I've got a 1992 convertible. It's a manual with the standard suspension. Even though it only has 55K on the clock, it appears (and perhaps feels) to me that the Bilsteins have seen better days. I just recently installed new Michelin Pilot Sports (A/S) which seemed to improve things.

I have zero problems with a firm ride (this car replaced a Factory Five Cobra), but I'm just driving and enjoying the car - no track days, etc. I'd like it to handle well but more concerned about ride and the Detroit area's moonscape roads (they are as bad as you've heard, maybe worse).

Should I replace with those miles? And if so, given what I'm looking for, B6 or B8's? What sayeth thou?

And thanks!

 

A clock is a 'time piece' it doesn't do miles !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I went with the B8 on my '96 and am happy with it. The Bilstein specs say the B8s have quite a bit more jounce/rebound control than the B6 as well as some more travel in the front. I live in Cleveland and don't feel the shocks have made the bumps and potholes any worse than a set of B6 or even softer shock would be.

 

I put B8 on my 94 base suspension and loved it. The ride was firmer, but not harsh. As shown below I did it again with my '95 and the same results.

When I was looking for info for my '95 I talked to a lot of people. I got one person at Bilstein to give me specs over the phone. I don't think they were supposed to, but they did. The info is below in my quote from a previous thread from 5 years ago.

Good luck.

Quote:
Originally Posted by QCVette
.......

I found some info on the Bilstein HD (non Z51) and SP (Z51) for comparison.

I searched for my '95 Corvette and found length and damping values by part number for these shocks.
**The only length difference between the HD or SP is the compressed length of the front shocks. The Z51 has more travel and can go slightly lower.
**The damping rates are quite different. The Z51 rates are about twice as firm in both jounce and rebound.

For me the choice is easy. I will go with the Z51 shocks on my '95. I liked them on my '94 and was investigating it to see the differences. I like a firmer ride.

HD (B6) Front (non Z51) 24-020534
Length Min/Max 10.18" / 13.56"
Damping Jounce/Rebound 106 Nm/ 76 Nm

SP (B8) Front (Z51) 24-184861
Length Min/Max 9.43" / 13.56"
Damping Jounce/Rebound 228 Nm/ 261 Nm



HD (B6) Rear (non Z51) 24-020541
Length Min/Max 9.61" / 14.69"
Damping Jounce/Rebound 134 Nm/ 114 Nm

SP (B8) Rear (Z51) 24-184878
Length Min/Max 9.61" / 14.69"
Damping Jounce/Rebound 222 Nm/ 222 Nm

 

Thank you guys, this is hugely helpful!

 

OP you may have already made up your mind--but I'll echo what others have said for what it may be worth. Did the B8's on my '96 with standard suspension two months ago on all four corners, very happy with them. I don't think it did any harm at all to combine them with the base leaf springs, feels very firm but not hard or chattery, well damped and planted on real-life roads.

 

I'm going to go against the grain a bit. I went with B8's on my '96 with the base suspension, and ended up pulling them in favor of the B6's. For the rough roads I live and drive on, the B8's were just too stiff, and did not match with the stock soft springs, which made for some rather unpredictable handling. On smooth roads they probably would've worked much better, but in my area, the suspension would become easily unsettled, and the ride quality was horrific. The B6's have been much better in all regards.

Somewhere on here, I can't find it now, someone got the compression and rebound rates of the two, and the B8's were over double the stiffness and overall rates of the B6s. B8's are really for lowered cars with stiff springs.

 

Good to know, I think those numbers are posted above. Thank you.

I felt a little sheepish asking the question, now I am glad I did.

 

Shock damping is matched with corner weight and spring rate. Over-dampening is usually not good.