Quick front shock question
 

I have Bilstein HD (green) shocks right now; to upgrade to sport, it's simply a matter of removing the green ones (roll pin, IIRC) and installing the new ones, right? Wanted to make one last check before I threw down with the CC.

You can also have the stock green ones rebuilt by Bilstien for about $50 each . Custom valving is available to match torsion bar changes as well Do a search . I am going to send mine out this winter.

Right, but I don't think the plain HD's are up to the task.

roll-pin out and pull them out. they get stuck sometimes so put the top washer and nut back on and use a hammer under the washer. if the snubber is ground up like a frog in a blender, you can attach a 1" ID hose to the shop vac to suck the crap out, and hook the larger chunk with a bent welding rod. pull off the brake line horseshoe clip, and feed the metal line thru the bracket a bit to take the tension off the rubber hose. finish one side at a time, or you will fight the swaybar.

Make sure you install the new roll pin with the slit facing away from the shock rod.

Actually the difference is the valving. You could have your HDs converted to sport specs, or custom to match your car.

There are some Bilstein Sports that are a different length (shorter) but not yours.

But it's not $50. By the time you ship them (both ways) and pay for replacement of any worn parts, budget about $100/shock. Still a good deal.

Thom, I don't know what your current ride height is, but you should check out this pdf from SRP concerning the modification of the factory bump stops. As simple as cutting the bump stop down. I need to do this as I am quite a bit lower than euro spec. I had the SRP bump steer kit installed but no one ever mentioned this mod.

http://www.smartracingproducts.com/pdfs/Rubber%20Front%20Shock.pdf

Thom, I just had mine rebuilt by Bilstein this winter. They asked about the weight of the car, the torsion bar sizes and intended use. They then rebuilt and custom revalved the shocks to match the torsion bars. They tuned it so that it had less compression than a HD shock and more rebound than a Sport shock. The ride is actually better on the street than previous. Less harsh over bumps that is. The cost was $65 ea for the rears and $75 ea for the fronts. This is a much better upgrade than simply installing Sports... and cheaper too.

BTW, I have my car at euro height and the Bilstein techs recommended that I not shorten the shock shaft for this configuration.

I heard that Smart racing simply sends the shocks to Bilstein and marks up their prices. I think they charge about $110 each now.

Good luck. Once you have a custom shock you will never go back to off the shelf.

Interesting - I didn't know that little thing was in there. I did a similar mod to the rears when I installed the sports back there.

Good timing on all this info - I just got a Pelican web cert in email this AM.

Since this is my daily driver, I can't wait X amount of time for the turnaround (well, I could, and drive the bus, but I don't want to). Sounds like I can just send the greens out and have them re-valved the way I need. I still have the old rears sitting in a pile, too.

"Frog in a blender." LMAO! An old SNL schtick?

The world of Bilsteins is all upside down to me :D

hahha - that may be your best bon mot

If you didn't catch it, Zeke is referring to the configuration of the Bilsteins vs. Konis & other shocks. Some have said it helps handling a bit by putting wt. lower, but that would be a very subtle amount of change.

BTW, if SRP has to do something then expect them or anyone else to charge for it.