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Jeroen
I'll be shopping for a new set of 911 front struts soon, so I'd like to decide on what brand of shocks to use...

I'm still undecided. It'll be either yellow Koni's or Bilstein sports

I currently have the B-sports on my '87 carrera and I like them
But I've also driven Koni equiped cars, and couldn't really find much difference between them

Pro on the Bilsteins are the 'upside down' design and they won't be damaged when the suspension bottoms out.

On the other side, I think the adjustability of the Yellow Koni's would be nice feature too...

Whadda ya think???

cheers,

Jeroen
Dave_Darling
Yours is a track car, yes?

If so the adjustability of the Konis is gonna come in real handy at some point. Of course, having custom-valved shocks would be even better... In the US, Truechoice (I think it is) will rebuild Konis. I think that Bilstein USA will also. And either one will let you spec the valving...

Most of us (who think we have track cars but really have street cars we drive on the track) go with the Koni adjustables.

--DD
fuch toy
Koni is a good thang.....
Brad Roberts
Koni's Jeroen.

They really come alive with the roller bearing suspension. You can actually feel the difference between 1/2 a turn and a full turn when adjusting.


B
Jeroen
Thanks... Koni's it'll be then biggrin.gif

cheers,

Jeroen
ChrisReale
Come on Dude..Koni's are made in Holland, which is the Netherlands, right? unsure.gif
I really like my Koni Sports. I am no Schumacher, but at the autocross practice I went to they were great.
Rich Bontempi
I would reccommend the koni sports also!!
Jeroen
Yep, Koni is from the Netherlands. Actually, the factory is only 10 or 15 miles from my home

Most of the other big names in specialty shox are from the Netherlands too (JRZ, Intrax, Profex). They all worked for Koni and started a business for them selves

Funny to see so little feedback on the Bilsteins though... The 911 crowd always seems to shout for Bisteins first

Thanks for the input all

cheers,

Jeroen
Mark Henry
I have Bilsteins and I love them! :sweet:

Great for a street car and (mild) AX but they are not adjustable, except for the perches. They are stiff and have a great feel for the road, plus I got a good deal on them. biggrin.gif

If I was racing my teen I would probably go with the Koni's, just to get every advantage I could get.
Dave_Darling
Yup! If you were building a street car, I would suggest the Bilsteins. They have a really very good tradeoff between handling and comfort. They seem to be about halfway in ride quality between the stock Boges and the hard Konis (set on full stiff), but only give up a little handling to the Konis.

But for a sort-of-race-car, the adjustability of the Konis wins hands-down.

--DD
Alfred
QUOTE(Jeroen @ Feb 27 2003, 03:46 AM)
Yep, Koni is from the Netherlands. Actually, the factory is only 10 or 15 miles from my home

Most of the other big names in specialty shox are from the Netherlands too (JRZ, Intrax, Profex). They all worked for Koni and started a business for them selves

Funny to see so little feedback on the Bilsteins though... The 911 crowd always seems to shout for Bisteins first

Thanks for the input all

cheers,

Jeroen

I learned something new - I thought Koni was a German company.

Alfred
Lawrence
I gotta choose.

I can pick up a set of 4 Koni Yellow Sports for about 600, plus shipping.

The Bilsteins (with insert for my Boge struts) will cost about 465, including shipping. Both new.

Recommendations? Car will be used for spirited street driving, and eventually the occasional autox.

-Rusty
Brad Roberts
How old are you ??

I swear..age makes the decision. Young guy's like Chris Reale can put up with Bilsteins on the street. I'm getting old... I want both worlds.. A nice cushy car while driving around town and bump jumping bouncing race car when I want it. Koni's.

B
Lawrence
I'm just enough younger than you, that I can call you old... ;-)

The Bilsteins will be that harsh? Hmm... something to think about.

Anyways - if anyone wants a line on a full set of Bilsteins for 465, shipped - go to Performance Motor Cars. I've had good luck ordering parts from them.

Thanks, Brad.

-Rusty
Gint
What's your Koni source?
Lawrence
Jason @ Paragon, of course. He's always first on my suspension parts shopping list. Got me a good deal on fronts for the 911.

The Koni's are Yellow Sport adjustables.

Koni Sport Adjustables for 914/6
Front 8641-1077 Sport
Rear 8241-1050 Sport


-Rusty
Gint
I figured....
kdfoust
Why not Bilstein heavy-duty (the normal Bilstein not the sport)? Less pain, more filling tongue.gif

Yeah, I'm old.

Kevin
Lawrence
QUOTE
Why not Bilstein heavy-duty (the normal Bilstein not the sport)? Less pain, more filling  


Is there much difference, performance-wise? PMC carries both for the same price.

-Rusty
Scott
OK...I'm old but here is my take on this. Bilsteins are fine but not adjustable. You pick a set strut rating and you have to live with it. Koni Sports are adjustable. Set them to softer for more bumpy surfaces and firmer for smoother ones. It's all about adjustability.
kdfoust
QUOTE(Lawrence @ Jun 2 2003, 08:55 AM)
QUOTE
Why not Bilstein heavy-duty (the normal Bilstein not the sport)? Less pain, more filling  


Is there much difference, performance-wise? PMC carries both for the same price.

-Rusty

I dunno. I just know that my car has those all the way around now.

Have fun,
Kevin
Mueller
After reading the latest article in Excellence about the remote reservoir shocks by Smart Racing/Fox, I'd hold out for those MDB2.gif


A complete set would run 2x (min) of the Koni's, but no comparison if they are as good as any of their other products....
Mark Henry
To me it was a no brainer.
I picked up a parts car for cheap and found a perfect set of billy's on it! biggrin.gif

So Bilsteins on all 4 corners for me, they are stiff but not harsh. Sure are better than the worn out factory original boge's that were on our teen.

I did ride in a 914 with KYB's and found out why they call em Kill-Yer Backs. sad.gif

MDB2.gif
Lawrence
I have KYBs on the back of my /6, and God only know's what it's in the front.
EPK
I have had the Koni Yellow gas Sport Shocks on my 914 for a number of years now. They are just great. If you decide to AutoX you can adjust the tire pressures and the shocks, real nice feature. When you use the standard size tires and set them on full soft the ride is still firm but not buck board like at all. However on 50 series tires they can be a bit choppy, but still not bad. I woundn't even consider any other shock other than the ones in Mikes post and the remote cannister shocks are a different animal all together. Keep your old shocks if they are any good at all, if and when you sell your car take the Koni's off and sell them seperately, they have that good of a life span. Alternatley you can send them back to Koni for a factory referbishing. Great value and an excellent product[/SIZE]. [/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/FONT]
Aaron Cox
what is the difference between bilstein sports and HD? confused24.gif i have the sports on the rear. i bought them, because in the tweeks catalog, it said sports were for "shorter aftermarket springs". il like them. i need a set of fronts...i have basically no damping at all...its like a springboard! so im savinf for some shocks/tbars/swaybar......struts will come first. i do no AX-ing, but some SPIRITED (no, no alcohol involved lol2.gif ) driving. so are bilsteins good for the front? HD or Sport?
aufaber
QUOTE(Brad Roberts @ Jun 2 2003, 08:03 AM)
How old are you ??

I swear..age makes the decision. Young guy's like Chris Reale can put up with Bilsteins on the street. I'm getting old... I want both worlds.. A nice cushy car while driving around town and bump jumping bouncing race car when I want it. Koni's.

B

Most old guys I know wouldn't be able to handle the ride of the Koni Sports. Reds maybe, but yellows are getting pretty stiff for the street.

Haven't descided yet for myself. First priority is to replace the 15x11/9s (scary balloon tires) with some 17x9/7.5s from a boxster/911. Then new dampers.

-Aaron G>
philinjax
You can buy the Bilstein HD inserts or shocks for the 914 stock Boge struts or rear
for $135.85 each plus shipping @ http://www.allshocks.com/bilstein/html/home.asp

I was lucky to win off eBay a new set of HD inserts for $139.00 plus shipping. rolleyes.gif

Phil
krk
QUOTE(Lawrence @ Jun 2 2003, 06:16 PM)
I have KYBs on the back of my /6, and God only know's what it's in the front.

I checked with God. She says she doesn't know you.

kim.
Bleyseng
Monroe roadhandlers would be my guess to go with the KYB on the rear.


Geoff
Greg Silva
Rusty, just curious - which way did you decide to go with this? confused24.gif
garyh
I have the Bilsteins. Sports, I guess (at the time, there was only one that actually fit).

If I had a 'do-over', I'd pick Konis. Externally Adjustable Konis.

When they were new, driving over the stripes in the road you could feel how recently they had been re-painted.

Even now, my full body weight won't move the fender down.

$.02,
Gary
Lawrence
I will probably go with the Koni yellows from Paragon - unless Brad gets a better deal in his bulk purchase.

I want to redo my entire suspension at once. All the front, then all the rear. Clean, polish, powdercoat, new shocks, new bushings (already have turbo tie rod arms).

It's going to be quite the job, and I'm not looking forward to it.

-Rusty
kdfoust
QUOTE(Lawrence @ Jun 5 2003, 07:33 AM)
I will probably go with the Koni yellows from Paragon - unless Brad gets a better deal in his bulk purchase.

I want to redo my entire suspension at once. All the front, then all the rear. Clean, polish, powdercoat, new shocks, new bushings (already have turbo tie rod arms).

It's going to be quite the job, and I'm not looking forward to it.

-Rusty

Doing the front suspension isn't so bad, and this is coming from ME, who'd rather do almost any thing than lay under the car every day. I'm into the project 3 weeks working a couple evenings a week and a little while on Saturday or Sunday. It'll be back on the road by Sunday

Have fun,
Kevin
Lawrence
It's not just "doing the suspension"... it's all the cleanup, sand blasting, powdercoating, etc, etc.. that makes a weekend project into a 2 week ordeal.

I've decided on the powdercoating system I want to buy, now I'm looking around for a cheap electric oven.

-Rusty
Mark Henry
QUOTE(Lawrence @ Jun 5 2003, 08:28 AM)
I've decided on the powdercoating system I want to buy, now I'm looking around for a cheap electric oven.

-Rusty

Rusty, your doing home powdercoating?

Details please!
Mueller
Bilstien Sports are supposedly better suited for lowered cars.

The rod/piston assembly is shorter to help avoid bottoming out. The valving "supposed" to be the same as non-sports.
Lawrence
QUOTE
Rusty, your doing home powdercoating?

Details please!


Columbia Coatings

This will be my first attempt at my own powdercoating. Ginter has been doing it for years, and the encouragement he gave me pushed me to do my own setup someday.

Go to their Online store, and look for the Chicago Electric Deluxe kit.
Greg
So how do you determine if the existing Koni's or Bilsteins are worn out and need replacement? What is the average lifespan of these shocks?
seanery
Rusty,

I don't know how you can find ANYTHING on that web page...wow, someone needs to help them out...
If someone finds the link post it here.

thanks,
sean
aufaber
QUOTE(seanery @ Jun 5 2003, 11:27 AM)
Rusty,

I don't know how you can find ANYTHING on that web page...wow, someone needs to help them out...
If someone finds the link post it here.

thanks,
sean

http://www.columbiacoatings.com/chicago_electric.htm

-Aaron G>
Lawrence
Yeah, they probably need some help with their HTML, but I've read good review on other sites about their products and service.

Also, their powder is significantly less than Eastwood.

-Rusty
DNHunt
Need some suggestions. This is my driveway. Everyone seems to think the 914 was a fore runner of the Boxster. I think it preceeded the Cayenne. Seriously, its time for shocks (no surprise I'm sure). I'd like to get a little more performance than what's in it now. I've driven Geoff's car with stiffer torsion bars, front sway bar, 180s and I'm not sure what shocks. I think I could handle it on the street but I don't know about getting it up my hill.

Am I CRAZY?

Dave
ChrisReale
No, you are not crazy, just Autocross-ism-ized. mueba.gif

If you dont plan on AX, do 140 rears and the Koni's
Aaron Cox
pardon my ignorance, :gilloutine: , but i need to do my whole front susp.
i just did the rear w/ bilstein sports/140 ln welts, . what size t-bars should i go with? and how much of a price difference is there between the koni yellows and the bilsteins? do i really need adjustability? wacko.gif
DNHunt
If the Koni sports are on full soft how harsh will it be going slowly over a gravel road with places where big rocks stick up a couple inches. I know spring rates, torsion bars, sway bar and tires are going to be a big imput too. But can I have a suspension that will be nimble enough for AX and comfortable to get up my driveway.

Dave
Lawrence
Aaron,

Best prices I could find:

Full set of Koni Yellow Sports ~600, plus shipping. Paragon.

Bilstein set (HD or Sport) ~465, including shipping. Performance Motor Parts.

-Rusty
Aaron Cox
to me, that is a grip of money! i work as a lifegaurd during the summer, and helping my uncle restore cars. i already need some tbars, a sway bar (have access to a stock one) and shocls...i want to do a five lug conversion and all eventually. but my struts are shot! i think for the sake of cost ill go with the bilsteins....

also...i have 140 is in the rear, so what size Torsion BARs should i use up front? 19mm or 21mm? mellow.gif
Lawrence
Aaron, hold a sec.

If you plan on doing the upgrade to 5-lug, you might just want to look for a early 911 suspension complete, and save the money on front shocks and t-bars.

Why buy everything twice?

-Rusty
Aaron Cox
well, as of last summer...i did a complete 4 corner brake job. (new discs, and a new right rear caliper mad.gif ) so, i would hate to have to repack bearings and stuff again on perfectly good rotors. and a 911 fr. susp costs a lot of money. here are my costs to do a front susp and a 911 susp.

914 fr. susp
*new koni's or biltseins 480 - 600
*new tors. bars 289 - 300

911 fr. susp.
*complete bolt in unit 500? 600?
*need new shocks? ?
*need new Tors. bars? ?
* 5 lug fuchs 500 +/- trade of 4 lug fuchs
*re studding rear rotors ?
or new axles and stubs
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