Hi, I have a tired 03 Fabia estate that needs a front suspension overhaul. I drive like a granddad and am not after great handling performance just a good ride over our pot holed roads. I can get Bilstein B4 or Sachs shocks for a good price, a pair of Bilsteins is about £10 more than Sachs (Demon Tweaks have an offer on). Does anyone have any preference and which is likely to last longest? Thanks

I'm running b4's on my diesel ibiz, have been for a couple of months, and no complaints.

Thanks - Is the ride a bit stiffer and harsher?

I have read a few reports on line of B4's giving a harsher ride than OEM shocks, this my main concern. I also decided to avoid Polyurethane bushes for the same reason.

Got Sachs on mine. The ride is very similar to standard.

It's the springs that primarily determine how hard the ride is, the shock stop the springs moving in an uncontrolled way so they do contribute but not nearly as much as the springs.

If you leave the springs and swap the shocks you're very unlikely to notice any difference unless your old ones are genuinely shot, in which case you'll stop pogoing down the road!

Thanks for all the replies. As my car is standard I have just ordered Sachs shocks.