Who would have best pricing?

Who stocks them?

Shouldn't they be different than 911's? (same part number just looked on their site) I would think valving would change for lighter 914.

Suggestions...

Will 911 boge and 914 boge sachs are actually different but fit the same way. has to do of course with the weight of the front end. Strangely though kyb and bilstein are the same!
All of the major suppliers have similar prices as they all buy at the same places. For normal driving I would suggest boge/sachs (same company these days) for cheap sport driving kyb and for the ultimate bilstein. People who race often like koni adjustable but they are the most expensive until one gets into custom applications.

George and team 914 brain trust... here is the whole story

so I am moving 4 lug to 5 lug and have a '74 914 with Boge and purchased a '74 911T 3" spacing Boge front end planning to re-use as many parts as I can, ( 2 year old ball joints and Bilstein struts).

Here is where the mystery comes in, Brad Mayeur was working on my car and noted front end is very stiff when parked and driving. Stock torsion bars, Poly-graphite front bushings and bilsteins just few years old. Brad thinks these struts are bad or valved wrong.

I can tell you, this is how the front-end has been since I built it a could of years back and sitting static, it is very very stiff. At AutoX seams fine, you load it at speed and it is good. Little bumps on highway come straight through.

So, is it the bushings? or the struts? Cause when I do this 5 lug I want it fixed

W

Brad certainly knows his stuff. So if he did some diagnostics to eliminate bind in the bushings and all other parts are out of the equation (like a fully stiff sway bar still hooked up, which I can't imagine him missing) then it's likely to be what he said.

The stiffness of my front-end changes measurably with the 22mm sway-bar adjustment, but big torsion bars make for a stiff feel all the time regardless.

Good luck

Well I trust Brad

that is why I looked at part numbers on Bilstiens thinking maybe they sold me 911 struts not 914 struts and was shocked to find same part number.

Maybe new bushings, new struts too

How much will Koni's run me for fronts and what part number do I want?

I have 911 Bilstein struts. The Bilsteins you have (if they're working properly) are softer to some degree than Koni's will be and re-valving the ones you already own is cheaper than buying new ones. I'd keep 'em. I really like mine. The bushings are another issue.

They may be binding and lubrication is the key. That may be all it takes to free it up if that's the problem. But they usually squeak or pop if they need it. Here's what I would do one day to do your own diagnosis.

1. Put the car in the air and mark the position of the upper shock mounts so you won't have to realign the front end. Be rigorous about marking the position.
2. Disconnect the sway bar. (I hope there is one)
3. Remove the wheel/tire and put your floor jack under the strut. remove the strut mount at the top.
4. Let the swing-arm down with your jack until it's free at the top.
5. Move the swing-arm up and down and feel for a bind.
6. Do that on both sides and if all is well then either take the struts apart and have them revalved, or replace the inserts.
7. If there is a bind then fix it with either a bushing-fitting session or grease.
8. Put it back together and drive!!!

Note: If your bushings are the culprit then I'd put my money into Elephant Poly-Bronze bushings in a heartbeat, and on both ends of the car. They make a huge difference in reliability.

I can't answer the suspension analysis, but take a look at www.shox.com and www.eshocks.com for the best prices I've found online.

The bilstein sports I have are from a 72-911T or 914 and the part number is F4-P36-0113 HO

Your poly bushings may be binding. You might be able to disconnect the strut from the arm at the ball joint and see if you have any issues. There are pictures floating around out there (check Pelican?) of a shop in LA (??? name escapes me) that had binding poly bushings literally tear the front suspension mounts off a 911. So... this could be a real issue.

I did the math once and the early 911 front end is roughly the same weight as the 914. So close that, a couple bags of groceries and your leaning one way or the other. Most shock companies don't valve the two any differently.

I spoke with Koni and the engineer I talked to said the high speed rebound was slightly different on their 911 models and agreed that most of us would never notice the difference.

The only difference in Bilstein Sport and Standard is the length of the rod. Sports are shorter for lowered cars.

KYB's suck hard... they're way cheap and have a huge margin/markup for the retailer which is why they get any press at all.

As an Elephant dealer, I would recommend the Elephant Rubber bushings over the PolyBronze based upon your driving mentioned on the phone last week. This is also based upon my personal experience with the PolyBronze. Both are great bushings, I just think most people would be happier with new rubber now that it's available.

I've found Koni's on Full Soft to be slightly more comfortable than Bilsteins. I like them both (Koni's on my 914 and Bilsteins on my 911) and, your description does not sound like a typical Bilstein issue. That's why I mentioned the bushings striaght away.

Good luck.

E.

I'm also in the midst of changing over from 4/5 lug adapters in front to 914/6 front suspension. I have Bilstein HD shocks to go in, but now I'm wondering- is there a guideline for how much lowering before you need the Sport shock?

Thanks.
Jim