I'm looking at buying new shocks for my 1987 Corvette since they probably need to be replaced anyway. I've found two options I like on Eckler's but I'm wondering your opinions. Which do you think is better for the C4? Bilstein or KYB? I've heard good things about Bilstein before but not much about KYB.

 

I vote for bilstein but not from eckler's They will screw up a ball bearing then blame you then charge you for it

 

I'm not a huge fan of Eckler's either. They are more often than not just a ripoff. Do Bilstein offer better performance? I'm not too worried about comfort but more so the performance aspects since it gets taken to track days now and then.

 

Both are great...via Amazon.

I just put KYBs on my 87 coupe daily driver in 2014...love them.

 

I love mine amazon was much cheaper.

 

Both are good choices. Bilstein will be a little firmer.

 

Yes, the Bilstein are better for performance. Back in 2012 when I replaced mine the most affordable place to get them was Corvette America and ShockWareHouse.com


The price difference between the Bills and the KYB's are marginal and the performance and longevity between the two aren't really even close. FWIW, I put Z51 spec bilsteins on my base FE1 1994 Coupe and it made it feel much tighter. In addition, the factory Bilstein shocks I removed still had a TON of life left in them even after 20 years and 100,000 miles. I actually sold them to a forum member on here and he is still using them! I think this is a great testament to how great Bilstein shocks really are. If you have the coin you could always look into QA1, Penske, Van Steel coil overs, etc... but its hard to beat the bang for the buck of Bilsteins.

 

My vote is for the Bilstein's also.

I put the Z51 Bilstein's on my base suspension '94 and '95. I have KYB on my '96.

The Bilstein's are firmer and exactly what I was looking for.

I also believe the Bilstein's will last better too. I have had them on several cars and never needed to replace them. On the B-body cars (Impala, Caprice, etc.) the forums have a number of references to the shocks still performing at over 200k miles. I've never taken them that far and a little suspicious, but still some strong testimonials.

I would not buy KYB's. I was an engineer at an auto manufacturer and we used KYB shocks. They were the only company to shut down our manufacturing line in 5 or 6 years. I spent the better part of 3 months working with them to improve their production processes. They had very poor controls and could not be counted on to maintain the changes to production. That was about 25 years ago, so hopefully they have improved, but I still have the bad impression whether it is valid today or not.

As a side note: If you do get the KYB's make sure you use a locking nut on the top. They used to come with a standard nut that would back off and create free play in the shock mounting. I had to do this repair on my '96 which had KYB's on it when I bought it. Searching the forums, I found that I was not alone. Several others reported the same problem.

 

Corvette Central has Bils for $300 a set, not 100% sure if they're the B6s or a cheaper model. I vote Bilstein also.

Rick

 

Im sure Bilsteins are better shocks , but I have had my KYBs on my 89 for 7 years and for normal street use I have no complaints at all...They do the job......WW

 

If your mainly driving on the street the kyb will be fine but I use bilsteins Z51's. Had the cheaper bilsteins but they would not keep my rear planted enough in higher speed turns on a course that was a bit lumpy in a few places.

 

I have my KYB's on for many years. No complaints. If I was using it at the track then bilsteins for sure. 95 vert

 

Wanna race?- Bilstein. Wanna cruise?-KYB

 

Wanna bounce down the road and wander through the turns?
KYB's are your cheap choice.

 

I usually go with bilsteins, but I did install a set of KYB's on my (steel blue) 90. KYB's were OK, but only if cost is an issue....

 

LOL!!!!!! This is so true, though. Bilsteins are for the big boys. They are fantastic.

 

Its not about tracking or racing, its about handling.
C4's were meant to be a road car and overall performance is compromised using inferior parts.
Some guys will spend hundreds of dollars on polishers and wax then wimper like a little girl when it comes to shocks, tires or fluids.

Sorry WW no 'fence intended

 

You didn't offend me I was agreeing with you. KYB's are ****, no matter how many on this forum will vouch for them. They are bottom barrel cheapo replacements. I wouldn't settle for anything less than Bilsteins.

 

Ha!

 

Bilsteins, Challenge specs! Control w/o harshness.