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I'm slowly gathering all the bits needed to refresh my suspension and lower the car.
So far I have:
- 4 new coffin arms (OEM)
- Two new front top mounts (mine are a little worn, rears are fine)
- H&R Lowering Springs
Next purchase will be shocks.
The car is used for about 4-5000 miles a year, summer use, normal roads, no track time.
I'm torn between Koni Sport's and Bilstein B6/B8. Gert at Carnewal ruled out the Koni FSD are they are not recommended for lowering with H&R's.
Can everyone who runs Koni Sport or Bilstein B6 or B8 shocks please give me a review of what they are like? I'm used to lowered cars, and I know they will be stiffer, but I want shocks that will improve handling without compromising ride quality too much.
Thanks
Keith
Last edited by keithrobinson; 02-05-2014 at 02:30 PM.
I'm running koni sports on US m030 springs which is only a bit lower than stock.
To adjust rebound through the **** on the top, you have to remove the trip around the battery for the front pair, which isn't tough with the right torx bit. For the rear you have to remove the rear subwoofer if you have Bose, which again requires a torx bit and some patience.
On full soft, they are more comfortable than the m030 were. Towards the stiffer end they make the car much more responsive but would be pretty brutal for city driving. Rear rebound adjustment makes a big difference in how "loose" the car handles.
The koni sports are nice if you have access to a shock dyno prior to install, or are into tuning the handling (for autocross, etc). If you don't want the adjustability, just put them at full soft and they're pretty good. The fit/finish was really impressive; they installed just like the original shocks with absolutely no fitment issue.
I'm running koni sports on US m030 springs which is only a bit lower than stock.
To adjust rebound through the **** on the top, you have to remove the trip around the battery for the front pair, which isn't tough with the right torx bit. For the rear you have to remove the rear subwoofer if you have Bose, which again requires a torx bit and some patience.
On full soft, they are more comfortable than the m030 were. Towards the stiffer end they make the car much more responsive but would be pretty brutal for city driving. Rear rebound adjustment makes a big difference in how "loose" the car handles.
The koni sports are nice if you have access to a shock dyno prior to install, or are into tuning the handling (for autocross, etc). If you don't want the adjustability, just put them at full soft and they're pretty good. The fit/finish was really impressive; they installed just like the original shocks with absolutely no fitment issue.
Thanks for the advice, they sound a good option.
Originally Posted by geetee
why B6's? those are for stock height.
I'd go B8 if you're going with H&R's B8's are about an inch shorter than B6s
Gert at Carnewal said B6 would suit the application, but I see the B8's are shorter and will probably go for them.
I can't speak directly in terms of 996 but I've had both on at least a half dozen cars in the past.
In general Bilstein's are inverted monotube high pressure shocks so they will ride a touch harsher than the Koni's but in return will last longer and their shock dampening will not fall off gradually like the Koni's.
I agree with knfeparty about the Koni's. I was surprised at the fact that an aftermarket "sport" shock can also offer an even better ride experience than factory shocks(on full soft). If you do a search, you'll be able to find shock dyno comparisons between Koni's and other brands and you can clearly see that the Koni's offer a broad and very refined dampening over a wide range of surfaces.
In my experience, if your car is a DD and you do a handful of track events on the Koni's, don't expect them to last more than 3-4 years max at optimimum performance levels. They will work but the dampening performance will have been degraded.
So botttom line is it boils down to combination of ride preference, adjustability, warranty.
BTW, definitely get the Bilstein Sports(B8's) if you are going to be using lowering springs.
The car is for fun, weekend drives, good weather, but when I spend money on anything I want it to last. They are roughly the same price.
I've had both on other cars before also, but its a small 1985 hatchback (UK car), and found both to be fairly stiff, but this is more down to old suspension technology and the type of car, and fact they were lowered 60mm+.
i've been on H&R with B8's for a few years/70k miles or so now...
I do city/hwy mostly daily with no issues. It's been a while so I can't even remember what stock feels like so I can't really give a comparision...
this is all i have showing height. Keep in mind that mine sits a little HIGHER...5mm?10mm?
as it's a 99 (lightest year I believe) and weight reduction....stock weight 996 would sit a little lower
I'm running koni sports on US m030 springs which is only a bit lower than stock.
To adjust rebound through the **** on the top, you have to remove the trip around the battery for the front pair, which isn't tough with the right torx bit. For the rear you have to remove the rear subwoofer if you have Bose, which again requires a torx bit and some patience.
On full soft, they are more comfortable than the m030 were. Towards the stiffer end they make the car much more responsive but would be pretty brutal for city driving. Rear rebound adjustment makes a big difference in how "loose" the car handles.
The koni sports are nice if you have access to a shock dyno prior to install, or are into tuning the handling (for autocross, etc). If you don't want the adjustability, just put them at full soft and they're pretty good. The fit/finish was really impressive; they installed just like the original shocks with absolutely no fitment issue.
What's a good source for the Koni Sports? Are they sold as a kit/package?
I'm running tech art springs with bilstein B8. Ride is surprisingly smooth and not harsh at all. I'm living in Michigan; the potholes capital of the United States.
Ride quality is impressive, better than stock. No wallowing and sharp bumps when hitting potholes.
With ROW sway bars, the body roll is reduced significantly and also the nose dive during hard braking.
Mu only issue is ground clearance. With front tire spoiler, you will scrape them. I lost both of my tire spoiler driving through my driveway.
I have B8 shocks and I think they are great for DD, De & autocross.
They are a few folks who have posted on B8 shocks and every opinion seems to be the same, great.
02-04-2014, 03:42 PM
Koni Sport Vs Bilstein B6/B8
