My Shock saga continues. My 94 LT1 6 speed would float like a whale on the interstate when I went over a dip. The car had 87000 miles on it and from what I could tell it was a shock issue. I read many posts on the forum about shocks and decided to have my Bilstein shocks rebuilt. Becuase I wanted to drive the car while the shocks were out I purchased a set of Car Quest (made by Gabriel) shocks for $80. I sent the Bilsteins back to Bilstein and $250 later they were shipped back. I really didn't pay much attention to the Car Quest shocks when they were in, although I didn't seem to have any handling issues. I put the Bilsteins back in and was excited that the car should now handle great. NOT. Over the same dip in the interstate, the whale was back! Oh my. Coming off the interstate arouund a high speed exit I even got some front wheel hop over an expansion joint. What was I to do? I checked out QA1 but if I bought those I would have spent over $1000 for shocks, and I don't want to do that. I started thinking about my $80 Car Quest shocks. What the hell, why not throw those back in. See how they are. About 90 minutes later they were in. I just made my ride to work this morning and the whale is on vacation, the ride is a bit softer over slight imperfections and later today I'll take that high speed exit. I wish I had revalved my original shocks because in talking to Bilstein that would have been the same price. I asked Bilstein to give me a break on a rebuild and they said, NO!

A while back there was a thread about shocks and the floating sensation. If you want a cheap alternative the Car Quest's seem to kick the whale in the fin.

 

my only concern... how long will they last?

I bought cheap old KYB's about 4 years (and 90k miles) ago! They are still pretty good, but are destined for replacment... I am going to get Koni's. Had them on my old Prelude and LOVED THEM. :cool: :thumbs:

 

Shame on Bilstein. My 92 (50K) still has the original Bilsteins and they do just fine. When it comes to replacing, I'm glad I read your post. :cheers:

 

I just bought mine ( gabriels) from autozone. $80 for 4 so far excellent results

 

I just received my Edelbrocks in the mail. They look real cool. Just love staring at them. Almost bought the Tokico's I saw on Ebay which looks nice too. :auto:

 

Koni's! Been my choice for almost thirty years. Always a solid feel.

:thumbs: -JRC-

 

I installed Edlebrock's last year- so far they have a nice balance between ride and handling. When I first got the Vette (new) the Bilsteins were HARD! The Edlebrocks offer a much better balance.

As far as the QA1s, I am considering those for the Camaro and using the stock springs. I have enough problems with speeds bumps already.

 

There is a cheap set of QA1's ( if you can call it cheap) for 400.00 on ebay

 

Don't feel bad - I took out my 40k Bilsteins, and put in a set of 10k Bilsteins this winter. The ride was, or is, a LITTLE bit better, but not what I expected. I have the whale feeling too on certain dips on the highway.. Edelbrock's are going in this year - I hate doing things like this twice!! :smash:

 

My Bilsteins w/ 23k miles float the same way. They don't seem to be leaking or anything like that so I have the feeling they were like that from the beginning. Maybe they put shocks that were intended for Cadillacs in our cars :lol: . I'm considering the Edelbrocks or Q1A.

 

Hey, I was wondering if any of you guys that have installed the Edlebrock's could post a picture. I'm in the market for new shocks soon and have been leaning toward them. One for the looks and it seems that everyone has been pleased with the performance. Thanks, Al

 

OK. So after a full day of driving the Car Quest shocks are sooooo much better than the Bilsteins. No more whale float, a softer feel over slight road imperfections, and no more wheel hop coming off the high speed exit from the interstate. I can't find a down side. They're probably not a performance shock but for overall driveability vs. cost, they work fine. Oh, by the way, they're guaranteed for the life of the vehicle. :yesnod:

 

Very interesting. Please keep us posted on the durability. :thumbs:

 

YOu know I have been worried about the composite springs being the culprit.... :mad Possible the Bilstiens are just suckin huh?

 

I installed Bilstein Z51 shocks on my 93 FE1 base suspension and they are stiff and controlled. No float at all. I figure when they wear down in 40k they will still be better than new base Bilsteins

 

Much of what many of you are saying coincides with what I discovered when I bought a '95 convertible with 18,000 miles last October. On rough roads, the wheels kept separating from the road. After some research, I went with the Edelbrock Performer IAS, and I have been very pleased. A much-better ride and, in most instances, improved performance.

Bilsteins, at least from my experience, may be OK on smooth roads, but they aren't all that hot in the real world.

 

QA1 shocks are NOT $1000!! I just replaced mine on the 94 was $138 per shock from Summit Racing, in stock all the time.
I love mine, had them on the 85 before, MAJOR difference between the stock shocks and QA1s, plus adjustablity.

Part #s for 88-96 cars:
Front: TC3014P
Rear: TC3024P

Only thing you need to know for the install is that on the rears you will need to buy about 3 1/2" washers for each side. The lower mounting stud is smaller on the QA1 then stock, so you need them so you can compress the bushing a little and not have it wiggle. Install is straight forward, took me 2 hours for the whole job.

 

I put Gabs on mine about 14 months ago....they are needing replacement. Going to go with KYB

 

I put the Edelbrock's on mine about a year ago and was not impressed from the first minute.
After much deliberation between new Bilsteins, QA-1's, and KONI's, I finally picked up a set of new KONI Sports today. I'll be putting them on Saturday morning and will let you know how they compare to the old Bilsteins and fresh Edelbrocks.
Anyone have a recommendation as to where to initially set the damping on these ? Full soft? Up one or two clicks? Who among you has used KONI's and had the personal experience to shorten my learning curve.....I have a SoCalMountainRun to go on the week after and don't want to be sucking any C5 exhaust in the twisties....
:eek:

Larry
code5coupe
:seeya

 

Try starting the rears adjusted mid-way and the fronts about 1/3 turn from full soft. It should be firm, but not hard and you should see a definite improvement in overall control. I've used them on two C4s for street & track and wouldn't switch! Good luck. Paul :flag