►If you're familiar with Bilstein shocks and struts, you'll know their naming scheme and what that means for performance. If not, don't worry; the names like B4 Touring and B6 Performance make it easy, as do the black and yellow coatings. However, Those handy references to their designed usage and environments don't show how much goes into crafting some of the best products you can put on your car.
Each damper is tested on a given chassis and optimized to its individual characteristics by way of the shim stack within the damper. The shim stack ultimately determines how the damper reacts in all situations by allowing a specific rate of piston compression rebound through the oil within. Within the stack is a handful of shims, with their size and location relative to one another, determining the flow characteristics of the piston. It's a relatively complicated process, but the engineers at Bilstein have used it to their advantage to bring us world-renowned products.
Watch along as we take you on a tour through Bilstein's facility in Germany and show you how Bilstein tailors their products to our favorite chassis.
Shop Bilstein at FCP Euro - https://www.fcpeuro.com/Parts/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=factory%20tour%20series&utm_content=bilstein%20shims%20&keywords=bilstein%20
Shop FCP Euro Online - https://www.fcpeuro.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=factory%20tour%20series&utm_content=bilstein%20shims%20
SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/fcpeuro?sub_confirmation=1?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=subscribe&utm_content=subscribe%20button
00:00 - Introduction
00:35 - Automotive Testing Papenburg
00:52 - What Are We Doing Today
01:29 - What Is A Shock Dyno?
01:56 - What We USe a Shock Dyno For
02:40 - How A Strut Works 3D Diagram
04:05 - Shock Dyno Measurements
04:48 - Prototype Damper Dissasembly
05:40 - What Do Shims Do and How Do They Work
06:04 - Shims Dissasembly
06:33 - The Difference Between The Shims
07:05 - Bypass Discs Shims
10:20 - Support Disc and Brake Shim
11:10 - Piston Shim and Check Valve
11:44 - Shim Stack 3D Diagram
12:56 - Changing The Shim Stack and Preload
14:40 - Shim Stacking Assembly
15:47 - Strut Reassembly
16:21 - Filling the Strut with Nitrogen
17:26 - Back On The Strut Dyno
17:50 - How Does It Compare
21:02 - Finding The Optimal Setup
23:34 - Automotive Testing Papenburg Tour
24:03 - Automotive Testing Papenburg History
25:00 - Driving The Oval at Automotive Testing Papenburg
28:15 - Documenting Changes and Final Tweaks
29:37 - Conclusion - Thanks For Watching