Aftermarket Bilstein Shocks

[Kvision]

Does anyone have any experience with aftermarket Bilstein shocks for the NA6?

I am looking at the Bilstein B6 shocks for my 93 LE but not sure what springs to opt for.

I've heard that they go well with the factory springs, or the Eibach pro-kit.

Does anyone know which springs would be the better match, and how do the bilstein combos compare with other shock/spring combos?

[Benny]

Bilstiens usually go well with Eibachs and are often teamed up together.

You could give Heasmans in Sydney a call and find out what they would reccomend.
They are the Australian distributors for Bilstein.
Their number is (02) 9557 3739

[Kvision]

I see that most ppl here who have bought shocks went for either KYB or the konis. How is the quality of the Bilsteins compared to these two?

[Benny]

The main difference between the Bilstein coil overs and the Konis and Kings that you would recognise straight away is the difference in ride quality.
While the Bilsteins have a much better ride, they also have better wheel control and so handle very well, even though they may feel a little softer than the K&K's.
For real world applications, the Bilsteins are superior, hence the extra cost.

You can certainly adjust the Bilsteins for a very firm ride, but there is no need to do so, espeically when you're my age with my back, as the wheel control is so good.

The aim of every shock and spring maker is to keep the tyres on the road at all times.
If your springs and shocks are overly stiff, your tyres will skip all over the place, so just having a hard ride may actually make your handling and grip diminish.
Good wheel control is the ability to allow the wheels and tyres to go up and down over bumps etc., yet never loose contact with the road surface, yet will not allow the car to float and bob up and down.
Do not confuse a stiff ride with good wheel control. They can go together, but not always.
Having a soft ride also doesn't neccesarily mean good wheel control either as a normally soft shock will allow the wheels to move too much under compression and deflection and hence you will get the car to feel floaty and disconnected from the road.
Getting that good balance between a good ride and good wheel control is the trick, and it requires a lot of testing and good quality components to do this successfully.
If you think the Bilsteins are expensive, check out the prices for Penske and Ohlins shocks.

[Kvision]

Ok.

I'm looking at either getting a set of Bilstein B6 Sports shocks with Eibach Prokit springs, or Tein Super Streets.

I would like something primarily for spirited drives through the twisties but also have decent performance for the odd track day(rare) and decent ride comfort.
I'm impartial to lowering and/or adjustability and both are similarly priced.

I've heard good things from both Bilstein and Tein, but I can't have both. Which option would better suit my needs and which is the better quality product?

Thanks,
Kevin

[Benny]

I couldn't really give you any definitive answer as to which shocks are better quality, but Bilstein have been around a long time, and are still rated very highly.
From what I've heard, the Teins have a pretty hard ride.

Bilsteins are also re-buildable, so when they wear out, you can get them fixed, or you can have them re-valved to get the ride/handling compromise that suits you.
I have found that the Bilstein PSS9's have a lot of adjustablility built into them, so you can easily adjust the firmess to your liking, from quite soft, through to quite hard - or anywhere in the middle.

[pcmx5]

I haven't experienced Bilsteins but would have to say I don't find the Teins SS have a harsh ride . In fact I have been surprised at how smooth they are even set at 4 or 6 off full hard.They have a 16 pt range so 4-6 is on the firm side of their range. Even at 4 off hard they are amazingly compliant and really only protest on short hard,choppy surfaces at low speed and i have yet to find a springs/shock combo on a 5 that is good on those surfaces.

I have had standard springs/Koni;Kings/koni; Eiback/Koni and the Teins are by far the best for both ride and handling.

However, as I said I haven't had any experience with aftermarket Biilsteins only those kidney shakers they had in the NA Clubman and I am sure that the new ones must e better!!!

Peter.

[Kvision]

I would love to get a set of PSS9's, or any full coilover kit from bilstein, but unfortunately bilstein only makes B6 shocks for the NA6.

At the moment, im just wondering how do the bilstein/eibach setup compare to the tein ss on a NA6.

By the way, I've also heard that bilsteins last for ages, and was wondering how long teins usually last before a rebuild?

[Kvision]

Anyway, im leaning towards the Bilsteins/Eibachs, unless someone can say that Tein SS are superior.

Does anyone have any experience with Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs, and whether or not they were happy with them?

[Andy Wana]

A good mechanic friend of mine still recommends Bilsteins even though he installed a LOT of Teins for his customers
I think that says a lot ...

[marcusus]

A good mechanic friend of mine still recommends Bilsteins even though he installed a LOT of Teins for his customers
I think that says a lot ...

Has he installed a lot of MX5 Teins / Bilsteins?

I've noticed that pretty much all MX5 race cars I've seen run Teins, which is kinda swaying me in that direction. That being said, I wouldn't be looking at top of the line coils, but rather something like Tein SS or Bilstein PSS.

[PSI-JET]

I've owned B6 Sport Bilsteins before in my XR8 and I can't praise them enough. I've also had a Koni/King package and IMO the difference is like chalk and cheese. My Bilsteins were matched to Quadrant springs and found it to ride as smooth as a limo, even at 65mm from the bitumen and handle like a go kart