Explain the 300 dollar shock to me, Thread on BOGE replacements and later on 5 lug 911 strut options Options

[emerygt350]

An insert for 275? What and why? Is it just rarity? Some strange one off design that no other car uses?

[mepstein]

In my experience, Koni’s can be adjusted much softer than Bil’s. My business partner at the shop is a big fan of Bilsteins. I’m not, at least on light cars. I think they are fine for the mid year on up 911’s but I think they are too harsh for the front of a light weight car like a 914 or early 911. Now if you send them out and get them custom valved, that’s another story.
All the other stuff matters as well. I always ran my tire pressure on the low side on stock 914’s because it felt better to me - at least with the tires I had on the car. Like superhawk said, there’s a lot that goes into suspension tuning.

[wonkipop]

In my experience, Koni’s can be adjusted much softer than Bil’s. My business partner at the shop is a big fan of Bilsteins. I’m not, at least on light cars. I think they are fine for the mid year on up 911’s but I think they are too harsh for the front of a light weight car like a 914 or early 911. Now if you send them out and get them custom valved, that’s another story.
All the other stuff matters as well. I always ran my tire pressure on the low side on stock 914’s because it felt better to me - at least with the tires I had on the car. Like superhawk said, there’s a lot that goes into suspension tuning.

yes, both you and @Superhawk996 are bringing up the important point that the shocks shouldn't be seen in isolation as necessarily the cause of "harshness".

i found that the tyres i had fitted a long time back in the 90s were the main reason.
lower profile 195s, which i had to put on back then because.......original size tyres were simply NLA across the board in a 15 inch size. even for a VW. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

right now the set up i have is basically what was fitted to an LE in 74 as a lot of those got the bilsteins.

165 stock profile michelin XAS, front and rear sway bars, bilstiens (B6). stock rear springs. i would not call it harsh. i'd call it firm. but certainly not harsh.
i think the tyres play a major part in producing the right kind of balance between comfort and grip. and i run them at stock pressures. softer in the front as @mepstein does.

but......these are not everyday tyres and have a hefty price tag. not really what most folks want. they are fine in the dry as in fact the compound is i doubt nothing like the originals back in the day. (and probably the internal construction as well). but i don't think they would perform anything like a modern tyre in the wet. not that i am going to find out.

i went for this set up by the way out of deliberately seeking to make the car feel and drive precisely as it did in the 70s. purely to enjoy the anachronistic pleasure.
i've got another car for a contemporary experience. its not that i cruise the 914. i don't. but i drive it for what it was to enjoy that "sensation". if i had a Model T i would do the same thing.

seems to me koni adjustables would be the way out of this. a couple of blokes i know run them on their alfa gtvs (late 60s). they do track days with them. but also do street rallys. they seem to like them.