After replacing my rear shocks with Bilstein HDs I notice the car takes on a bad case of rapid boucing in the rear. This only happens when on a poorly laid section of highway, but I would still like to find out the culprit. Could it be the softness of the front shocks along with the stiffness of the new rear shocks leading to a continual bounce when the road conditions are right? Anyone else experience this problem?

91' 300D 2.5

That is probably it. I wouldn't know since I did them on all corners at once. The HDs made the car ride pretty roughly on crappy pavement, I regret not going for the comforts.

Edit: Did you inspect the shocks after driving? Maybe one of 'em blew. Bilsteins are great but maybe one slipped past. Do they both corners of the car seem uniformly difficult to push down? They should be pretty hard to push down, those dampers are really stiff before they loosen up.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Sometimes I think that Bilstein made a mistake in labeling their shocks "Heavy Duty" and "Comfort". It sets up the wrong conatation in your mind. Makes you think "strong" vs "wimpy". It almost ought to be "Harsh" vs "Tight" [or smooth].
Don't be fooled by the "comfort" label. Many many more folks say they like them much better than the HD's.

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I don't know about the HD's but I have the comforts and the way they control the car is amazing. Bilstein really makes the best shock for these cars, with the comforts the ride is stiff as can be. With the HD's these things would probably ride like an M3 with 19's.

These shocks really do take like 10k miles to really break in, so drive it for a bit and let them break in. If the fronts are original and you have the funds it would probably be a good idea to change them as well. These cars will pass the bounce test with shot shocks, and new ones will wake them up.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

is anyone content with their HD's? am really torn after continually reading these posts,
but am looking for almost near track-quality handling with the 18"s and 2.47.

I have Bilstein HDs all around - fairly new - that came with the car when I bought it. I cannot say anything against the HDs in the rear, as the rear rides quite well and has taken full trunks stuffed with heavy bags and suitcases on long trips in stride, where other shocks would have probably bottomed out all the time. The front HDs I frankly don't like as much now... The front seems overly stiff and bouncy and gets my front tires ribbed. It also sits high up front - higher than it should... Which makes me wonder if my front shocks are defective!

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84 300SD - bought in April '06 with 237,000 mi

i have had several sets of the hds. i like them. they will take a bit of time to break in though. i would put new ones on the front if they are worn. persoanlly i dont see that much difference in the hd and the others. i have had both because sometimes the hd are not available.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

good to hear it. all other input on this well documented issue appreciated..