Any aftermarket OEM strut/shock options?

[chi123]

Looking to see what aftermarket options are out there to replace the stock struts and shocks. My girlfriend will be driving the car so I'm not looking to lower it. Have two S4's. I'm running the Bilstein B8 shocks and H&R springs on one, other is stock and suspension is clunking. Will the Bilstein B8 shocks work with OEM springs? I remembered there being B6 shocks to work with OEM springs but no longer see them available anywhere. I found KYB shocks but only for the front. They make rear shocks only for the A4 but some retailers are listing it as compatible with the S4 while others are not. Are the rear shocks the same on the A4 and S4 but just different springs?

[Smac770]

Looking at how Bilstein is positioning their products these days:
for 1BA (A4 standard, -0mm) - B4 OE Standard for OE twintube match or B6 Performance for monotube upgrade
for 1BE (A4 sport, -23mm) - B4 OE Sport for OE twintube match or B8 Performance Plus for monotube upgrade
for 1BD (S4 sport, -23mm) - B8 Performance Plus (24-145985 front and 24-145992 rear)

The B6 are for normal height springs. The B8 are for lowered springs, -25mm to -50mm in this instance is what Bilstein commented, iirc. But -23mm is close enough it would appear.


1BA, 1BE, and 1BD all use different dampers from the factory. Sachs is the OEM for the sport dampers. S4 is just an engine/suspension/trim variant of the A4. That's why you'll normally find the S4 under the A4, as that's how they are parts cataloged by Audi. They are both catalog A4Q. There's no reason a rear damper for A4 1BE would not physically work on S4 1BD. It just might not be matched to the damping profile.

1BE and 1BD use the same factory spring set, but there's nothing documented to be sure that a 1BE 3.0T A4 is using the same axle load codes as a 1BD 3.0T S4.


As for KYB, who knows why with their online catalog entries. If we look at the A4 1BE, it's 341720 front and 349134 rear. If we look at the S4 1BD, it's 341720 front and missing rear. Well, if they're putting the same damper on the 1BE and 1BD front, then they would put the same damper on the 1BE and 1BD rear. Otherwise, you'd need to skip KYB altogether for not having their act together.

[Nillious]

The A4 struts and shocks will fit. I have Bilstein B4 shocks and struts listed for and A4 with sport suspension. I bought them cause I didn’t want a stiffer ride I just wanted to replace stocks with 100k on them. They were a drastic improvement in controlling the ride and bounce but like I said mine had 100k miles on them.

[SwankPeRFection]

On a 2010, I can guarantee you that you’ve got a bit more than 2mm of sag on the stock springs. The Bils should work fine. If you want a cheaper solution and don’t difference compliance based on road/speed, you can try the Koni Reds. They have a dynamic valving system and cost less than the Bils.

If you’ve not ever done any other suspension fixes on the car, with it being a 2010, there’s a good chance the clunking is due to bad bushings on the control arms. Just be open to running into other things aside from just stocks when it comes to suspension clunks, especially if those sounds are up front.

[LowKeyLoki]

Ive got a set of Koni reds special active for the front, $240 brand new if you're interested.

[chi123]

Thanks for the response guys! A full set of KYB or Bilstein B4 on RockAuto are under $300 shipped. I'm going to go with the KYBs.

[Nillious]

I would grab those konis off the previous poster

[chi123]

I would grab those konis off the previous poster

Trying to get a matching set and just personal preference, I don't want some bright red shocks showing on a stock car. ECS actually has the fronts on sale for $130 a piece or a whole set F+R for $480.

[Corydms7]

I’ve had KYB struts on the front of my B8.5 S4 for about 10-15k miles. No issues.

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Ride is just like oem

[Corydms7]

I don’t know why the Bilstein isn’t available for the S4 the B4 OE ones, but KYB the part numbers on rock auto are for the S4 and A4.