Re: Bilstein vs. Sachs

["Dean W. Cains" <dwc@xxxxxx>]

Hi Greg:

I've got a set of Bilsteins on my '74 Spider, and I'm dreaming of the day 
when I have the time to switch them out for a nice, new set of Koni 
Red's.  I've always used the Koni's (25+ years) and never had the slightest 
complaint.  Just to be different, I bought the Bilsteins, and I've been 
subjected to a teeth-jarring ride ever since.  When I get into my Spider, 
it feels like it does when it's up on jack stands for service; no 
compliance in the suspension, at all.  The Bilsteins might be OK for a 
track car, but for a car that's street-driven 99% of its life, the 
Bilsteins have wrecked it for me.  I should also mention that I'm in S. 
Florida, where the roads are generally flat and smooth.  Were I back in New 
England, where I learned to love Alfa's, I wouldn't even have given the 
Bilsteins a chance.  I keep hoping they just needed breaking-in, and I'm 
still waiting.  Others may certainly have a different opinion, but that's 
my rant.

When I do get the time to switch shocks, and my Bilsteins are offered on 
eBay, please disregard the above, and bid high and often.

Regards,

Dean
Lutz, FL
'74 & '87 Spider Veloce's



At 02:12 PM 4/10/2003, you wrote:

> Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 17:31:22 +0000 (GMT)
> From: greg@domain.elided
> Subject: Re: Bilstein vs. Sachs
>
> On Thu, 10 Apr 2003, Douglas Kunzman wrote:
>
> > > Can some one give an opinion/review of Koni vs. Bilstein shocks.
> >
> > I have an two 84 Alfa Spiders. One with Bilstein's one with Sachs Sport
> > Shocks which are similar to Koni Red but a little less stiff.  The
> > Bilsteins appear to raise the car height and therefore the car is much
> > less fun to drive and stable at speed (in my opinion)...
>
> Is this a regular observation with Bilsteins? That they cause stability
> problems at speed and make the spider less fun to drive?
>
> I was thinking about the Bilsteins (or Konis -- yellow I think) for my
> spider when I get to the suspension. This would be a street car, not a
> track car, and I like the idea of a little bit of height with the
> Bilsteins since it would give just a little bit more clearance from bad
> roads.
>
> So far I've seen at least two complaints about the Bilsteins, ride height,
> and stability at speed. Is there anyone that _likes_ the handling
> characteristics with Bilsteins (for winding roads and at speed)???
>
> Greg
> Galveston, TX
> 74 Spider
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