Do I Need to Change my Shock Absorbers ?

My car has Bilstein B6’s on it all around. Bought some Eibach Springs and went to install them yesterday at a shop and they reported the following Thread at the top is gone (picture below) and if they take the shocks off, they won’t be able to put them back on, so they say my only option is to replace my shock absorbers. Second option is to just leave the current springs on and keep the SUV ride height, and never take the shocks off until they fail. Shop says they can provide me with new shock absorbers Apart from having no thread, theshocks themselves are fine so I feel it’s a waste..... but I HATE the SUV ride height the B6’s give me Sobased on people’s opinions here,does it sound like I really need to change out my shocks, or is the shop trying to boost sales ? thanks in advance

The threads arent pretty but they dont look unuseable if properly disassembled. Spray with pb blaster and let it work in for a few minutes. Renove nut, chase threads with die if needed and then inspect closely. Make decision on reuse then. Looks like they may be salvageable. Lester. Machinest since 1984.

I guess that’s the risk I don’t wanna take, ie don’t wanna realise I can’t put them back on then have nothing to replace them with.... as if I want new shocks I’ll need to order them

I was going to say the same as Lester - the threads do not look "gone," just a little rusty. As a test you could clean and chase the top of the rod and see how another nut threads on.

How many miles on your car's shocks? Keep in mind that when you lower your car, you are asking your old shocks to work even harder. The slippery slope begins, the reason is lowering springs have a higher spring rate, to keep the car from bottoming out, which translates to more intense frequency after a bump occurs. So, you most likely will need better shocks to control those new springs rates. That's one of the reasons a set of good coilovers work very well as the shocks are matched to the springs rate on each corner. I have had Ohlin's for a number of miles/years, knock on wood, without issues. A good coilover will allow you to lower your car's ride height f & r, set the rake, corner balance to even out the car/drivers weight for more neutral weight transfer.

I dunno. The threads look serviceable to me. B6's are designed for stock springs, and B8s are identical except that they're designed for lowering springs. Methinks you should order B8s, because the B6's might bottom out on their internal bump stops with the lower Eibach springs. P.S. Springs set the ride height and stiffness. Damper's (aka shocks) simply control the springs' motions. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Perhaps you can run a die on the threads to clean them up a little then take the nut off and/or take the nut off then run the die on the threads then replace the nut. I'd say the threads are ok at the nut level given the shock is still functioning and the nut hasn't slid off. Strange how the top has worn like that. On some cars, the thread usually wears below the nut due to contact/friction with the body. Maybe you can also rebuild those shocks and replace the shaft.

I think about 3,000 miles on these shocks, on the B6’s? But this is also pushing me towards coilovers now as I was gonna get them further down the line when these were more worn, but maybe now is the time lol l Yeah when I got this car from the previous owner he had the B6’s with H&R springs.... I didn’t like the ride as they bottomed out everywhere and car just didn’t feel Right .... bad match of springs and absorbers in my opinion So I put the stock springs back on.... but after the eyesore of the SUV ride height pictured above, I decided to go with a milder lowering spring (Eibach this time), but have run into this issue now with the thread. However maybe it’s a good time to go for coilovers instead of getting B8’s with lowering springs (which is essentially the B12 kit if I’m not mistaken) Price wise, B8’s + springs vs Coilovers, the gap isn’t toooo huge Might just go with coilovers ..... the thread is apparently damaged this way due to incorrect installation.... not sure exactly how but that’s what my shop has advised. I could rebuild these, replace the shaft and then try and find them a good new home !

It's your thread, but coilovers will fit the bill. You can change the course of this thread by asking others their opinions or not. Croc'ed has Ohlins, myself and a good number of others. They truly road and track inspired. A member even sells modified ones to fit your particular needs with custom springs and valving, right Joshua. Anyway let us know your desires.

Hmm sounds interesting.... how do I find out more about these modified ones ? Yeah after I posted this, it just got me leaning further towards coilovers, as I do plan to keep this car a while and reckon it’d be a worthwhile investment

Joshua posted previous this thread, Discussion Starter · #1 · Jun 27, 2018 The Öhlins Road & Track suspension gives our customers the ability to track their cars without losing comfort when commuting to work. The unique Dual Flow Valve (DFV) technology allows you to quickly change the stiffness of the shock absorber. When arriving to the racetrack or favorite twisty road, just turn the golden knob clockwise on the damper to set it in race mode. This adjustment changes all four areas in the damper; low and high speed compression and rebound damping. We offer a few versions depending on your needs. Off The Shelf Track Package OTS is exactly what it sounds like; straight from Öhlins with their valving and spring rates. Standard spring rates are 400/458lb and these work really well for a mostly street application. joshua@arcflash

Update from the OP As much as I would have LOVED some Ohlins R&T’s, I just can’t afford them right now I do however have a set of coilovers on the way. Decided not to keep The current shocks on for various reasons, and also Can’t stand the current ride height.... They’ll hopefully be here in 8 weeks so will post an update then And since the actual shocks currently on my car are just fine, I’ll just enjoy driving on them for now.... I just have to try and ignore the horrible ride height

Any update?