I've checked the archives, and can't find anything definitive.

So:

Are the 1993 R1 shocks similar in valving to the Heavy Duty (HD) Bilsteins or the Sport Bilsteins ?

What about the supposedly 1999+ OEM Bilsteins ? Are they like the current HD or Sport Bilsteins for the FD ?

Thanks,
:-) neil

 

anyone ?

 

resurrected, anyone have experience with any of these?

 

Stick with the HD valving. Have them revalved by Fat Cat Motorsports if necessary - or desired.

 

Why stick with the bilsteins. We all moved away from the in the 90's

 

care to elaborate?

 

For the FD supplied billies, if you go digressive on the pistons - and **** off the Mazda oem bumpstops - plus add adjustable spring seats and decent springs, they can be an excellent track shock. Probably costs not much different to new, typical asian sourced coilovers though!

 

I don't think he's speaking of the OEM style bilsteins, he's speaking of the inverted monotube replacement parts. From experience they're a great all around shock if you don't want to rattle your teeth and get your spring rates dialed.

 

I had the HD's on my first FD. No complaints. I did them myself. Just need a spring compressor to swap the springs.
It's a cheap simple OEM type replacement. If you don't want the hassle of Coil-overs then you are probably on the right track.

I ended up first using a linear HKS spring that jarred my teeth and quickly replaced them with an H&R progressive rate street spring that lowered it about an inch or inch and a half and provided a much more tolerable ride.

Here it sits with the Bilstein HD's and H&R springs

 

I have Bilstein HD's and H+R springs on my R1. The ride is definitely stiffer than the stock R1 or R2 shocks but definitely streetable. I don't track the car so I cant comment on how they perform there. I think Mazda should have used this setup/combo on all the R package models stock. Here is how my car looks with the H+R springs and the Bilstein HD's.

 

thanks for chiming in guys.

 

Had the HD shocks on my 93 R1. They are a lot stiffer. I actually beat the lower bushings out of the front shocks but the roads in Indianapolis are crap. Went to Apex S1 way better ride.