Bilstein alternatives?

Stevehose

Stevehose

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Are there alternatives to Bilsteins for our cars - the streets where I live are horrible (something to do with being below sea level) and I don't do much high speed highway driving/cornering so I'd prefer a less-stiff ride, more like stock. I am running the original shocks and they are starting to bounce a little. I've read KYB stands for "kick your butt" so I figure they're out of the equation. Are any other standard ride shocks available or is Bilstein HD the only way to go and will my bad streets pummel me if I install those? Do they make a comfort shock that fits? I plan on welding the rear shock towers either way.
 
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Stevehose said:
Are there alternatives to Bilsteins for our cars - the streets where I live are horrible and I don't do much high speed highway driving/cornering so I'd prefer a less-stiff ride, more like stock. I am running the original shocks and they are starting to bounce a little. I've read KYB stands for "kick your butt" so I figure they're out of the equation. Are any other standard ride shocks available or is Bilstein HD the only way to go and will my bad streets pummel me if I install those? Do they make a comfort shock that fits? I plan on welding the rear shock towers either way.
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I had adjustable Koni's on my '02 a many moons ago and they we OK...
 
Are you still on original springs? They do tend to sag after years of holding up the car, making the ride much harsher. The springs will play more of a role than the dampers when dealing with bad roads.
 
Yes original springs, so why have I read in the old registry newsletters that Bilsteins accelerate shock tower damage vs. stock dampers? Looks like I need both springs and shocks? Slippery slope developing...

x_atlas0 said:
Are you still on original springs? They do tend to sag after years of holding up the car, making the ride much harsher. The springs will play more of a role than the dampers when dealing with bad roads.
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The rear shock tower being damaged by new shocks has me wondering that I need to check for issues but my are clean with no rust at all.Have you seen them bend or something?
 
Mine are clean/rust free also with no symptoms (creaking noise/stance off-kilter), but on my previous coupe (with Bilsteins) I had the symptoms and welded the cracked tops before they gave way. They don't have to be rusty - the metal is poorly spotwelded and thin on top. Regardless of what shock I install I will have them reinforced as a precaution. It's been almost 40 years on a bad design to begin with.

tmason said:
The rear shock tower being damaged by new shocks has me wondering that I need to check for issues but my are clean with no rust at all.Have you seen them bend or something?
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Boge gas shocks may be available as alternative.
W&N sold me a (front) set with a fresh set of springs for my E3. They are a bit softer than the Bilsteins (had those before). E9/E3 are compatible at the front.
For my E3 there´s very little available for the rear so I had to go Bilstein there again, there might be more variety available for the E9.
I´d give W&N a call, they´re very helpfull in these things.
 
I installed new Bilstine Hds on my 635. After sitting on them for 3 years during the course of restoration, the car has never settled and the shocks are semi frozen..A complete turn off. I located a set of used Konis and had them custom rebuilt at an exhorbitant price. My reasoning is they are adjustable and can be "tuned" to your own specs. they also can be adjusted to work with lowering springs and therefore do not require replacement should you go that route.There is a fellow I have found in the Phoenix area who is the Koni gurru. he does much work for Ferrari and Lamorghini, so keep this in mind as a replacement for gas charged shocks, as the Konis are filled with mineral oil. Don't toss those old Konis!! My strut inserts were rotted out and he even welded new tubes together for them
 
Bilstein should cover the shocks under their warranty and rebuild them. i had them do that on my 2002 + the shocks were 5 years old ... no cost to me, other than removing them. but that was 10 years ago.
 
You are correct about that. I will return to Bilstine and keep them in the event I don't like the Konis. As soon as I make sure the Konis are good, the Bils will be gone, as they are for an E12 chassis and hard to find new, which they are. plus I am getting tired of switching them around and I haven't even driven my car yet.
 
Are the front towers weak as well and can you see or feel the cracks on the towers?
 
Fronts can be weak from rust but not metal fatigue like the backs which can suffer from both. To see the backs you have to take off the elephant skin covers in the trunk and this will expose the tops of the towers.

tmason said:
Are the front towers weak as well and can you see or feel the cracks on the towers?
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