Shock choices-Bilstein or KYB AGX
#6
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
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The RS*R Downspring/AGX combo I had on my old FC treated me great. One thing I liked about the KYBs is that you could really feel the change in dampening when you turned that ****. For a street/track car, they're a pretty nice trade-off.
Great bang-for-the-buck shocks, and not really all that much different from the Konis, IMO.
Great bang-for-the-buck shocks, and not really all that much different from the Konis, IMO.
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#8
Barrel Roll
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I was leaning toward bilstein in the beginning but I like that I can stiffen the kybs as I will prob get stiff ground control springs. How are the Bilsteins in terms of stiffness?
#12
1308ccs of awesome
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I would recommend dropping the extra dough on Koni yellows. I replaced some KYBs on my corolla (which is now mainly an auto-x car) with Koni yellows and it made a big difference.
And the adjustability is definitely nice. the only problem with the konis is I'm pretty sure it's a pain to adjust the rears (you have to take them off the hub and turn the whole strut I think). I think the KYBs just have a **** down there.
bilsteins are nice, but you have to valve them just right. by the time you do that a few times at 65 per corner they're way more than the konis would be.
And the adjustability is definitely nice. the only problem with the konis is I'm pretty sure it's a pain to adjust the rears (you have to take them off the hub and turn the whole strut I think). I think the KYBs just have a **** down there.
bilsteins are nice, but you have to valve them just right. by the time you do that a few times at 65 per corner they're way more than the konis would be.
#14
The Silent but Deadly Mod
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The Bilstein's ran into all sorts of problems after 1 year. The front struts were blown and I had to send them back for a replacement. I ran into some seizing problems in the rear and had to send those back for a replacement as well. The shop that I go to told me that he had never seen the Bilstein's last more than a year on the ones that he's seen.
The Koni's were a year older, and haven't exhibited any issues.
According to AGX dyno sheets, the adjustment only affects low-speed damping, and does nothing for the high speed.
#16
Rotary Freak
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from a purely performance standpoint, bilsteins are a step above the rest. the big downside being they arent adjustable obviously, so a 'perfect' valving could take some trial and error. for that reason a lot of racers use konis.
jerry jenkins, pdx's local autox hero, wins ES every year by a HUGE margin (yes, 1+ seconds is huge lol). he's a great driver, has campaigned his miata since he bought it new (94), and switched from koni to bilstein 2 or 3 years ago. dude knows what he's doing.
i cant speak for the build quality or lifespan, but bilstein does warranty them for life (to the original purchaser)
jerry jenkins, pdx's local autox hero, wins ES every year by a HUGE margin (yes, 1+ seconds is huge lol). he's a great driver, has campaigned his miata since he bought it new (94), and switched from koni to bilstein 2 or 3 years ago. dude knows what he's doing.
i cant speak for the build quality or lifespan, but bilstein does warranty them for life (to the original purchaser)
#17
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
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My earlier point was that there really isn't THAT much of a difference in those three choices when you're flying down the Rainey Curve with a Cayman S on your ***.
Koni, Bilstein, AGX, even the ZEAL B6s on my FD won't make me any faster unless the rest of my suspension (swaybars, alignment, even tire pressure) is completely dialed-in.
There are a million factors in being fast, and they change for each track/day. Sounds like the Bilsteins worked great for the Miata guy, and from searching around here, it also looks like the quickest guys in FDs are riding on either Koni Yellows or high-end coil overs.
Koni, Bilstein, AGX, even the ZEAL B6s on my FD won't make me any faster unless the rest of my suspension (swaybars, alignment, even tire pressure) is completely dialed-in.
There are a million factors in being fast, and they change for each track/day. Sounds like the Bilsteins worked great for the Miata guy, and from searching around here, it also looks like the quickest guys in FDs are riding on either Koni Yellows or high-end coil overs.
#18
The Silent but Deadly Mod
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from a purely performance standpoint, bilsteins are a step above the rest. the big downside being they arent adjustable obviously, so a 'perfect' valving could take some trial and error. for that reason a lot of racers use konis.
jerry jenkins, pdx's local autox hero, wins ES every year by a HUGE margin (yes, 1+ seconds is huge lol). he's a great driver, has campaigned his miata since he bought it new (94), and switched from koni to bilstein 2 or 3 years ago. dude knows what he's doing.
i cant speak for the build quality or lifespan, but bilstein does warranty them for life (to the original purchaser)
jerry jenkins, pdx's local autox hero, wins ES every year by a HUGE margin (yes, 1+ seconds is huge lol). he's a great driver, has campaigned his miata since he bought it new (94), and switched from koni to bilstein 2 or 3 years ago. dude knows what he's doing.
i cant speak for the build quality or lifespan, but bilstein does warranty them for life (to the original purchaser)
I'd rather pay the extra money and get the Koni's for a street car.
For a dedicated auto-x car, I wouldn't mind the Bilsteins.
#19
1308ccs of awesome
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from a purely performance standpoint, bilsteins are a step above the rest. the big downside being they arent adjustable obviously, so a 'perfect' valving could take some trial and error. for that reason a lot of racers use konis.
jerry jenkins, pdx's local autox hero, wins ES every year by a HUGE margin (yes, 1+ seconds is huge lol). he's a great driver, has campaigned his miata since he bought it new (94), and switched from koni to bilstein 2 or 3 years ago. dude knows what he's doing.
i cant speak for the build quality or lifespan, but bilstein does warranty them for life (to the original purchaser)
jerry jenkins, pdx's local autox hero, wins ES every year by a HUGE margin (yes, 1+ seconds is huge lol). he's a great driver, has campaigned his miata since he bought it new (94), and switched from koni to bilstein 2 or 3 years ago. dude knows what he's doing.
i cant speak for the build quality or lifespan, but bilstein does warranty them for life (to the original purchaser)
Bottom line, I would get koni yellows, if you can't afford them, AGXs are decent.
#20
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the drawback to the AGX is that the valving is only good to about 400-450lbs in springs. as long as you keep that in mind they seem to be quite excellent, especially for the money
the race car (its a honda) uses koni's, and we just had them rebuilt after 4 seasons of racing, and 1 25 hour. plenty of black stuff on the shock shafts, although they had not failed yet. in a street car this would probably last forever.
no real experience with bilstein, although since we can valve em in house, the next car will probably get em
#21
Lives on the Forum
Personally, I've never had an issue with my Bilsteins. I bought them used, and have put two seasons of Autocross on them with absolutely no complaints. These replaced a set of Tokico Illuminas, which also worked great. I like the Bisteins a bit better overall for handling, but sometimes I miss the adjustability of the Illuminas, especially on long road trips.
#23
needs more track time
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There were 10 years of time between the VW with Bilstein Sports & H&R springs and the BMW with Bilstein Sports and Eibach springs. Doubt it was a bad batch of shocks. Especially since there were others with similar experiences over the years. I think its partially due to cold weather. I lived in NY at the time and drove the car everywhere all year 'round. The problem usually presented itself mid/late winter.
On the other hand, I never blew a Koni and have had them on that same VW with the same springs, my Miata, my FC and my FD.
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