Shocking Journey: The Fascinating Construction of a Bilstein Damper

Рет қаралды 109,875

Күн бұрын

►Bilstein has been a leader in suspension technology and design since their first damper was fitted to a Mercedes seventy years ago. In that time, they've supported Le Mans winners, damped the fastest cars in the world, and provided an expansive aftermarket for any vehicle owner chasing more performance. Each of their products is hand-assembled in a methodical process that ensures each damper, whether an OE-spec B4 unit or an electronically adjustable B16, is perfectly suited for consistent, world-class performance.
FCP Euro has a wonderful relationship with Bilstein, and on our last trip to Germany, we were invited to tour the facility and see how their world-famous yellow struts are made.
Shop FCP Euro Online - www.fcpeuro.com/?...
Shop Bilstein at FCP Euro Online - www.fcpeuro.com/Parts/?...
0:00 Facility Introduction
2:00 Turning Raw Materials Into Damper Tubes
8:00 Forming The Strut Bodies
12:30 Testing An Assembled B16 Damper
16:48 Taking A Dip In Protective Coating
17:43 Setting Up The Shim Stack
19:35 Painting The Bilstein Yellow & Final Assembly
SUBSCRIBE: kzfaq.info?sub_c...

Пікірлер: 111

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Head over to FCPEuro.com to Save on Bilstein Products NOW During our Steering and Suspension Sale $10 off $199 | $25 off $499 | $50 off $999 using the code SPRINGSAVE at Checkout!

@timothywing8604 Ай бұрын

"We didn't drill it, we mill it. Its a rhyme." That was the most German humor, ever! lol.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Warms your heart haha

@bizzfo Ай бұрын

We didn’t cut it, we mullet

@robpeters5204 Ай бұрын

I live in Ontario Canada and I absolutely love my Bilstein B1 front struts, rear shocks and coils on my 81 Mercury Capri I built back in 83-84! It lowered my car approx 21/2” in the front and 2” in back. You can jump on the front fender and it will bounce just slightly while stopping very quick. Yet it rides as smooth as glass. It corners like a roller coaster. The faster I drive the smoother it seems to be. I’ve never had any issues with them leaking or anything. I would put Bilstein products on everything I drive!

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Amazing being able to have products from the same company on a build from the early 80s, and something as modern as a brand new supercar.

@pmpwiz Ай бұрын

I've had Bilstein 5100s in my Jeep for 10 years now. No problems. But the damn thing rides like a friggin tank!

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

On a jeep - riding like a tank is the goal right? 😅

@pmpwiz Ай бұрын

@@fcpeuro-media Which is why I chose them. No regrets.

@vector150 Ай бұрын

Bilstein struts and shocks best ever.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Certainly top of our list - why we use them on so many of our project cars!

@rkan2 Ай бұрын

Would be interesting to see a tour of the Sachs factory, e.g. the old BOGE factory in Eitorf before they ship it to somewhere asia after next year!

@funtdrv Ай бұрын

Thank you for making this video! Was a fascinating look at the process. As a frequent visitor to Germany, I enjoyed the humor and friendliness of the crew at Bilstein immensely!

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

They were great hosts, we really enjoyed our time there - as we asked a whole lot of questions along the way haha

@Aungie-vz1be Ай бұрын

I always enjoyed the performance of Bilstein's on my vehicles and now thanks to you and Bilstein, I'm able to see what efforts go in to making the perfect shock. I have B8 performance on my F30 diesel and they perform absolutely wonderful.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Glad to hear you've been a Bilstein fan - now a chance to see some of the secret sauce!

@8vfury Ай бұрын

Amazing to see how hand built this suspension is! pretty cool

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed seeing the process!

@michaelbegay9573 Ай бұрын

The difference between a $30-40 discount parts shock to a $200-300 premium/race shock..😳💪😉

@mikeedwards1768 Ай бұрын

worth every penny

@EthanRoyMedia Ай бұрын

It's so interesting to see how they are made, thanks for making this video!

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Our pleasure Ethan!

@edwardlong189 Ай бұрын

I love Bilstein shocks.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

We love that you love Bilstein shocks. Thanks for watching!

@kdao1007 Ай бұрын

I love Bilstein. Thanks for doing these factory tour. Really impressive and keep them coming

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Glad you like it - we've got more on the way!

@albertcars4001 Ай бұрын

The best shock's, no doubt.

@gj91471 Ай бұрын

For the price, the best..... But the ultimate is Reiger

@user-so8zq4wv8v Ай бұрын

B6’s on my bench right now for install… can’t wait. TY

@phillxor Ай бұрын

I had B6 on my last car - so good. Watching this video got me searching parts sites immediately for B6 the current car.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

What are you putting them on!?

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

@@phillxor you know where to look! Running a coupon code that can be used on them right now as well for another week!

@phillxor Ай бұрын

@@fcpeuro-media unfortunately the $244 USD shipping to Australia puts a real sting on the purchase. Do you have cheaper shipping options?

@phillxor Ай бұрын

@@fcpeuro-media Mk5 Golf R32.

@alherch Ай бұрын

The labeling process looks like the process for cigars, very interesting. Thank you for sharing this, amazing that there are so many steps done by humans. Amazing!

@stevej5342 Ай бұрын

Very enjoyable. Nice indepth and featuring actual people! Nice to know the shocks I just installed may have been made by them.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Always a cool moment to connect an actual human with something we sometimes forget was every made by someone!

@Billydevito Ай бұрын

All three of my vehicles have Bilstein Shocks. 1. Mercedes Vito 2. VW Transporter T5 4 motion 3. C4 ZR-1 Corvette with the FX3 adjustables. I prefer the quality. They cost more, but they’re worth it. 👍

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Very very into that line-up Billy!

@TechScottBrown Ай бұрын

Great video, thanks for sharing!

@PatricioGarcia1973 Ай бұрын

have been using Bilstein since trying them on my e21. One of the best mods money wise for handling

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

They are a great option at their price point - this trip gave us even more appreciation for what they do!

@chandne Ай бұрын

The real beauty of Bilstein is the valving! Well, when it comes to their shocks anyway.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

We have a SUPER in depth video coming out soon diving deep into the Shim process Bilstein goes through for each of the their dampers. Excited to share it.

@ghostwrench2292 Ай бұрын

Love the video! B8’s on my Volvo and B14 on my Mini R53. I love how my cars handle on Bilstein dampers!

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

We're sure that R53 is on rails!

@tailsneon556 Ай бұрын

Interesting to see the people and place where the B6s that are on my W204 came from

@gordonarmstrong1077 Ай бұрын

Hopefully they're busy assembling the damptronic B6 set I've been waiting on since before Christmas.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

🤔If it was through us - we can always make a call....

@ThunderbirdRocket Ай бұрын

Nice 👍🏼 !

@r0ckworthy Ай бұрын

I had an older 1997 Ford Ranger pickup truck a few years ago. When I bought it, all 4 shocks were old, worn-out, and leaking. I went on Amazon and ordered 4 new Bilstein 4100 series shocks for about $300. I was able to very easily install all 4 shocks myself in my driveway, because there was only 2 bolts holding each shock in place. I went for a test drive as soon as I was done replacing the shocks, and I went off-road and started laughing like a little kid because the difference was night-and-day! What a difference having good shocks make!!!! I couldn't believe the difference. I will use Billsteins for every vehicle now, if I can.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Really nothing more important than what connects your wheels (and you) to the ground!

@r0ckworthy Ай бұрын

@@fcpeuro-media Yeah shocks are probably the most important factor in ride quality and handling, both on-road and off-road. You can have an old worn out piece of crap truck, but with new, even value-level Bilsteins on there, everything's fine.

@speakersteve9586 Ай бұрын

The need to make some fronts for my 2000 Accord..

@SonicProvocateur Ай бұрын

How does Bilstein handle custom valved coilover units like RUF and the cup cars? Through the hand welding/assembly desk?

@octymocty132 Ай бұрын

I'm Motor sports Company I use to work we got these by the bucket load sriped down rebuild with different oils and gasses and slapped another 250 on top on each one as sold like hot cakes

@useryggfdcc Ай бұрын

Bilstein 6112 and Bilstein 5100 on my Taco working flawless roading.

@crozwayne Ай бұрын

in the mid 70s till 83 I worked as a tool setter in the Girling factory back when we made dampers, no long gone

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Wow very cool though - I'm sure some things have changed quite a bit since then?

@SC457A Ай бұрын

There is a slim chance my Bilsteins came through there. I doubt it though, the SVT Cobra production run might not have been in that shops tasks back in 2002. Neat watching the process

@gabeesquivelLethalZR1 Ай бұрын

If you are on the oem ones, get some new ones direct from Bistein as the oem ones were made to SVT spec and not that great. Vert and Hardtop were different, I remember hardtop in my 03 and 04 were stiffer than the vert ones. 20 years plus on oems i bet its time to upgrade anyways...

@Walker71820061 Ай бұрын

Can out of warranty repairs be done? If so, how much? The right front strut threads on the shaft stripped on the first day of installation. BMW E36 W/B6 shocks/struts paired with H&R Sport/race springs & stage 2 Kmac adjustable camber plates up front.

@RobertKohut Ай бұрын

Shocking... :-)

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

huehuehue

@mk3whitewide Ай бұрын

I've always wondered how the innards move when I grip through corners on my b16s. I thought it was pure freaking magic this whole time.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

🤣Even after seeing all this, we like to think theres still a bit of magic to it all. We get really into the dark arts of suspension tuning in the next video.

@2sc458 Ай бұрын

I got Eibach Springs and Bilstein shocks on a car. That thing drove so flat in the turns. The Bilsteins were great.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Their collaboration for cup kits with Eibach are awesome!

@johnd.5601 Ай бұрын

My Mustang came with Bilstien shocks and struts. This option made my Mustang worlds different from the other suspension packages. I replaced them with some coilovers. I ripped those coilovers out and brought a new set of shocks and struts from Bilstien. They are literally far superior to any other suspension options!

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Full circle on that one! They know what theyre doing for sure - we dive deeper into the ride and handling RnD and Valving process in a future video!

@InCountry6970 Ай бұрын

A factory from 1873, making shock absorbers before cars were around, wow.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

BIlstein was originally manufacturing window fittings in this plant back in 1873! Amazing how things can change within 1 company over that many years.

@xg5zm Ай бұрын

I saw too many tubes going inside other tubes, that is for a monotube shock absorber manufacturer. 😂😂😂

@notmedicman Ай бұрын

If only they stood behind their products. One strut and one shock failed at 34 and 51 days after purchase. Retailer said Bilstein should cover and Bilstein said it should be covered by retailer return policy. Neither would cover the defect. Ended up replacing everything with a different brand. No problems for over a year with my American made suspension.

@mustangdemon87 Ай бұрын

Don't blame manufacturer for a scrappy retailer. Been using and installing bilstein for more then 20 years. Only ever had issues with warranty when it was customer damage or improper installation

@DrHumorous Ай бұрын

I have just purchased two front B6 shocks and the left one has a different (M8) top rod rectangle (to hold the rod while tightening the top nut) than the right one (M10). Is there an explanation for that?

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Not one we are familiar with - but of course something we can look up.

@DrHumorous Ай бұрын

@@fcpeuro-media Thank you for your kind attention

@justindaniel5959 Ай бұрын

Is the Bilstein B12 comfortable setup for a daily car? BMW F30…

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

The B12 is an excellent option for anyone looking to drop ride height a bit while still staying dailyable. If you have damptronic like our F30 - even better!

@ovalwingnut Ай бұрын

In a uber rush? jump to 2:00

@justinp2993 Ай бұрын

Next time can you ask them why 1 of 4 of their shocks sounds different and presumably is performing differently to the point where I question replacing it immediately? I can do this on my personal vehicles (even on personal cars the ridiculousness of changing a shock 3 times is not lost on me (old one out bilstein in, bilstein out old one back in temporarily, then replacement bilstein one in)) but on customer cars I find it nearly impossible to recommend Bilstein as a brand. Maybe the higher end products are better but the B4 B6 lines I am typically around do not seem to have any where near the quality control Bilstein used to have in the 90's early 2000's.

@spoolindsm127 Ай бұрын

Damn I've been looking at B6's for an E90 M3 and feared this might be the case. Not sure what to go with now...

@justinp2993 Ай бұрын

Are you doing the work yourself or not, if you are then there is the riskier painful way I described above. I go through it on my personal cars because frankly the Bilstein recipe is just right when they are all working. I have to imagine that Koni makes a yellow for the M3, that would be my next choice but they will generally be a little stiffer than the Bilstein. When I've driven e90 M3's they always seemed a little stiff for daily work for me depending on the local roads so a little stiffer yet with the Koni might not be the best option. IDK it's a hard decision to make and one you get to live with for a long time.@@spoolindsm127

@rybread97 Ай бұрын

@@spoolindsm127I ran KW V1 coilovers on my e90 335 xDrive, really good setup considering the inherent poor handling and stiff ride of the e90 xDrives. If you don’t want to go coilover, have you looked into bilstein b8’s? I know BimmerWorld has them for the e90 m3 for around $800

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

We can for sure share your feedback with the team there. Appreciate the insights all around!

@spoolindsm127 Ай бұрын

@@rybread97 Thanks, I've looked into V1's but general consensus seems to be they're stiff and not as comfortable as Ohlins. I know, different price range and all. But I'm budgeting upto that for ultimate street comfort. Yes I've looked at the B12 Kit (B8 + Eibach) but again, the same quality concern would exist since the B8 is essentially a shortened B6.

@nickguerra1905 Ай бұрын

mk7 jettas need those b6 shocks baby seems like it taking forever to get them or if they even will make them

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

We did talk at length with the Bilstein team about lead times and supply chain, hoping we see improvement across the board there as time goes on!

@dmcnamara9859 Ай бұрын

Cool video,but experience with Bilstein shocks ( whether gas filled hydraulic or normal hydraulic) end ride is too firm and brutal. What's the point of driving any car ( with OEM/ Aftermarket dampers) if the shocks/ struts just beat you and car structures up?

@markus9333 Ай бұрын

Bilstein very good but the best is Öhlins

@knickebien1966 Ай бұрын

2:38 Thomas Beer-Brewer? nur in Deutschland!

@7mpowerd Ай бұрын

What my Vett and c63S run.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Thats a nice combo.

@rocketsurgeon11 Ай бұрын

Would have liked to have seen how they inject the nitrogen (if any of these were gas filled). Also, VERY rare for a German company to run on a Sunday.

@ghostwrench2292 Ай бұрын

LOL. I thought that too! I thought Europeans only work like 4 days per week.

@rocketsurgeon11 Ай бұрын

@@ghostwrench2292 Nah, most work the typical 5 days. Germans in particular RARELY work on Sundays. Nothing is open, you can't do certain things...heck even semi-trucks aren't allowed to drive on highways unless they have a special permit.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

@@rocketsurgeon11 We did have issues going to the store or eating out on Sundays during our trip! haha . We show the nitrogen filling process in the next video where we dive deep into the valving of their suspension.

@rocketsurgeon11 Ай бұрын

@@fcpeuro-media OK, I want to check that out. Thanks!

@jamesr7335 Ай бұрын

Now if they could just make the B6s not start rusting within a year.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

We have a video coming out soon where we spoke with their RnD lab about some of their weather proofing and paint processes. May address some concerns!

@maxheadroom224 Ай бұрын

Yes. Unfortunately, the paint is chipping on mine only after 2 years, 10k miles.

@KarolosAthens Ай бұрын

August """

@bwhobackk Ай бұрын

The products are clearly really nice and made in a way I’ve come to expect fromGerman products. Really a shame however that in the US at least, trying to make use of their warranty is kind of an open joke in that I was told by multiple people to expect fulfillment and actual replacement to take “about three months.” Also, was told by us distributor they refuse to sell individual parts so unless I wanted rebuy the whole kit, I can’t expedite this. As an enthusiast who uses their car as a daily driver, it’s unacceptable to have to ride around on a defective blown shock unit for 90 days at least. As soon as I learned that was the case I became a customer of BC Racing instead.

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

We will bring that feedback to them from our end - always good to hear peoples experiences good and bad with companies we sell!

@firstyaid7546 Ай бұрын

In Deutschland sind diese Produkte mehr als doppelt so teuer als zb in den USA...Recht interessant oder? Da fragt man sich wie Bilstein die deutschen abzockt 😂

@fcpeuro-media Ай бұрын

Wir fragen uns, warum das so ist, was solche Preisunterschiede verursachen würde, wenn das Produkt für die Deutschen inländisch und für uns importiert ist.