w115 Front shocks Bilstein or KYB or Sachs

[NC240D76]

I need to order front shocks for the 76 240d today.
Any sugggestion as to brand and source? Fastlane has the ones below listed and since this forum is so helpful and Phil only gets paid commission I am inclined to get them from him.
KYB $43.44
Bilstein $90.81
Sachs was on the list but now I can't find them.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Bilsteins are the recommended replacment. Boges are a decent alternative if you can find them. Years ago, I put KYBs on my '72 250 and they rode hard. Eventually the lower bushings on my front KYBs worked loose and started rattling so I switched to Bilsteins.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[nachi11744]

Bilsteins, then Sachs .
I think the KYBs sold in the US are way too stiff in the bump damping. I fitted a set to my Karmann-Ghia and was disgusted with the stiff reaction to every little imperfection in the road surface. I switched to Sachs, the ride went back to the usual VW ride that ironed out almost all bumps and potholes.

[68_Mercedes]

Per my understanding, Sachs is a division of Bilstein and are the same identical shock, just at a cheaper price.... no matter what though, I would use one of those 2 brands. Definitely stay away from KYB, Gabriel, Monroe, or anyone else!!!!

[yogiysh]

I totally agree, I replaced all of my shocks on Tobias after a road worthiness inspection where the tech picked up that it was still the original set! There wasn't any issues with them, ride was still okay but just a bit low.

He advised to use Bilsteins or Sachs or else he wouldn't certify the car coz the other common brands just don't come up to spec hence a very short lifecycle - he's a real MB enthusiast it turns out.

I purchase a set of Sachs coz these were the originals and haven't looked back and won't have to apparently for years to come.

I miss the slightly lower ride height though...

[guydewdney]

hmm - hard ride from KYBs you say - so might be good for my racing 114 then?

[nachi11744]

Per my understanding, Sachs is a division of Bilstein and are the same identical shock, just at a cheaper price.... no matter what though, I would use one of those 2 brands

AFAIK, Bilstein is independent, Fitchel&Sachs was the *original* name of the company, the *other* supplier was Boge, 1st line supplier for all 1960-80s BMWs. Boge and F&S merged sometime in the Nineties and now only the Sachs name survives on the market. They were lately taken over by ZF, the transmission manufacturer.

[j9fd3s]

Originally Posted by guydewdney

hmm - hard ride from KYBs you say - so might be good for my racing 114 then?

measure them up and see if they have an kyb agx that will fit, or a koni. we've run the agx's for 3 seasons on the race car, its an rx7, with no trouble