Shocks, I need shocks!!! but which ones?

[Wolf1]

Hey all, I need new shocks on the back of the 951. I guess it came with Bilsteins, but now it has Koni adjustables on the front and el-cheapo specials on the rear. I am wondering what type of shock to buy, Koni or Bilstein or ? any thoughts? The Bilstein's aren't too ridiculously priced, can't say the same for the Koni's. Any other good options out there?

[AFJuvat]

If you have Koni's on the front, go with koni's on the back.

AFJuvat

[lousailor]

I concur, Koni adjustables all around if you're not going to change out the fronts. That way you have at least rudimentary control, and similar response feel front to back.

[ds475]

how much would bilsteins all around set me back?
are there any comparable shock for less than that?

p.s. which is better, koni or bilstein?

[..P]

In reality, I don't think there are too many drivers that could really tell the difference between Koni, Bilstein, KYB, or Boge. As a matter of fact, I don't think there are too many drivers that can even tell if they have a shock that is shot.

There's a lot of hype out there about shocks. I put Boge gas shocks on my 84 and it caused the car to sit 1" higher than before. They work fine.

On my 928 I put on Boge oil shocks, got em for $69 each, and could have paid an outrageous fee for Koni or Bilstein, but why??? My '83 was the fastest car sold in North America at the time, it came with oil shocks, it got rave review about handling at speed, and guess what? It rides like a bran new world class supercar with those $69 Boge shocks.

your car, your money.

all the best, P

[ds475]

which is better, gas or oil shocks?
i don't KNOW that my shocks are shot, but they are the original stock... so i'm sure they're not up to par...
also, they seem to make noise, but is that typical?
and they seem squishy, comin' down the back side of speed bumps

[will944]

If your car leans back a lot when taking off, your shocks are pretty worn. And yes...the smoother they are over speed bumps the more worn they are as well.

I went Koni...I love the feel and performance of them. Car feels much more stable with these than my old gas shocks.

[ds475]

so, i'm assuming the koni's are oil shocks?
(meaning you like oil better than gas...)

[will944]

Yes they are oil and you will LVE the ride of your car with the Koni adjustable sports!!

I bought mine from www.*****************.com

They seemed to have the best prices I could find.

[lousailor]

Will,
How about a pic of your car?

[ds475]

well, i don't know if i have enough for koni's i was thinkin' something a little more budget oriented like those boge shocks ..p was talking about.

[will944]

I'll try and get some pics up for you to see the konis and the brakes...my home computer just crashed so I'll see what I can do.

If you can't buy the Konis bcz of money....save it so you can buy them...they are worth the extra cash.

[daveimme]

$154...EACH? For street driving, isn't this a little overkill?

[will944]

The best part is that they're adjustable. If you want to go for a good cruise through some twisties set them on stiff. For around town...put them on soft.

I love having the ability to choose.

Keep in mind the rear's are only $116 each! The sports are $165 each for the front.

I was having a tough time deciding whether or not to get the Koni's considering the price. Knowing how they feel now, I would have paid more for them in a second!

I think everyone who has the Koni's would agree.

[Scott R]

Do the Koni's. Hands down winner of my two previous suspensions.

BTW: Will944 I was getting my suspension dialed in last weekend on highway 285 running the twisties over Kenosha Pass. I always run the canyons before I do a DE or autocross.

[ds475]

i was thinking about the Boge shocks... is the adjustment REALLY worth it? i'd rather just have them stiff all of the time.

p.s. i NEVER autocross and PROBABLY never will...

[1.2gees]

I guess I'm the minority here, choosing bilsteins over konis...

If you don't drive agressively, and don't do auto-x or track events, I don't see much of a reason to spend lots of money on a bilstein or koni shock (these don't even begin to enter the high end range of shocks, that can easily cost $600+ a piece). A SACHS or BOGE would be just fine.
Ahmet

[Kirby2]

Wow! What a bunch of ideas.

All shocks now days have some type of oil in the dampening piston, likewise ALL of the shocks discussed on this thread have nitrogen gas as an anti-foaming agent. Some are single tube high gas pressure; some are dual tube low gas pressure. The performance is found in the quality of manifacturemore than the construction.

You can get KYB shocks for little more than the cost of a slurpee at 7-11, I suggest the slurpee.
Boge and Sacks made OE shocks for the 944/951, good passable shocks if you weekend drive sanely.
Bilstein is a QUALITY single tube high pressure Nitrogen gas shock that will span the gap well, weekender, and some hard driving. (By the way NO 951 came with Bilstein struts - only Boge/Sacks for std. and Koni for sport suspension option.
Koni adjustibles are a little hard for weekenders, but awesome for hard drivers, and can be adjusted even firmer for your tastes.
Bilstein makes a $1000 + Coil over competition strut that makes most gadget freaks get a wet spot in their pants; adjustible spring loading on an awesome comp shock.

My apologies, Koni also makes a WONDERFUL set of front and rear coil overs ( just give them your American Express...if you have to ask...you can't afford them).

Unfortunately, that 1.0G latteral load does not come cheap. If you pay less than $100 for a rear shock...don't waste your time, likewise a front strut will be around $200.

[will944]

ScottR: I LOVE rolling through the canyons around here.....there is nothing quite like it. I am from CT and always loved the rural twisty roads....but the canyons are another story!

I, am buying a 944 Turbo next spring. The first thing I am doing is buying Koni sports for the car!!

[lousailor]

Here's a set cheap! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=33590&item=2439321801