Im in the process of building a 1994 Integra for track/autocross, this car isnt gonna be a daily driver. Pretty much everything major has been purchased sorted out but Im kinda stuck on the suspension. I would love to get the Advanced Design shocks but 1600 for a set of shocks right now is out of budget and since Im not an advanced driver at this point I dont think I would even benefit from them. Here is what I think Ive come down to 600f/800f with GC sleeves, but shockwise I cant decide between revalved Bilsteins or Konis. The Konis are gonna be about 500 bucks more yet I do get rebound adjustment. My friend has a 98 type-R runs the bilsteins and I like them but then again I havent tried the Konis so I really cant compare. What would you guys recommend.

 

koni can match the valving of the bilsteins if you like that valving. personally, i would go with revalved koni's. if you buy smart, gc's and revalved koni's will set you back just under $1400. get the shocks shortened and you're looking at about $1600. how much do the revalved bilsteins go for?

nate

 

Buy the GCs used. Check out the Spring swap thread every now and then.

I would call Koni/Bilstein/TrueChoice (whomever will service the shocks) and ask whether they do a full scale refurbishing(sp?). If so, buy the shocks used to save even more money.

 

you're gonna be hard-pressed to find someone to reliably do the work on the bilsteins. shock-tek is no more, and i haven't heard too many good things about morris-dampers (the company who has bee picking up shock-teks work)

you'll most likely have to do what Dennis Grant did, and build your own 'frankenstein' bilstein. Bilstein doesn't offer such service, unless you have friends inside.

and, IIRC the bilsteins for the ITR dyno different than the bilsteins for non-type R. i'd say go with re-valved koni's, or run off the shelf konis. 600 is pretty much the max you can go on stock koni's, but they will handle it, albeit with out much range on the rebound adjustment.

 

For $1400 or $1600 buck (shocks & springs) you're almost into a nice set of coilovers (Buddy Club, Zeal B6, Tein RA/RE) that will be superior to the Bilstein or Koni and Ground Control setups, plus have a much nicer ride if you ever plan to drive it on the street.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by typer_801 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">For $1400 or $1600 buck (shocks & springs) you're almost into a nice set of coilovers (Buddy Club, Zeal B6, Tein RA/RE) that will be superior to the Bilstein or Koni and Ground Control setups, plus have a much nicer ride if you ever plan to drive it on the street. </TD></TR></TABLE>

jeff, in just exactly what way are the bc, zeal, tein's, etc. "superior"? they don't have better ots valving then a revalved koni and the whole seperate ride height/spring pre-load is a load of marketing BS. loosing 1lb of unsprung weight is insignificant on a 2300lb car and "better ride" is way too subjective to have any value. the only nice feature of the jdm coilovers in the $1500 price range is a larger piston. however, thats valuable only if the valving is correct.

ask jeff hurst just how "superior" his zeal's(?) were.

i have no problem with a different product offering more "bang for the buck" then my gc/revalved koni setup. however, i've seen _zero_ evidence that a $1500 jdm coil-over setup provides that. therefore i take great offense to the comment "superior". offer it as another alternative, not THE alternative.

nate- koni, the _other_ "jdm" shock

 

I don't see why a coilover will ride better than a properly matched spring/shock combo. In order to maximize handling performance, the car needs some spring with a certain spring rate. This should be the same rate for both setups. You then adjust the shock valving to properly dampen the spring movements.

So both should be equally rough...

 

as i say in my FAQ, a full coilover system gives you a "turnkey" suspension. youre getting the manufacturers decision on what is right for your vehicle, although given no regard to your driving situation and style.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by carl_aka_carlos &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i haven't heard too many good things about morris-dampers (the company who has bee picking up shock-teks work)
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Morris Dampers went bankrupt as well recently taking a lot of racer's deposit money with them.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Morris Dampers went bankrupt as well recently taking a lot of racer's deposit money with them.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Are you sure that isnt shocktek?

Alex ratcliffe had a morris setup built earlier this year.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by carl_aka_carlos &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you'll most likely have to do what Dennis Grant did, and build your own 'frankenstein' bilstein. Bilstein doesn't offer such service, unless you have friends inside.

and, IIRC the bilsteins for the ITR dyno different than the bilsteins for non-type R. i'd say go with re-valved koni's, or run off the shelf konis. 600 is pretty much the max you can go on stock koni's, but they will handle it, albeit with out much range on the rebound adjustment.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Bilstein will re-valve ($55 each) but not make them adjustable like shoktek did, which doesn't help with suspension fine tuning.

In any case, to get the Bilsteins revalved and made into adjustable units from shoktek, I believe the final cost (including the shocks) was close the True Choice, certainly over 1 grand for sure.

 

I understand being able to adjust a shock is a great thing but when you can get the Bilsteins for 420 and revalve and shorten for another 260, at this point I dont know if I can justify spending another 500 for rebound adjustment only. I figure by the time Im good enough to exceed the ability of the bilsteins I could be able to afford a better shock such as ADs or something of that caliber. If Im completely off base let me know

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by acurasquirrel &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I understand being able to adjust a shock is a great thing but when you can get the Bilsteins for 420 and revalve and shorten for another 260, at this point I dont know if I can justify spending another 500 for rebound adjustment only. I figure by the time Im good enough to exceed the ability of the bilsteins I could be able to afford a better shock such as ADs or something of that caliber. If Im completely off base let me know</TD></TR></TABLE>

No argument from this guy here. That's exactly what I did!!! So they only charge another $40 to shorten them? I would get the springs first, then have Bilstein revalve them to match the spring rates. Not exactly what I did with the front, so now they are a little too stiff and I just have to wait until they get worn a bit (or blown) before I spend another $110 to revalve them to a different rate.

 

BTW, you might be able to get the Bilstein HDs cheaper than $420 if you shop around a bit.