Bilstein shocks again
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,164
Likes: 184
From: Ohio
Bilstein shocks again
When I drive the Vette I really like to feel the road. Can someone tell me how much stiffer the sports are than the heavy duty bilsteins. Would it really affect the ride that much. I have upgraded the sway bars and I don't like the way the car FLOATS in curves 
Advanced
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 52
Likes: 3
I found the sport Bilstein shocks great on smooth roads like the I-4 or I-95 but down right unpleasant on secondary roads, especially some of the residential roads I have to drive over to get to and from home. Shocks should dampen road imperfections. The Sport shocks caused my car to skip and skid sometimes. I own a FRC with the Z51 suspension. Might be great with lower spring rates though!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,812
Likes: 2,029
From: eastern NC
Bilstein Heavy Duty is for the stock/standard suspension cars, the Sport shocks are For the performance-minded driver, Bilstein offers a line of replacement shocks and struts that deliver absolute mastery of the road surface: B8 Performance Plus! (Sport) are designed to push a car's suspension to its peak proficiency, these shocks are well-suited for use with lowered springs, stiffer anti-sway bars, or other suspension upgrades.
https://m.summitracing.com/search/br...model/corvette
Good luck... GUSTO
https://m.summitracing.com/search/br...model/corvette
Good luck... GUSTO
Last edited by GUSTO14; Jan 14, 2017 at 09:35 PM.
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 15,685
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From: Machineguns, because I don’t compromise
Doubtful anyone has had BOTH on their car it's one or the other.
I have HD's on my Zo6 and they feel about the same as stock. With the car sitting still and you give a push on the roof the car hardly moves even a 1/4 inch but it was like that before.
Bilsteins are good shock and cheap. Ride basically like stock maybe a tad more stiff.
I have HD's on my Zo6 and they feel about the same as stock. With the car sitting still and you give a push on the roof the car hardly moves even a 1/4 inch but it was like that before.
Bilsteins are good shock and cheap. Ride basically like stock maybe a tad more stiff.
Advanced
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 52
Likes: 3
Here is an idea that might settle the issue for you without having to buy two sets of shocks. I was not thinking the other day or I would have suggested it at that time. Autozone offers a lifetime warranty on Bilstein shocks. If you do not like the Sport Shocks, take them back, no questions asked and switch over to the HD or vice versa. That is what I did when I bought my car 6 years ago and it settled the issue for me. Suspension likes and dislikes are a very personal thing and I wish you luck!
Racer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 478
Likes: 58
*Additional Tip
Do not low the car.
Do not change the Bushing to Prothane, GM are perfect.
If you have the run flat tires upgrade to the Michelin Super Sport.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,668
Likes: 849
From: New Jersey
I put Bilstein B8 Sports on my 01 Z51. The ride is perfect for a sports car, actually pretty comfortable for a high performance car, with a great feel for the road. I also upgraded to the C6 Z51 front and rear bars, with stock C6 Z51 bushings, which had near zero change to the ride comfort. I also have Michelin Pilot Super Sports, non run-flat, which made the biggest ride comfort improvement versus the original run-flats, and they handle better too. I did not lower the ride height. I did upgrade the rear swaybar plastic endlinks to the metal version.
I believe the HDs are pretty much the same damping as the stock non-Z51 shocks.
I believe the HDs are pretty much the same damping as the stock non-Z51 shocks.
Last edited by ersatz928; Jan 17, 2017 at 09:56 PM.
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