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I just found some like new shocks on eBay. They are B46 1177 and 1178 Bilstein shocks. Can anyone give me any information about the valving?
They have paper stickers on them which indicates testing or custom valving: C4 Front 430/140, Rear 600/130. Any experience with similar valved shocks on a C4 would be a big help to me. They arrived today. Hoping the work well with my 1996 FE1 suspension.
Last edited by Earnit3; Feb 16, 2022 at 07:48 PM.
Reason: Add picture.
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IDK for sure but rears are typically 50/50 or equal compression/rebound. With the high compression value I suspect the are custom for a FE1 LT1 car.factory Z51 shocks had low compression due to high spring rate allowing spring to absorb upward travel and high rebound to dampen springs return. High compression would slow springs upward travel. Low rebound would allow quick return. LT1 base had softer springs than l89.
The seller was selling for an Estate sale. Said the shocks came off of a 1996 and were used a few times at tracks before the person sold the car. 1996 Corvette FE1 is what I am going to try them on. For $160 shipped I figure they were worth a try!
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IDK for sure but rears are typically 50/50 or equal compression/rebound. With the high compression value I suspect the are custom for a FE1 LT1 car.factory Z51 shocks had low compression due to high spring rate allowing spring to absorb upward travel and high rebound to dampen springs return. High compression would slow springs upward travel. Low rebound would allow quick return. LT1 base had softer springs than l89.
I guess I had just bought them. My car with 138,000 miles and the original shocks. These will have to be better than those. Thanks for the help!
Last edited by Earnit3; Feb 17, 2022 at 07:59 PM.
Reason: Sho
The seller was selling for an Estate sale. Said the shocks came off of a 1996 and were used a few times at tracks before the person sold the car. 1996 Corvette FE1 is what I am going to try them on. For $160 shipped I figure they were worth a try!
I had some custom-valved Bilsteins with my C4, on which I also had vBP leaf springs with 1125lb/in front rate and 550lb/in rear rate. Those spring rates were a lot higher than stock 96 base springs, by roughly 2.5 times IIRC. The rear Bilsteins were so hard I couldn't maintain rear traction for autocross use, and they were punishing on the street. I did use the fronts, though - they worked well. The previous owner said the full set worked well on track, but I never got to track the car so I can't say. I don't know what the rates on those shocks actually were, as they came with no documentation and I never dynoed them. But...
I'm surprised that the rear rates on your set are actually higher than the front rates (I'm not surprised that they have a similar split in rebound and compression though, only drag racers would want them equal or flip-flopped). The rear shocks have close to a 1:1 motion ratio and so have a lot more leverage over the fronts, which have something like 0.55:1 motion ratios. So just as with spring rates, I'd expect the rear shock rates to be lower than in front by a significant margin. This all makes me wonder if my shocks were the same as these?
Thanks for the feedback. I guess I won't know until I try. My car is a 1996 base car with the weakest factory springs: 306 lbs/148lbs. They look like a crutch for my weak springs. Is your red car a 96?
Last edited by Earnit3; Feb 18, 2022 at 07:53 AM.
Reason: punctuation correction
Does anyone know where these shocks would have came from? VBP, DRM, or Bilstein? Since the specs are on the stickers I figure someone might know. Thanks!
Does anyone know where these shocks would have came from? VBP, DRM, or Bilstein? Since the specs are on the stickers I figure someone might know. Thanks!
Having talked to the PO of my car and looked around a bit, I feel pretty confident that these are VBP Xtreme shocks. I also feel pretty confident that the rears are going to be a hot mess of insanely high rates and you will hate them. Honestly, for a stock C4 (especially a soft 96 base car), the Ridetech HQs are probably a great option for you.
Having talked to the PO of my car and looked around a bit, I feel pretty confident that these are VBP Xtreme shocks. I also feel pretty confident that the rears are going to be a hot mess of insanely high rates and you will hate them. Honestly, for a stock C4 (especially a soft 96 base car), the Ridetech HQs are probably a great option for you.
Thanks for the help. I will give them a try but from what I read, I would say you are right. Was your car dangerous or just super uncomfortable?
Thanks for the help. I will give them a try but from what I read, I would say you are right. Was your car dangerous or just super uncomfortable?
The shocks made it somewhat tail-happy, especially in transitions. It wouldn't kill someone on the street, but it made it impossible to drive it hard into corners, slaloms, and offsets, and fuggedabowt power out of a corner hard.
The shocks made it somewhat tail-happy, especially in transitions. It wouldn't kill someone on the street, but it made it impossible to drive it hard into corners, slaloms, and offsets, and fuggedabowt power out of a corner hard.
Thank you for all the good advice!
This way I know what to expect. I am bringing my car back from sitting for 16 years. Fuel tank, injectors, filters new brake lines, tires, etc. So, I will put Ridetech HQs on my wish list!
Doing more investigation of Biltsteins dyno numbers, I had it backwards it's rebound over compression. So they are wrong for lightly sprung car. Car shouldn't be bouncey but it.may bottom out like worn shocks.
Doing more investigation of Biltsteins dyno numbers, I had it backwards it's rebound over compression. So they are wrong for lightly sprung car. Car shouldn't be bouncey but it.may bottom out like worn shocks.
Doing more investigation of Biltsteins dyno numbers, I had it backwards it's rebound over compression. So they are wrong for lightly sprung car. Car shouldn't be bouncey but it.may bottom out like worn shocks.
Sorry, I meant to tell you that also. Rebound is always much higher (or should be, except for drag racing) because you're damping the whole sprung mass with the rebound vs the unsprung mass with the compression.
I have found some springs, FHA and NYU and a front 30mm front sway bar thanks to FB marketplace and this forum's WTB section. I am trying to closely duplicate a ZO7 setup from 1992-95 on my 1996. I will see how these springs and my custom shocks play together. Thanks for your help!
Custom C4 Bilstein B8 Shocks?
