So, it has come to my attention that not much info exists on these shocks in the Civic world as most people tend to lean towards Koni and Tokico shocks. I personally want to know if anyone had had experience with the Bilstein shocks as well as the springs they chose for the shocks.

Bilstein's website states that the Rear B6 (only variant for 6th Gen) can accept both OE and lowering springs (which I didn't think they could). I was looking to pair them with H&R Sport Springs. However, both the B6 and B8 variants exist for the front. It is my understanding that the B6 is for OE springs which I will not be reusing or ordering new of since they cost an arm and a leg for the EM1, and the B8 is for lowering springs. Would it be safe to go with a Front B8 and Rear B6 setup with the H&R's or should I go B6 all around with them? My main worry is always leaving the front shocks in a compressed state as many other cars experience when using B6 shocks vs the lowering ready B8's. Any advice/help?

Please note that I am not interested in Koni, Tokico, or KYB. If you wish to suggest another shock/spring/coilover, please give your reasoning as I am pretty determined to purchase Bilstein shocks provided I can recieve the correct information.

 

Im guessing the B8 fronts are probably the same fronts from the ITR and the rears probably require the ITR rear eyelet control arm. I believe function7 sold an ITR style rear control arm for the EK, but I was reading rumors that they closed up. I would thin B6 shocks would probably work fine.

I've been generally happy with my ITR bilsteins on my integra, they work well for what I use them for, and I've had them paired with ITR springs since 2014.

 

I know the rear B6 has its own built in fork like other EK based shocks. I wonder if they stated it could take both OE and lowering so people could pair it with either the B6 front for OE or B8 front for sport springs.

As far as ITR/CTR springs, I would not be against having a set if they could be found cheap and new, but that is never the case, thus why I want the H&R's. I do want a slight drop but I'm not looking for anything aggressive and those seem to fit the bill.

 

I wasn't steering you into ITR/CTR springs, I was just stating I was using them with the bilstein B8 setup and have been generally happy with their performance, but I wasn't really happy with the spring rates that H&R offered on their springs as they seemed to soft for the lowering they did.

Everything I've read about the B6 is they can support moderate lowering. It doesn't hurt to call bilstein and ask them to clarify though.

But I could have sworn when I was doing research some have paired the B8 Front with the B6 rear with relative success, but its been years since I read that. I do remember reading the B8 is supposed to have a shortened body vs the B6 and also two positions for the spring perch. Unsure if the B6 has that.

My opinion is, if the shortened body and if the B6 does not have the different perches concern you, I would stick with matching shocks, worst case is you can revalve the B6s to support higher rates.

 

Oh I didn't think you were. I was just stating it would be nice to have some Type R springs but they seem to be hard to come by in a fresh state.

I did reach out to Bilstein but haven't recieved a response yet. I may end up calling them to get a full answer since no one seems to respond to emails anymore lol.

As far as springs go, do you have any suggestions then for something that wouldn't drop to far and keep up with its own ratea? How far did the H&R's drop for their rates? They state like 1.2-1.75inches or so.

 

So a Bilstein rep did contact me. They stated that I could pair a B8 front and B6 rear since there is no B8 rear option for the EM1 chassis, and if no B8 is available, a B6 will work with a 1 inch drop. Though I don't know of any springs that don't drop past an inch lol. Oh well. Gamble?

 

You could probably get away with a coilover sleeve kit like ground controls and have it adjusted so it sites only an inch lower than stock. I do think the shocks will be fine if its past what bilstein recommends, if anything bilstein could be conservative in their spring rates/lowering range, but that is also gamble.

Not sure if using extended top hats would work.

 

True I could go with GC sleeves, though I was trying to keep things simple. I've read that the shock ends up sitting compressed on the lowered springs but again, that could just be Bilstein being conservative like you said. It sucks because no one makes an OE like spring to fit the bill. My goal was simple non-adjustable suspension that was stiffer and better than stock while being affordable for future replacements. I'll look into GC's though.

 

What about tein s-tech springs? I was initially looking at those the rates were slightly stiffer than ITR and the drop was reasonable. You would need to get the integra specified versions vs the civic.

 

I've heard they also suffer from being too soft for their drop though (I guess thats why you suggest Teg ones?). I will check them. I messaged GC about my sitch as well as ASR in regards to their ERS springs they sell from Eibach. Though I did hear that Tein moved production for some parts to China. Not that I'm against that, but whenever a company moves around it makes me question quality.

 

What do you mean, "the shock ends up compressed on the spring"?

I put some info in your other thread.

H&R SP is a coilover with Bilstein shocks and H&R springs with an adjustable height. Should solve your concerns. I still wouldn't plan to lower the car much more than 1 or 1.25" even with those coilovers.

But a measuring tape and a drive will tell you a lot more than my assumptions.

 

BTW, why are you not into Koni or Tokico?
Just wondering if there's some particular quality you're looking to get or avoid.

 

I may have answered/asked questions in the other thread in regards to this. By compressed, Ive read that a shock will sit in a compressed state when lowered on springs that are too low for its shock body, thus needing top hats. I could be wrong but this is my understanding.

As far as the H&R SP's, again, I have no understanding of coil adjustment and I don't want them to be too crazy, but can these be as good as the setup I'm asking for? Theres so much wishy washy information its heard to understand it all.

I have nothing against Koni/Tokico. Perhaps its just that I like outlying brands for their work on other cars. I know Koni is great, though I have no knowledge on Tokico. My father and I had a 944 Base with Bilsteins and track springs and it was loads of fun and that has gained a partial bit of my bias, but this isnt a track Porsche made to destroy corners and have no power on the straights lol. Its just a street Civic. So perhaps my gauging is off. I may have a biased feeling in things, but I try to be open as long as people can explain why something might be better.

 

Shock shaft position doesn't dictate ride quality. The fact that an overly lowered car relies too much on bumpstops is what kills the ride.

H&R SP's have "BILSTEIN" stamped on the shock. Research them. The only feedback that I got on these from a Civic owner was that there was some harshness. But I have no clue how low he was. He also got a defective/damaged shock in the package. Again...keep it tall and you should be fine.

Honestly...if you're looking to keep this simple and willing to keep an open mind,

Tein Street Advance often work REALLY well for moderately lowered street cars. They have a ton of useful features for street cars including MASSIVE rust proofing that Bilstein and Koni do so badly with.

Koni/GC is a tried and true combo. Keep the ride up high. Keep the spring rates moderate. Endless possibilities.

Tokico/GC is a good middle ground. The dial adjusts compression and rebound. So you can probably get away with softer springs and more damping. Also require you to keep the ride up high.

Unless you're buying a "track" coilover, you're going to want to keep a max drop around 1.25" or less.

 

Will do

I heard they started building them in China. I'm not against outsourcing to other countries from origin, but has has the auality dropped/changed? I looked into the Advance Z, sk maybe thats why.

Gotcha.

I'm assuming you mean Iluminas? Not Blues?

 

Yes, I think the Advance Z is made in China. I haven't heard of any quality issues. Tein makes super solid shocks. Some of their configuration is very bad. But the Advance line seems to work well. They are for me, anyway (TSX - using Japan made Advance originals). The damping **** needs to be kept closer to stiff than Tein's insanely soft recommendation.

I meant Illuminas, yes.

 

I'll look into these again, thank you .

And gotcha.