I see KYB $36, Sachs for $122(parts geek), Koni $176, Bilistein $190 and Bilistein sport for $ 220.
Thinking about Sachs, has anyone here used them? - I have Bilistein in rear with stock springs and swaybar. They are really firm and i wish they were a bit less firm, but I also have 16”Fuchs in 205/55 tires and that makes the ride firm compared to the 14” 914/6 Fuchs I ran for a while, those taller sidewalks gave a soft ride . I’m not changing tires and rims so is the front KYB junk? And is Sachs at $122 per a good stock replacement?
Phil
- Paragon has Koni sport on sale for $171.
I've always been a fan of Koni's. They have a well supported product as well. Heck, my /6 has the same Konis that my dad put on in 1972(?) Still work well. Boge/Sachs are good, but imho, not as nice as Bilstein or Konis.
boge/sachs in the rear are no more, so the only choices are kyb and bilstein.
Kyb shocks have unsophisticated valving so are harsh. Bilstein heavy duty was actually a factory option bilstein sports (only available in the front) are too harsh, so go with Bilstein heavy duty and do not look back
My front Bilsteins were toast (thanks PO ),I picked up replacement Saches (911 part)from Autohaus on special,happy enough with them,certainly better that what I had .
I sold my lightly used - less than 3K, 4 year old Sachs F&R shocks to a world member in The UK because he felt his Bils were too stiff and he was happy with the Sachs/Boge ride.
There’s a couple things to do before switching shocks.
Lower your tire pressure. These are really light cars and don’t need as much as a 3K car.
Disconnect your rear bar. See how it rides.
Send your shocks and strut inserts to Bilstein to revalve. Sure it cost the same as new ones but it will be custom for you, instead of buying more of almost the same thing. If you are happy, it’s easily worth it.
KYB are good for using on a car that needs to go to a painter or parts car to roll it around, nothing more.
Rear Hydraulic Koni's are available from Porsche for about $250 each. You can use the 911 front hydraulics if you do not want the feel of gas.
for whatever it’s worth – in my experience shocks are one of the most critical items that impact day to day enjoyment, it’s worth scratching or saving for the good stuff.
Me too on the Konis... always found Bilstein harsh. KYB are junk.
I agree the Bilistein I have in the rear are pretty firm, and that might not match up well if I go too soft in front but I think I may try the Koni in front and see how that feels. If I order those I will wait to mess around with my alignment stuff and fixing the bump steer until I put those in. I have nice new dust shields to put in too and the new front sway bar drop links and bushings as well, so will be a fun weekend doing all that!! Been pouring over the write up on how to do your own alignment etc , will see how bad I screw it up!
1 vote for Konis. And they are adjustable.
I don't know if I'm hypersensitive but there was a massive difference in sachs (the front of the car bounced with any pressure) and bilsteins (the front of the car barely bounced at all and the ride was too harsh for everyday street use).
What I have now seems like a blessed compromise: the front koni classics from a 911 (which fit fine...) - not sure why these don't come up more, they're lovely...
https://www.carnoisseur.com/products/details/koni-classic-front-shock-absorber-to-fit-porsche-912-86-1647-1
https://www.paragon-products.com/Koni-86-1647-Strut-Insert-p/koni-86-1647.htm
Porsche Part Numbers for hydraulic Koni's, show to be valid numbers in system. Rears are Black and are NOT externally adjustable. You have to adjust before assembly. Expect them to have to come from Germany
PCG 333 051 50 Rears $220
PCG 341 903 50 Fronts $275
Prices are internet quotes rounded off. Shop around.
I have been happy with Konis on my car. I never thought they were harsh. These are with stock front torsion bars and 100 lb rear springs, front and rear sway bars.
On another note... how long do shocks last? I have Blilstein HD shocks that are 15 years old.
So far I have been happy with them. I am currently running 21mm torsion bars, but I am going to swap them out for 18.8mm 911 torsion bars with 911 A arms.
Unless you are using your car for daily driving, the Bilsteins are bullet proof.
I've driven Koni, Bilstein, and KYB.
There's nothing wrong with the KYB, they ride just fine, they handle decent, and they're just an inexpensive average strut.
The Koni sports are fine if you need a performance shock, kinda overkill for a basic street driver.
The Bilstein are a good compromise between the two of them. Decent ride quality, decent handling, a bit over priced but that's the case with most Bilstein products.
Hydraulic Koni? Really? Can I get you some bias ply radials to go with them?
Ancient technology that belongs on "correct" restorations and that's it.
Ride control technology has come a long way since then and for good reasons, safer/predictable handling, better ride quality, and consistent performance to name the top 3.
Before you take the internet's word or spend lot of money on Porsche OEM, I would see if anyone local to you has a car you can ride in to see for yourself.
Remember there is a few different Bilstein front inserts that fit our cars.
B6
B6 Clubsport
B8
Paragon. Koni. $216 rear. $171 front. The ext adj feature allows you SOME flexibility performed in a couple minutes. I'd rather spend a few more bucks and buy from a knowledgeable vendor rather than a computer. When the little guys are gone, we're screwed. Spring for the threaded collar units and a set of helper springs. It's only a little money. In the world of $4+ coffees, $8+ beers, $1200 phones and $1.9k tree services (yesterday) it's practically nothing. A purchase that will last as long as you own the car. Build your suspension around the primary intended use.
Koni does not currently offer hydraulic rears for the 914. Koni's rears for sale now are gas. Koni does offer the hydraulic shocks for the 911.
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