR. BNR had them drop shipped to me straight from Germany. Stock is irrelevant.


As much as you think stock is irrelevant, it is. I don't want to pay for a product and wait a whole year to receive it. That is absurd and bad business.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

lonewolf04 said:


> As much as you think stock is irrelevant, it is. I don't want to pay for a product and wait a whole year to receive it. That is absurd and bad business.


I waited 7 weeks.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I waited 7 weeks.


mechguy78 has been waiting since last march for bilstein to build and drop ship his fronts. 1 year tomorrow. I haven't had issues with rears being available, only the fronts.


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## Wishin (Oct 9, 2018)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Honestly, you should have ordered them from BNR like I recommended. They at least are able to reach out to their sales rep and find an actual order date instead of just sitting on the order and waiting for it to arrive.


Summit ordered them for me and they are direct shipped from Bilstein, is this different than BNR? Bilstein just isn't making them from what I can tell. Perhaps BNR has more clout with Bilstein but I have my doubts. The BNR site only offers a waiting list option, not an order option. I think this is more of a Bilstein issue.

Summit hands my questions off the the drop ship team and they do contact Bilstein and that is where the date comes from, Bilstein.


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## mechguy78 (Jun 6, 2016)

I have contacted many vendors for these in the past month, both here in the states and overseas, the issue is definitely with Bilstein. I cancelled my order for the fronts 2 weeks ago as the manufacture date has been shifted all the way back to the end of July for the time being due to issues at their manufacturing facility in Germany. 

I did did however manage to find a pair of the fronts in stock and grabbed them up immediately. Sure I paid more for them but I now have them. Working on getting them in now, along with all the other items that have been piling up for the last 13 months.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

For what they're charging for those you think it would be on their list to get it done. Big price jump between even Bilstein's OE style vs the B6.


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## mechguy78 (Jun 6, 2016)

lonewolf04 said:


> For what they're charging for those you think it would be on their list to get it done. Big price jump between even Bilstein's OE style vs the B6.


You would think but then again, one of their reasons for not starting production of these yet is that they are slow movers. This falls back on them as most of the vendors I contacted would not take an order for these, they just wanted to put me on a waiting list until they were available. 

Bilstein themselves did did offer me to get the B4 struts instead as these were the readily available option for the Cruze. Needless to say I declined on that option. In the mean time I will continue to keep contact with them on availability.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

mechguy78 said:


> lonewolf04 said:
> 
> 
> > For what they're charging for those you think it would be on their list to get it done. Big price jump between even Bilstein's OE style vs the B6.
> ...


It’s a huge fail on Bilstein. They think they’re a slow mover but when their suppliers won’t let you order because they’re out of stock it turns into a black hole of, we don’t have orders so why should we make them. Customers can’t buy if it’s not available, retail 101.


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## Herbadoo (May 11, 2019)

what size rims and tire do you have on there Xtreme??


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Herbadoo said:


> what size rims and tire do you have on there Xtreme??


Stock eco wheels, 17x7, with Bridgestone Turanza serenity plus tires, 235/50/17. 

Sent from my BlackBerry Key2 using Tapatalk


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## drgubi (Apr 8, 2019)

If someone is looking to modestly lower their height while still retaining (perhaps even upgrading) comfort, would the Bilstein B8 with lowering springs be the idea? From what I gather coilovers can lower just fine but they reduce overall comfort.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## sailurman (Sep 29, 2016)

I'm needing the replacement also, but I just dumped $1K into shock for my 2005 2500 Yukon XL(w/Z55 autoride.....:wtf. Can't complain too much since I found a deal at less than cost.


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## sailurman (Sep 29, 2016)

drgubi said:


> If someone is looking to modestly lower their height while still retaining (perhaps even upgrading) comfort, would the Bilstein B8 with lowering springs be the idea? From what I gather coilovers can lower just fine but they reduce overall comfort.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's what I'm looking at. https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/prod...47350073079756&SubModelId=8519632900274427092


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## Wishin (Oct 9, 2018)

The latest response from Summit Racing. This is the first time they gave me a different delivery date for each of the part numbers. Maybe that means the date might mean something. I'm not getting optimistic however.



> I apologize about the delay in response and would like to thank you for waiting patiently. I spoke to Pat over at the vendor and it is not that they have to receive so many orders to manufacture these for you, they are actually missing an important material that is used in making these, and are waiting on that product to come in. They have been on a large manufacturing backorder since last year sometime and have been trying to play catch-up since then. No matter how many of these we would put on order here would cause us to get them to you any sooner. I apologize. The dates have changed to: BSN-35-171669 (08/20), BSN-35-171676 (09/29). If you have anymore questions or concerns feel free to contact us via email, Live Chat or phone.
> 
> We appreciate your business.
> Thank you,
> ...


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## Wishin (Oct 9, 2018)

The latest from Summit. My current struts and shocks are holding up okay, I'll probably install the rear Bilstein's soon, do my front brakes and hope the front struts hold up until I finally get these. This will be a minimum of 17 months on back-order.



> We appreciate your recent order. This email is to notify you that part numbers BSN-35-171669 and BSN-35-171676 are currently out of stock. Based on the most recent information from our supplier, these parts are expected to arrive in stock for shipment on 11/29/2019.
> 
> We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions in regard to this issue, please feel free to contact us athttps://help.summitracing.com/app/.
> 
> ...


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

Wishin said:


> The latest from Summit. My current struts and shocks are holding up okay, I'll probably install the rear Bilstein's soon, do my front brakes and hope the front struts hold up until I finally get these. This will be a minimum of 17 months on back-order.


Absolutely asinine... Bilstein just needs to drop the B6 on this application. I've been looking to order for 2.5 years and can't in good conscious buy the fronts and just by my luck there is an early failure and need to get a replacement. Not waiting 2.5-3 years for a replacement. Love Bilstein for truck shocks, but this is downright stupid.


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## Wishin (Oct 9, 2018)

Apparently the dates they gave me really do mean nothing. I just got an email at the beginning of the weekend informing me that BSN-35-171669 has shipped. Back in July they said this strut would ship on 8/20, then last week said it would be 11/29, but it just shipped on 8/30. It shipped from Bilstein so Summit has no tracking number. Back in July they said the other part number would ship in late Sept. so hopefully it will be along in a month or so.


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## Wishin (Oct 9, 2018)

I just got the tracking number for the 2nd strut. One year and five months since ordering my shocks and struts, I'll have them all. Crazy, I'll probably never order Bilstein anything that is not in stock again.


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

I have just replaced my front struts with a pair of Bilstein B4's. On the left side this appears to have thrown the camber on the left wheel from minus 1 deg to plus 0.5 deg. I measured this using my digital level on the side of the tire (avoiding the part that bulges at the bottom).

My before measurements on both sides correspond with the measurement taken by Firestone on their lifetime check about 500 miles ago. My numbers were within 0.2 deg of what Firestone found.

As I am on the hairy edge of being out of spec I think I will hog out the bottom hole on the new shock just a touch and reassemble.

I will aim to get about minus 0.5 to minus 1.0. The right side did not change.


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

Ok so the above message appears to be bogus.

I took the car for a drive around some tight curves and the new B4's definitely drive better than with the old 117k mile GM shocks. I then bought it back to my shop and checked the camber with the same digital level.

First I checked the rear wheels as I have not made any changes.. my level agreed with Firestone's printout of the camber to within 0.2 deg.

I then checked the fronts and although I have not made any changes since the POSITIVE camber was noted, the front wheels were both at NEGATIVE 1.0 deg!!!.. Like WTF?

So either something changed during my test drive or (more likely) I was reading the level as a positive camber when in fact it was negative. Now I really don't usually make such bonehead mistakes but it is the most likely reason.

So the B4 Bilsteins out of the box appear to give about a -1.0deg camber which is within spec.

I will go and have a crisis while I forgive myself for being human!


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

Here are a few pics people might find handy.

Instead of using a spring compressor I used two ratchet straps.. Seemed to work well.

To remove/replace the strut tower nuts I simply welded an old socket to the side of one the right size. This allowed me to use a torque wrench to tighten the nut while holding the shaft still with the torx bit thru the top of the socket. If you use the torque wrench at 90 degrees to the center line of the two sockets the extra torque length does not have to be computed.. in other words whatever value you put into the TW will be the torque set on the nut.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Does the Cruze not have any kind of "easy" method of retention of the center shaft?

When I changed out the front struts on my brother's Mustang earlier this year, the stock center shafts basically had a slot for a flathead screwdriver. The Koni yellows have a hex, which makes it a lot easier to hold it still.


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

Thats what the torx bit is for. The trouble is the nut sits low in the well of the strut tower so its hard to get an open ended wrench on it. Thats why I used the sockets welded together.

Now you could use a single socket (with the torx bit through the square hole) then use a pipe wrench to turn the outside of the socket. No good way to torque the nut doing that though.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Gotcha, this is on the new struts?

I think they actually make a socket that is open in the center to allow an allen wrench to fit. The Konis on the Mustang were too tall, especially since its an actual hex up top, but they only needed to go to 85 ft-lbs - pretty easy to do (guesstimating) with the 24mm wrench for the nut, due to its length.


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

Yes there is a special tool but it was easy for me to knock something up from my box of old sockets. The GM shocks and the B4 Bilsteins are basically the same.. The GM shocks use a T50 torx and the B4"s use a T45. The new shock to body nut is smaller than the 24mm (across) flats than the original.. I managed to spin them tight with an impact wrench and not bother holding the shaft.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

So even stock is better than the garbage I had to deal with:









The Konis were far superior to that:


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

Yeah, the torx holds the shaft securely.. That screwdriver slot is way shoddy.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

It worked on one side, but the other side it started to "strip out" to the point where the screwdriver (a big long one, I must add) would just pop right out. My big M18 impact would just spin the nut and shaft together too - I got lucky that my air compressor was a bit low on air that gave my IR air impact just the right combination of slower speed and the proper ugga-duggas to pop it loose from the shaft.


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## Wishin (Oct 9, 2018)

I've had the B6 shocks and struts on my Cruze for over 2 years now. They are great, just a touch firmer than the original units and I expect they will last the rest of the life of the car. Hopefully the car lasts as long as I want it to.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

I'm still running the Bilsteins if anyone's curious. They're still flawless. A little noisy in the back when it's below 10 degrees F, but otherwise they've been flawless.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I'm still running the Bilsteins if anyone's curious. They're still flawless. A little noisy in the back when it's below 10 degrees F, but otherwise they've been flawless.


Better yet, the rear shocks are suddenly available again (Summit Racing and Tire Rack both have them in stock, though the latter you'll have to search by the PN, as they don't show them as fitting the Cruze for whatever reason).

I bought a pair, just for when the time comes. I'll grab the struts later (or now, haven't decided).


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Also, I've been doing A LOT of towing latey. We just moved in August and I've been hauling my 6x10 aluminum trailer. That's 580 pounds of trailer and typically around 500-1100 pounds of stuff in it. These shocks drastically improved how the car handled the trailer.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

That's good to hear - should deal with the extra ~3-400 lbs the Diesel lugs around at all times.


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## Bvogt (Dec 19, 2021)

Has anyone installed the B14 (PSS) kit for the CtD?


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

Hello everyone i am pretty sure i will be ordering the b4s as the 6s are not available anymore and i dont need the extra love i think the 4s will greatly improve the drive over the never changed 200k miles struts that have been thru 2 crashes now lol. 

My question is besides new mounts do i need those front strut bumpers ? i cant seem to find any pictures or youtube videos if anyone replaced those or not. I plan on keeping original springs unless i need to get new ones. 

Thanks.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

916LTZCRZ said:


> Hello everyone i am pretty sure i will be ordering the b4s as the 6s are not available anymore and i dont need the extra love i think the 4s will greatly improve the drive over the never changed 200k miles struts that have been thru 2 crashes now lol.
> 
> My question is besides new mounts do i need those front strut bumpers ? i cant seem to find any pictures or youtube videos if anyone replaced those or not. I plan on keeping original springs unless i need to get new ones.
> 
> Thanks.


What do you mean? Can you take a picture of them?


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Bvogt said:


> Has anyone installed the B14 (PSS) kit for the CtD?


I've installed the B8's on my 1.4


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

Blasirl said:


> What do you mean? Can you take a picture of them?


i think i found it here is a picture from another member



https://www.cruzetalk.com/attachments/gopr0009-jpg.14671/


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## Bvogt (Dec 19, 2021)




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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

916LTZCRZ said:


> Hello everyone i am pretty sure i will be ordering the b4s as the 6s are not available anymore and i dont need the extra love i think the 4s will greatly improve the drive over the never changed 200k miles struts that have been thru 2 crashes now lol.
> 
> My question is besides new mounts do i need those front strut bumpers ? i cant seem to find any pictures or youtube videos if anyone replaced those or not. I plan on keeping original springs unless i need to get new ones.
> 
> Thanks.


The B6s are still available - I just bought a pair of the rear shocks off Tire Rack, since they were previously unobtanium and I didn't feel like needing them later and not being able to get them.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

916LTZCRZ said:


> i think i found it here is a picture from another member
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.cruzetalk.com/attachments/gopr0009-jpg.14671/


front strut bumpers ?


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## Bvogt (Dec 19, 2021)

MP81 said:


> The B6s are still available - I just bought a pair of the rear shocks off Tire Rack, since they were previously unobtanium and I didn't feel like needing them later and not being able to get them.


Are the 6’s just an upgraded stock version?


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Bvogt said:


> Are the 6’s just an upgraded stock version?


I would consider them to be "Stock Plus". They're meant for stock ride height, but provide a pretty sizeable performance improvement without being very detrimental to the ride (if at all).


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## Bvogt (Dec 19, 2021)

That sounds good, I was looking at the kits, but there are all lowering. Not the ride I would like. Everyone says they are pretty rough. My body has been through enough (my physical one)


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

MP81 said:


> The B6s are still available - I just bought a pair of the rear shocks off Tire Rack, since they were previously unobtanium and I didn't feel like needing them later and not being able to get them.


yeah i saw on another shock site they were up for purchase. I dont know if i want the extra height in the back considering what xtreme said about them being taller by a little. and i have them on a ranger in the backs and i dont need if i need that much on the cruze. I think i will get the b4 set its only 314 for all 4. and i will use money spent on b6 set on strut bars that should more than compensate in performance difference for the upgrade to b6 over the 4s.


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

Blasirl said:


> front strut bumpers ?


that or the bumper/shock absorber bump stop dont know correct name


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

916LTZCRZ said:


> yeah i saw on another shock site they were up for purchase. I dont know if i want the extra height in the back considering what xtreme said about them being taller by a little. and i have them on a ranger in the backs and i dont need if i need that much on the cruze. I think i will get the b4 set its only 314 for all 4. and i will use money spent on b6 set on strut bars that should more than compensate in performance difference for the upgrade to b6 over the 4s.


Struts/shocks don't control height - the springs do. The B6 struts/shocks will make more of a difference in performance than the strut bars could ever hope to. Both would be the best, but we're talking two very different things here. The strut bars just help stiffen up the chassis a little whereas the struts/shocks affect dampening and thus are completely dynamic in the change they create.

I just bought a RF B6 strut and will be keeping an eye out for an LF strut when I see one because those appear to backordered now. Go figure!


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## Bvogt (Dec 19, 2021)

MP81 said:


> Struts/shocks don't control height - the springs do. The B6 struts/shocks will make more of a difference in performance than the strut bars could ever hope to. Both would be the best, but we're talking two very different things here. The strut bars just help stiffen up the chassis a little whereas the struts/shocks affect dampening and thus are completely dynamic in the change they create.
> 
> I just bought a RF B6 strut and will be keeping an eye out for an LF strut when I see one because those appear to backordered now. Go figure!


I saw the same thing on tire rack. How do they only have rights? Are people not replacing/ordering them in pairs? Maybe the factory workers who make the lefts are in strike…🤔


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

916LTZCRZ said:


> that or the bumper/shock absorber bump stop dont know correct name


Yes you should keep the bump stops. Some have shaved them, but I have not. They are your travel limiters that keep the suspension from hitting metal to metal.


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

MP81 said:


> Struts/shocks don't control height - the springs do. The B6 struts/shocks will make more of a difference in performance than the strut bars could ever hope to. Both would be the best, but we're talking two very different things here. The strut bars just help stiffen up the chassis a little whereas the struts/shocks affect dampening and thus are completely dynamic in the change they create.
> 
> I just bought a RF B6 strut and will be keeping an eye out for an LF strut when I see one because those appear to backordered now. Go figure!


i thought i read xtreme saying it increased his height and they were longer by a couple millis. but for the price of them on tire rack im just going to do it big lol for 119 for both rears thats a great deal the other site i was on wanted 247 for the pair haha. ordering them now. im doing the work myself anyways so buy a few mounts and dampers im good!

thats why i love this forum we gain knowledge from eachother +


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

119 for each


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Ah yes, I do see that now - I expect that's just an initial gain and likely will drop down back to normal over time as it settles.


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## Bvogt (Dec 19, 2021)

I think this thread is solely responsible for the depleted supply of B6’s…


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Bvogt said:


> I think this thread is solely responsible for the depleted supply of B6’s…


Specifically the shocks and LF struts, apparently.


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

may 8th next expected shipments thats what ive been told by sales and one n/a on next supply....waiting game now


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Good to know. I'll be keeping an eye out for an LF to complete the set.


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## Bluelight (Jan 17, 2018)

I ended up going for a set of the B4's. They were quite a bit cheaper, and I could get them now, instead of getting 3/4 of them now.


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

You guys I just ordered the 2nd to last B6 hd on shocksurplus. They have ONE left. Get it quick!


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Rock Auto has both fronts in stock now. Already had the RF, just bought the LF, so now I have the full set ready to go.


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

Nice I ordered the left and the bnr intake spacer. I ported my intake so I lost that low end pull that the Cruze was nice at for a 4 cylinder so looking forward to seeing difference as all reviews said they could tell an immediate difference in the low end throttle pull and gas pedal connection. I’ll get the right later and the rears, new mounts for front and rear and new absorbers for front going to make that a summer project so I can handle these CA hills better on the tight roads. I got the strut bar already pretty excited to see handling improve like xtreme stated in the original post!


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

Hello All. I have purchased all struts and rear shocks. I will be putting them together when the rest of the mounting and suspension parts arrive. @XtremeRevolution I read on your original posts that you ("did not install") the bumb stops as the b6 have built in jounce bumpers. I am double checking based on your expertise that i dont need to install them. i did not order them from rockauto but i can if i need to install those.


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## 916LTZCRZ (Nov 13, 2019)

i found the answer one of the boxes had install instructions and they are built in the strut. excited to slap the babies on!


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