Bilstein Shock Advice

[Bill75]

I just purchased but have not received yet some Bilstein Sport shocks but am now wondering if I got the wrong model or not after reading some posts about them. I don't do any autocross stuff, just some "spirited" driving now and then. I'm wondering if the HD model would be a better choice, I'm looking to get a nice ride without feeling every acorn in the road.

Can anyone comment on the ride with the Sport Shocks?

Thanks

 

[DeeVeeEight]

The ride is stiff but I love them. If you have regrets pm me.

 

[Hib Halverson]

I have Bilsteins with Sport Valving on my 71 BB Coupe. The shock is decidedly a "handling" rather than a "ride" shock. If you drive your car sportingly, then they are a great choice for a street high-performance C2 or C3.

The other Bilstein choice are the so-called HD Bilsteins. While they are perhaps more aggressive than OE base shocks, they are not as aggressively valved as are the Sports.

Also, if you've converted the rear of the car to a composite ("plastic") rear spring, you need Sport valved Bilsteins on the back to compensate for the loss of a metal leaf spring's inherent damping.

 

[Bill75]

Thanks for the comments; I have a steel leaf spring Hib.

Sounds like I'm in the middle someplace. This whole thing started when I commented to some folks on how hard my ride was with Firestone Firehawk tires and I had to run 24 psi in the tires to get a decent ride without feeling every pebble and acorn in the road. Seems like I was in the minority, guys are running 30psi in them and have a great ride. Only difference is I have KYB shocks and most of the others Bilstein Sports so I thought I'd make a switch and see if things improved. All the bushings are rubber in my car also.

UPS guy just delivered them, maybe I'll stare at the box for a while before opening it.

 

[Hib Halverson]

It sounds like the goal, here, might be a C3 that rides nicely. Of course, "nice" ride can have vastly different meaning to different people, but...keeping in mind that we're dealing with a 35 year old car which didn't ride very nicely to begin with, the key factors with ride and that car are:

1) suspension not lowered.
2) base-level springs and stabilizer bars
3) OE or Bilstein HD (not Sport-valved) shocks
4) stock (ie: rubber) bushings and stabilizer bar mounts/links
5) stock profile tires

 

[Bill75]

Yes, the goal is correct. The car is set up in the factory design suspension so I think I'm going to see about exchanging these for the HD version. This should be fun! Should have done more research in the beginning I guess.

Thanks for the insight

 

[DeeVeeEight]

Bislteins & Firehawks

That is the combination I have, Bilsteins and Firehawks. I also dropped about 2 lbs. of pressure to smooth out the ride. From what I am reading I do not think that you want Bilsteins at all, they will give you a very hard ride. You may want to consider a more generic shock. You can probably buy a set of new shocks for what 1 Bilstein cost.
My .02

 

[Bill75]

That is the combination I have, Bilsteins and Firehawks. I also dropped about 2 lbs. of pressure to smooth out the ride. From what I am reading I do not think that you want Bilsteins at all, they will give you a very hard ride. You may want to consider a more generic shock. You can probably buy a set of new shocks for what 1 Bilstein cost.
My .02

Do you have the Sport or HD's?

 

[DeeVeeEight]

I have the sports on the back with a VB&P composite spring (400#) and a pair of HD's on the front. The ride is stiff, cornering is very firm and there is no bottoming out or softness to the ride.

 

[Bill75]

H-m-m-m. Not exactly what I was looking for. To me a stiff ride equates to feeling every stone and pebble in the road...........sort of what I have now with these KYB's. Thanks for the feedback, not sure what I should get but these Sports seem to be not the right choice for sure.

Thanks

 

[Hib Halverson]

In reading the latest posts in this thread, and understanding that the primary goal of the project is ride, I'm going to revise my suggestions and say that, in this case, I wouldn't use Bilsteins at all. I'd go to a premium OE replacement shock such as a Delco or a Monroe, ie: something that is not marketed as a "performance" or a "handling" shock.

 

[DeeVeeEight]

In reading the latest posts in this thread, and understanding that the primary goal of the project is ride, I'm going to revise my suggestions and say that, in this case, I wouldn't use Bilsteins at all. I'd go to a premium OE replacement shock such as a Delco or a Monroe, ie: something that is not marketed as a "performance" or a "handling" shock.

I agree 100%

 

[Bill75]

And here lies a good reason for asking lots of questions BEFORE opening up the checkbookl!

Thanks guys.

Bill

 

[73shark]

FYI in 1973, the first year for radial tires, the door sticker said 20 psi around.

 

[Bill75]

FYI in 1973, the first year for radial tires, the door sticker said 20 psi around.

Thanks. I sent them back, I'm gonna drink some beer and think about all this until spring

 

[DeeVeeEight]

Another big contributing factor is the Firehawks, they are a stiff tire with a rather hard ride. You may want to consider a Touring tire vs. a performance tire. I like tire rack personally, great prices and tires delivered to your door. I take the tires to a local garage and have them mounted and balanced (avg. cost = $15 to $25 ea.) for a fraction of the cost any where else.

Did you buy the Firehawks at a Firestone dealer? They may be willing to exchange them for you based on your feedback..... just a thought.

 

[Bill75]

Another big contributing factor is the Firehawks, they are a stiff tire with a rather hard ride. You may want to consider a Touring tire vs. a performance tire. I like tire rack personally, great prices and tires delivered to your door. I take the tires to a local garage and have them mounted and balanced (avg. cost = $15 to $25 ea.) for a fraction of the cost any where else.

Did you buy the Firehawks at a Firestone dealer? They may be willing to exchange them for you based on your feedback..... just a thought.

Thanks for the idea, no I bought them from Tire Rack.........shocks also. The car does handle fine and it corners nice with these KYB's, they just transmit road imperfections very easily. If letting out some more air as 73shark said doesn't satisfy me I'll probably get a set of good Monroe's just to see the difference. The air pressure might make the difference though, there's a world of difference between 26 and 24 on these. A good set of Monroe's aren't that expensive so I can always go that route in the end.

Bill

 

[DeeVeeEight]

That's what I did with mine, dropping a couple of pounds of air pressure made a noticeable difference.