I was wondering is there only one type of Bilistein shock for our cars? I saw somewhere they had two listings....one said HD and the other said heavy duty...i assumed they were the same but had different part numbers. I am thinking they just messed up. So does anyone know if there is only one type for us and where a good place to get a set from is.

 

I also was wondering if there is another shock you might recomend that would be better and make the car handle even better than bilistein shocks. I saw some Koni Sport double adjustable shocks they looked pricey. When did koni get up there so high priced i always though bilisteins were always more. Does anyone know what the adjustment on the koni sports double adjustable shocks are....is it for rebond or damper? or is it both since it's named doubble adjustable.

 

When I bought the Bilstein's for my truck, they had 2 versions. One was for ride comfort and the other was the HD.

I've also noticed there are a couple of re-valved Bilsteins for F-bodys. The SLP's are unique in their valving and also the Stano re-valved ones.

The Koni's are available as in single adjustable (SA) and dual adjustable (DA) models. They have been some of the highest priced shocks available for as long as I can remember (which is why I bought the KYB AGX adjustables).

 

I have the Bilstein shocks and I wish they were adjustable because the rear shocks are hard as a rock. Handling is great, but the rear shocks don't compress very easily and going over a bump is like having steel rods in there.

 

All 4 of mine are completely busted and my next step is to get a set that is comfortable as a first priority.

 

There are 3 basic "Bilstein's" for the 4th gen. The HD version, SLP's version, and the version I do. HD's are not bad overall. Good quality, nice ride with a stock type spring rate, not exactly performance oriented. SLP's are valved for the SLP level 1 springs, and comfort is still the priority in conjunction with those particular springs (note that SLP does not touch the rear shocks, and actually takes compression damping away from the front and adds some rebound back). Then my shocks, which are the performance oriented of the group. They still ride damn well, but are more firm than either HD's or SLP's and that valving is determined by the parts on your car and the uses you want the car to best for. No one size fits all valving like the SLP shocks (which are underdamped for most lowering springs out there).

As a matter of fact, just last night I had a customer order Koni's for his '98 SS. He had just installed Bilstein HD's last week (he did not contact me for opinion, just bought them on his own) and finds the car to be even more floaty and less crisp (but better riding) than the stock shocks. This is due to the fact his 98 car has the 25% stiffer 1LE springs, and the HD's are not valved to handle that extra spring rate. This is important, as most every lowering spring is more than 25% stiffer than the stock rates are.

Koni's are awesome shocks, but more expensive. You get what you pay for. I do revalving on Bilstein's to give folks more choice. You might want a more Koni like performance, but don't really want to pay for or maybe need the adjustment. That's where Revalves come in, to bridge the gap between HD's and SLP's and Koni's.

You can also do it with the AGX's from KYB. But they are my last choice. The adjusters are very vague and imprecise, not shock piston velocity sensitive (which has a lot to do with impact harshness) and the shocks aren't the best quality either. There is a reason that a set of 4 of those costs about half what Koni's do. Performance wise, Koni is best, then Revalves, then SLP, AGX's and then HD's. Ride softness wise I'd rate it HD's, SLP's, Koni on a low setting, AGX's on a very low setting, then Revalves. Please note that it's in terms of softness (like Cadillac soft). If you look at ride more like I do where ride and control are linked (BMW like where a car can be taut, but not punishing) things change. That way I rate Koni, Revalves, SLP, toss between HD and AGX.

 

whats the hardest stiffest shock i can get. i have sportlines and it rubs when i hit bumps so i want something that does not compress as much.

 

Can anyone recommend any cheap shocks, ride quality is my primary concern for DD'ing, but I want & need better handling(esp corning) than stock....but I'am not picky.........any suggestions? Does anyone local carry anything decnent, maybe sears, autozone, something?

 

Stiff shocks will not keep that from happening. Springs support the car (or in your case, do not), shocks only slow down the compression of the spring. They do not lessen the amount of the travel.

You need taller and/or stiffer springs to counteract your problems. Shocks will not cure it. They might lessen it a touch, but will not stop the rubbing.

 

Bilstein HD's at minimum. You say you aren't picky, then say you are looking for good ride, and better handling, and cheap. Those 3 things do not go together.

 

We'll I would just assume that "almost" any quality aftermarket shock would be able to offer better handling than stock but maintain similar ride quality, is that a mistaken assumption?

By cheap, I mean reasonable, I dont expect to pay $40 for them, but I would expect that they be less than a $100 at a bare minimum for a pair, ya know?

So will the Bilstein HDs satisfy those requirements? Are they a HUGE increase in performance over stock, or just a little? My car has 115,000 with stockers on it now.

 

The early DeCarbon's are much better than the later ones. Your are early, but also have 115k miles on them, which doesn't help. The "quality" part is the hitch. Everyone says their product is "quality", when they aren't. Also, ride quality is very much a personal opinion. Put 10 people in the same car, and you'll get at least 8 very different opinions on how it rides. Some folks love a stiff car, some want a marshmallow. Look at the difference between "luxury cars". Caddys and Lincolns are not in the same realm as Mercedes and BMW, but each has their market.

The difference between a Bilstein HD and say a KYB or Monroe is quite large. The Bilstein is a better quality (more durable) piece. The Bilstein tends to deal with impact harshness much better, and has better control. I happen to think the Bilstein's are still a touch soft for my tastes, but I'm picky and like a very well snubbed down car. I hate extraneous movement, but I also won't tolerate stiff for the sake of stiff. Stiff for control is fine, but you reach a point where it just rides harder with no more control (adjustable KYB's tend to do this at the higher settings).

You don't expect to pay $40 a shock, but $100 a pair? That's $50 a shock and not much different than $40. Maybe I mis-understood.

Look at is the this way, If you average the cost of 4 Bilstein HD's out, it's about $82 a shock. That's less than an really good tire, for shocks that will work just about forever (provided you don't try and run them with heavy springs or otherwise out of the design parameters). Best I can tell you is the HD's are what SHOULD have come on the car OEM. Not the best handling shock ever, but a *BIG* improvement over stock IMHO (especially worn stock ones). Yep, they cost more than some others, but they are built better too. Now, the more performance you want, the more money you are looking at spending. Are they are huge improvement? I'd say so, but again to each his own. I think that most you'll find will agree that you can do a lot better than stock pretty easily.

 

Thanks for the response, I appreciate it. So the HD's will ride better than the stockers? Sounded like you complemented the stock ones, which doesn't sound to hopeful

Sorry for this madness, that was supposed to say $200

 

Yes, HD's will ride better without doubt. I didn't compliment the stock shocks (they suck), only stated that yours are among the better versions of the DeCarbon's used on the 4th gens. That's only a compliment compared to the poorer DeCarbon's.