After doing some research when I needed to replace the rear shocks on my 1997 XJR, I reached out to Bilstein to verify if their "heavy duty" aftermarket shocks were the same or similar performance specifications as the "green" Jaguar OE Bilsteins fitted by the factory.

Per the factory description:


Short answer from Bilstein is that they are the same, which is good news since the OE part is much more expensive.

For example:

Front:

• OE MNA2140AC (Bilstein part B36-1866-W1 6371866W11) : $280 each
• Bilstein aftermarket "B6 HD" 24-067249 F4-BE3-6724-M0: $178 each (Shock Warehouse)

Rear:

• OE MNA3540CD (Bilstein part 6341864W11) : $280 each
• Bilstein aftermarket "B6 HD" 24-185806 F4-BE5-6725-M0: $138 each (Shock Warehouse)

Some more detail from Bilstein:


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BTW, I haven't bought the fronts yet, but I can verify the that rears come with all the hardware and bushings necessary.

I suspect the fronts would as well, and may be why they are slightly more expensive as there are several more bushings and an integral bump stop.

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I can verify that both front and rear sets of shocks come with all necessary hardware (bushings, washers, nuts) You're just going to have to use your existing lower bolts

Also a tip for anyone looking to purchase these...
FCP euro has a lifetime warranty on anything they sell. Also before I purchased these shocks, I shopped around to find the lowest price but Shock Warehouse did have the lowest price on them so I called FCP up and asked them to match the price, which they did.

Rears: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/jag...-xjr-24-185806

Fronts: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/jag...jr-be3-6724-m0

 

I had the front Bilsteins on my 3.2 X300 Daimler 6 rebuilt in Auckland, NZ, by a guy who is Bilstein factory-trained. However they were too soft first time around, and bouncing on undulations - second go at them, and they're great.
Obviously the 3.2 are softer than XJR, but m point is they are potentially rebuildable.

 

Likely a different part number for non-sport/non-XJR shocks, which may explain which are and are not rebuildable.

When I spoke with Bilstein about which were rebuildable, the bottom line was to have me send a photo of the top of the shock to see if it was crimped or not. Then they could confirm for certain whether it was a model that could be rebuilt or not.

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Did the aftermarket fronts come with the bump stop, etc that is shown in the diagram under the dust shield?

And BTW, that's a heck of a deal on the "lifetime warantee", thanks for posting that. Wish I had known when I bought the rears. It would be interesting to try to see how that warantee holds up when they wear out!


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As far as I remember, my shocks DID NOT come with the bump stop shown in the diagram. That may be because of the "extra" stiffness, they weren't needed? I'm not sure.

But yeah FCP says that they provide a lifetime warranty on everything they sell.
https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/lifetime-guarantee

I haven't had to return anything to them yet either but I did purchase 10 Bosch oil filters for my cars from them about a year ago for $30 shipped. Saving up my used filters to return to them and we'll see if they'll actually honor their "lifetime guarantee"

 

Al, all Bilstein socks have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser. It's not an FCP thing. Just keep your original receipt. I put a set on my dad's Suburban in '08 and we just got both fronts replaced under warranty even though it was only the driver's that leaked. Bilstein is near us in SoCal so we went directly to them in Poway, CA. We also had the original receipt as well which they are sticklers about.

 

Just to confuse this issue further I note that TireRack.com lists the original equipment Bilstein 24-018630 (B4 series & green) as the oe replacement series & priced at $124.
The 24-067249 (B6 series & black) & indicated by them to be comfort rating are priced at $129.
Before just assuming the non oe ones are cheaper its probably wise to shop around, my previous research found similar results, the oe units are obtainable at reasonable prices, so why deviate from original fitment.

 

Not suggesting deviating from the original part, in fact am suggesting otherwise ...but I am advocating not spending twice the amount of money if it isn't necessary!

As noted in my first post, the Bilstein aftermarket B6 (HD) shocks are the exact same shock with regard to specs as the much more expensive OE Bilstein unit for the XJR. These are the same shocks, just not painted green.

I can't comment on the B4 "comfort" or "touring" versions as I didn't research those.

When I bought my B6 HD shocks for the rear last year, Tire Rack did not carry the B6 HD shocks that the XJR uses. And thorough comparison shopping didn't find OE Jaguar Bilsteins any cheaper than noted above, at almost twice as expensive.

BTW, it is pretty unusual for Tire Rack to carry OE Jaguar parts (I've not seen it), and Jaguar doesn't use the B4 or B6 nomenclature for the shocks. So I think Tire Rack just saying the aftermarket B4 part above is "OE equivalent" which is probably accurate given the aftermarket B6 is clearly identically "OE equivalent".


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Regarding the difference between the Bilstein B4 & B6 shocks, all is revealed on the Bilstein website & it also gives the 24-018630/24-018586 (B4) as the OE replacement for the XJR.
The website F & Q section states -
B4 Gas - For a worn or faulty original shock absorber - the same driving stability as on a new car. It is a replacement part in original equipment quality.
B6 Sport - For a wider range of different applications - with full payload & also at extreme temperatures - for a consistent driving performance in town, on country roads & motorways, & on short & long distances.
The B6 Sport has a higher damping force than the B4.
It thus appears the B6 would be a firmer shock absorber than the original.
As to cost, the B4 is probably competitive if purchased in a Bilstein package, my experience being that once you buy an original equipment Jaguar branded part with a Jag part number the price does go skyhigh.
Coincidently, doing a parts search for 24-067249 on the Bilstein website comes up "no result"
These part numbers appear to be perhaps unique to the USA, I am in Australia& tend to do any comparison shopping worldwide, the results are somewhat surprising at times. Big variances in identical parts from difference sources. Unless prepared to shop overseas we have no where near the range available here in Australia.


John Herbert

 

Well, I certainly can't comment on part#s and availability down under (although I would think they would be the same), however per various vendors such Shock Warehouse make/model selection (e.g. 1997 "XJR or 300 without CATS suspension") the Bilstein B6 and B4 are appropriate for any X300, but Bilstein themselves confirms that the B6 HD specifically is the correct OE replacement shock for the XJR in what appears to be every market except perhaps for the German market (it used a different OE part number and the shocks were yellow so in theory could be different).

I can't comment on the B4 "Touring" Bilsteins as a direct OE replacement on non-XJR cars I don't have the Bilstein number (not OE part number) off of the OE shock to send to Bilstein for spec comparison, and I was only looking into the XJR shock. This is true of the German 'yellow' XJR Bilsteins too as I don't have the Bilstein number from those either.

The info that the B6 HD is the correct replacement for the XJR shock is also supported via a number of threads here. With this thread, I was just getting the actual specs, technical info and official opinion from Bilstein in one consolidated location


See my first post for comparison of performance specs as supplied directly from Bilstein to that point. The B6 HD is the exact replacement for the OE (non Germany) XJR 'green' Bilstein shock.


Bottom line, for an XJR (and perhaps "Sport", but not necessarily a non XJR X300) the B6 HD is the correct OE aftermarket replacement.


.... perhaps I am misunderstanding the point you are trying to make


One additional thought: I find a lot of online vendors make some poor assumptions about part compatibility, either through their direct research or in relying upon outside databases that have errors. And in cases such as the X300 XJR where relatively few were made and they are coming up on 20 years old, it wouldn't be surprising if the reference data was incorrect or not as complete as necessary in some cases. I certainly found that to be the case in looking for some other parts in the past where the mainstream model's part was spec'd for a more limited run model. Since the B4 can certainly fit and will function just fine on the XJR, any vendor saying it is the "OE replacement" isn't totally wrong. It's just that the B4 is the OE replacement for the X300 in general, and they fail to perhaps mention that for the XJR specifically the B6 should be the choice. Just a thought....


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I called Bilstein and discussed this issue with a tech. The B4, for non-XJR, has more comfortable valving and specifically the rear B6 shocks for the XJR have more aggressive valving to help with squat on acceleration onthe higher performance XJR.