Bilstein Shocks

[july349]

Can someone tell me what are the correct Bilstein shock absorbers for my 96 LT-4 vette with the FE1 suspension ? They are the original shocks and the car has 55,ooo miles on it and I want to replace the front & rear together.
Thanks.

july349:confused

 

[Toms007]

I think you can have Bilstein rebuild them for you and have them valved however you'd like.

 

[Z07coupe]

Hi July 349,
According to the Mid America Motorworks web site, their part number for a set of 4 shocks is 603-097. $299.99 + shipping.
The C4 shocks were known to be too stiff, more so in the early years. I don't really know if that is true for the 96 MY. Are you sure you need new shocks? The Bilstein rep at a previous Funfest said they should last to over 100K. I eventually changed mine over (on my Ruby) to TPIS shocks by 100K, and they still appeared to be functionable.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Unless you see evidence of failure---mechanical defects or leaks---at 55,000 miles, it's unlikely you need to replace your shocks.

When inspecting for leaks, ignore any slight oily film but be concerned if you see any liquid oil or heavy oil residue on the shock body.

Typically, Bilsteins are quite durable.

 

[july349]

Thank you. I was considering changing them only because I`m planning to do the run to the Corvette Museum next year as part of the Corvette Caravan. This is my 1st Vette and I want to make sure that it is ready for that trip especially since the car is 12 years old.

 

[Tuna]

I'm with Hib on this. I think 55K isn't enough miles to make the shocks worn out.

 

[jrp]

From the horse's mouth: product search at bilstein.com

Base susp. Rear: F4-B46-2054-H0
Base susp. Front: F4-B46-2053-H0

Retail vendors may list the Z51 equivalents as "Sport" & FE1 equivalents as "Heavy Duty" as shown in the link.

It may have been early compared to typical, but I swapped mine out at 53k miles (albeit with the Z51 replacements). One was a fair bit more greasy than the others, and the car floated over dips & bumps worse than my daily driver Altima. Convincing enough evidence for me.

 

[sstearns2]

I replaced the shocks on my 1990 with 40K miles. The car was pretty bouncey at times. Much better with the new shocks. I went with the Z-51s too.

Scott

 

[JimBobC4]

What if you don't care if they are Bilsteins ? What is the best, least expensive shock absorber I can install on my 1995 Convertable with an FE1 suspension. Will a regular set of Monroes or Gabriels work just fine ? or am I crippling my car with cheap parts ?

 

[Toms007]

Personally I'd stick with Bilsteins, but I have heard several guys who have gone with KYBs and they really like them and they are more reasonably priced.

 

[sstearns2]

Shocks don't normally die suddenly. You could probably put another 50K miles on the shocks you have and still have a safe car. If you’re worried about reliability and you're happy with the current ride and handling, then I'd just leave the shocks as is.

My bilsteins were 18 years old with 40K miles and the car still drove fine on them. The new shocks were a definite improvement, but nothing enormous.

Scott

 

[jrp]

My bilsteins were 18 years old with 40K miles and the car still drove fine on them. The new shocks were a definite improvement, but nothing enormous.

The improvement in my case was so dramatic that I can't attribute it all to choosing the Z51 replacements over FE1.

I wish it could be quantified somehow, but I'm honestly not familiar with how the originals should have felt. I just know that it would not have included the sensation of taking flight over a certain uneven patch on the local freeway.

 

[Tuna]

That's part of the problem with shocks - they degrade very slowly so it's hard to tell when they are bad until they are really bad or until you replace them. Then the new shocks can have different valving and characteristics and make the car seem totally different.

I had almost 100K on my FX3 shocks when I replaced them on my '92 and it did make a difference. The original shocks did not feel bad but I figured it was time and I wanted a set to shocks to have rebuilt with different valving.

Given the price for regular shocks, if you feel that they need changing, change them. FX3 shocks are a bit more expensive, so I didn't want to change them unless they really needed to be changed.