When I did the shocks and struts on my passat, I went ZF and TRW which are OEM.
Pros: OEM quality
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat
Best Shock absorbers for Volkswagen Passat
Bilstein claims around 10% stiffer dampening and rebound over OEM. I've had both B6 and B4's on my Passat, and the B4's was something I preferred more.
Pros: stiffer dampening and rebound
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat
I picked the car up yesterday after having the Special Actives installed. AMAZING difference in the way the car rides and drives. Gone is the Toyota Avalon feeling, having been replaced by an Audi-like feeling.
Pros: AMAZING difference, Audi-like feeling
Cons: Toyota Avalon feeling
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat
For this project I used Bilstein HDs and the freshly powder coated H&R lowering springs.
Pros: freshly powder coated
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat B5
Bilstein B6 is for stock springs. The B8's were noticeably firmer than the B4 (sport, which was available for my Passat, due to the available sport package on the car).
Pros: firmer than B4
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat
Mileage: 150000 km
My 2013 B7 SEL Premium on H&R Sport Springs and Koni Yellow SPORTS on Audi S7 20" reps. The perfect setup IMO.
Pros: perfect setup
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat B7
I think it is very likely that your low front end is caused by the wrong shocks being installed for the heavy W8 engine.
Cons: low front end
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat
I replaced everything on my front suspension at 150,000. Went with Bilstein B4s, but I wasn't super happy with them when they were new. They're well-damped, but ride on the stiff side.
Pros: well-damped
Cons: ride on the stiff side, not super happy
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat B7
Mileage: 150000 km
I installed them with the ECS 23mm bar. In retrospect I can't justify the additional price over say a Bilstein B6 (I installed those on my previous Jetta). I thought they would be smoother/more expensive riding than the Bilsteins, but you can still pick up every little expansion joint and imperfection in the road....unless that's what you are going for.
Pros: improves cornering
Cons: feel every imperfection
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat
When I broke down the struts, I was surprised to see they were completely blown. Konis usually fare much better. But, I’m using Bilsteins as replacements so all will be well soon enough.
Cons: completely blown
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat B5
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Top manufacturers of shock absorbers for Volkswagen Passat
This part for Volkswagen Passat is made around the world. We have reviews for shock absorbers manufacturers from countries such as: Netherlands, Germany .
In March 2026, the ranking of shock absorbers for Volkswagen Passat on PartReview included 6 manufacturers. It is based on 23 reviews and 72 votes.
Which shock absorbers to choose for Volkswagen Passat?
Last month, PartReview users preferred KONI. 29% of positive votes went to this manufacturer.
In second place: shock absorbers Bilstein — 25%.
Third place: OEM Volkswagen with 8% of the votes.
In the overall ranking of shock absorbers, which aggregates opinions of owners of different car makes and models, these brands hold the following positions:
- KONI ranked 2, PR Score — 88. Based on 266 reviews and 825 votes.
- Bilstein ranked 1, PR Score — 86. Based on 649 reviews and 2005 votes.
- OEM Volkswagen — rank 9, PR Score — 75. Based on 11 reviews and 36 votes.
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