shocks

**camaross19973** · 04-09-2007, 04:33 PM

ok guys need some help on getting shocks for my 99 ss i know we have talked about it and read about. but just want to make sure what is good for my car or opinion of the fellow ss oners. iam looking at the blistens but need to know if there any more brands that r better than the blistens or the ones they sell at the local autoparts.

**Y2KPewterSS** · 04-09-2007, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by camaross19973

ok guys need some help on getting shocks for my 99 ss i know we have talked about it and read about. but just want to make sure what is good for my car or opinion of the fellow ss oners. iam looking at the blistens but need to know if there any more brands that r better than the blistens or the ones they sell at the local autoparts.

Koni's are probably the best on the market but pricey.

**Hurley711** · 04-09-2007, 04:46 PM

For DD duties Bilstein HD shocks are great,, under $400 too

**tonyjnjz** · 04-09-2007, 05:04 PM

depends on what your planning to do with the car.....are u JUST upgrading the shocks and keeping your stock springs??? then like they said the bilstein hds would work out great and ya there cheap.......if your going to get some aftermarket springs then u prolly wanna go with the konis as they wont cost u much more since youll have to have your bilsteins revalved so they match the springs......revalved bilsteins run close to 600 where i saw them...and the konis are only 740....go big or stay home in that case

**Anthracis** · 04-09-2007, 06:01 PM

Which Konis? Are there only one type for the SS? Also, will they work well with the Eibach springs? BTW, which Eibachs do you guys recommend...the Sportline? How much drop to those give? I would think about an inch or so.

**tonyjnjz** · 04-09-2007, 07:37 PM

koni sa's.... da's are about 1200 bucks and not nessesary for most ppl......konis will go with pretty much any spring......if your going eibach go with the pro kit....drops about 1.5 inches and has good spring rates.....the sportline kit drops about 2 inches and the springs are softer.....im goin with strano springs...about a 1.25 drop and there NON progressive springs which is what im lookin for......supposed to be great for handling as thats what sam is good at

**camaross19973** · 04-09-2007, 08:46 PM

kool i have seen them in slp.com the blisten that is for $ 600and change with the spring. so what r u guys telling me konies r better for what stiffness, soft ride comparing with the blistens and thx for the replys and the info to

**Hot Black Trans-Am** · 04-09-2007, 08:49 PM

The Pro-Kit is low enough if you still want to be streetable.

semicharmed · 04-09-2007, 11:26 PM

Shocks!

don't mind me...I just got nothin to post

**camaross19973** · 04-10-2007, 10:24 AM

ok guys bought the blisteins for my 99 ss the guy i was talking to was really help full his name is nolan Xtn 304 # 1800-883-6437 performancecenter.com.i told him what i wanted is to keep my car stock ,didnt race my car and it was my daily driver, and said my best choice was the bilsteins,i also aked him for the konis he said they were more for the drag raceing peeps out their.also told me that u shouldnt be mixing the shocks cuse they serve diffrent functions by that one is more stiffer than the other and u want the same thru the car so its not recomended to get some konis for the front and some bilstins for the back or visa versa or what ever shocks u want to get and they were much cheaper than slp were i was going to get them at first.i also got the sloted disk 4 the front. and next am going to get for the back and some sway bars for the front and back.and going for the hotchicks 3 point brace.thx guys for the help.

**00maroz28** · 04-10-2007, 11:50 AM

wait so your telling me that you cant run bilsteins with aftermarket springs?... i thought that was the whole idea ... i mean slp sells them together as a suspension package (eibach pro-kit & bilstein hds)....what would really be the need to change your stock shock if you have stock springs..<--- it rides very good stock

**tonyjnjz** · 04-10-2007, 01:10 PM

yes u can..but u need to have them revalved to match the spring u buy...the slp bilsteins are ALREADY valved for the springs they sell with them in the package....im sure there are some springs that would match decent enough with the bilstein factory settings....a lot of places will revalve them FOR YOU at a cost to match the spring your buying....sam strano does it to match his strano springs.....the cost is close to konis then though so its not worth it.....bout 600 for the bilsteins revalved to match ....konis are only 740

**Carlos01SS** · 04-11-2007, 01:47 PM

Basically tonyjnjz is correct, Bilstein HD's off the shelf are best suited for our factory springs...

If you have SLP springs(made by Eibach BTW) you can get the SLP/Bilstein shocks as they are SUPPOSEDLY revalved by SLP to MATCH their own springs...their springs are a bit softer than the Eibach Prokits...

Now, LOTS of peeps here and on the other LS sites have the off-the-shelf Bilstein HD shocks on aftermarket springs, some are stiffer than the Prokits, and that's not a good idea, as Bilstein say on their website that the HD's are NOT designed for lowering springs...

The only person I know that revalves the Bilstein shocks to MATCH whatever springs you buy are Sam Strano, don't know of any other person/place/company that will do this...

The two different Koni's, the SA's and the DA's(Single Adjustable & Double Adjustable) are TREMENDOUS shocks, the DA's are more geared for an autoX or road racer that is going all out for racing and has multiple adjustments to make it stiffer or softer...But the rear DA's are a bit frail, quite a few folks have had their rear DA's blown...And even THEN they perform better than just about every other shock out there for cornering/handling purposes...

The Koni SA's are single adjustable, apparently they are built a bit beefier than the DA's, maybe Koni felt that the street version ones(SA's) should be beefier than the race ones(DA's), also the SA's have less parts in them, so less possibilities of stuff malfunctioning...

Does that make sense?

Revalved Bilstein's run for about $600 American, they are NOT adjustable...

Both types of Koni's are adjustable, I think the SA's are in the mid 700's & the DA's are about $1K...

superior parts, better quality, you get what you pay for...AND, not necessary or overkill for street purposes.

You could be just fine with the off-the-shelf Bilstein HD's if you are going to use the stock springs...

If they are lowered springs though, then consider getting either the revalved Bilstein's or the Koni's.

RE: springs...
Eibach Sportlines are for looks only. Too soft and too low for effective and efficient cornering...

IMHO.

**Tnhillbilly** · 04-11-2007, 02:21 PM

I just installed the Strano Springs w/koni sa's a few weeks ago. I love the setup! Sam is da man!

**tonyjnjz** · 04-11-2007, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by tnhillbilly

I just installed the Strano Springs w/koni sa's a few weeks ago. I love the setup! Sam is da man!

thats what i keep hearing...im goin to be callin him SOOON..have to get my finances straightened out..and VERY nicely said carlos

**00maroz28** · 04-12-2007, 06:03 AM

Originally Posted by Carlos01SS

Basically tonyjnjz is correct, Bilstein HD's off the shelf are best suited for our factory springs...

If you have SLP springs(made by Eibach BTW) you can get the SLP/Bilstein shocks as they are SUPPOSEDLY revalved by SLP to MATCH their own springs...their springs are a bit softer than the Eibach Prokits...

Now, LOTS of peeps here and on the other LS sites have the off-the-shelf Bilstein HD shocks on aftermarket springs, some are stiffer than the Prokits, and that's not a good idea, as Bilstein say on their website that the HD's are NOT designed for lowering springs...

The only person I know that revalves the Bilstein shocks to MATCH whatever springs you buy are Sam Strano, don't know of any other person/place/company that will do this...

The two different Koni's, the SA's and the DA's(Single Adjustable & Double Adjustable) are TREMENDOUS shocks, the DA's are more geared for an autoX or road racer that is going all out for racing and has multiple adjustments to make it stiffer or softer...But the rear DA's are a bit frail, quite a few folks have had their rear DA's blown...And even THEN they perform better than just about every other shock out there for cornering/handling purposes...

The Koni SA's are single adjustable, apparently they are built a bit beefier than the DA's, maybe Koni felt that the street version ones(SA's) should be beefier than the race ones(DA's), also the SA's have less parts in them, so less possibilities of stuff malfunctioning...

Does that make sense?

Revalved Bilstein's run for about $600 American, they are NOT adjustable...

Both types of Koni's are adjustable, I think the SA's are in the mid 700's & the DA's are about $1K...

superior parts, better quality, you get what you pay for...AND, not necessary or overkill for street purposes.

You could be just fine with the off-the-shelf Bilstein HD's if you are going to use the stock springs...

If they are lowered springs though, then consider getting either the revalved Bilstein's or the Koni's.

RE: springs...
Eibach Sportlines are for looks only. Too soft and too low for effective and efficient cornering...

IMHO.

i called bilstein myself and spoke with two different tech people and told them what set-up i was gonna run and everything...they both told me that the settings that a stock bilstein hd comes with will operate perfectly from stock ride hieght to a 1.5 inch drop..after that youll start to lose some of the comfort/ handling....so then i called eibach and talked to a tech guy there and he said the pro-kit springs are actually designed to work with oem shocks and running any aftermarket upgraded/heavy duty shock would just enhance everything...and they wont damage the shocks.....i mean they could be wrong ...i wanna do this the right way but im getting two tottally different responses...here and bilstein/eibach

**SexOnWheels** · 04-12-2007, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by tnhillbilly

I just installed the Strano Springs w/koni sa's a few weeks ago. I love the setup! Sam is da man!

You should post some pictures of your car to show us the ride height/stance with the Starno springs.

**tonyjnjz** · 04-12-2007, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by 00maroz28

i called bilstein myself and spoke with two different tech people and told them what set-up i was gonna run and everything...they both told me that the settings that a stock bilstein hd comes with will operate perfectly from stock ride hieght to a 1.5 inch drop..after that youll start to lose some of the comfort/ handling....so then i called eibach and talked to a tech guy there and he said the pro-kit springs are actually designed to work with oem shocks and running any aftermarket upgraded/heavy duty shock would just enhance everything...and they wont damage the shocks.....i mean they could be wrong ...i wanna do this the right way but im getting two tottally different responses...here and bilstein/eibach

i could be wrong but i think that eibach represenitive is full of shit...im very doubtfull our stock shocks would last long with a 1.5 inch drop 2-3 yrs MAYBE.....call sam and ask questions...hell answer them honestly for ya

**Eugenio_SS** · 04-12-2007, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by 00maroz28

i called bilstein myself and spoke with two different tech people and told them what set-up i was gonna run and everything...they both told me that the settings that a stock bilstein hd comes with will operate perfectly from stock ride hieght to a 1.5 inch drop..after that youll start to lose some of the comfort/ handling....so then i called eibach and talked to a tech guy there and he said the pro-kit springs are actually designed to work with oem shocks and running any aftermarket upgraded/heavy duty shock would just enhance everything...and they wont damage the shocks.....i mean they could be wrong ...i wanna do this the right way but im getting two tottally different responses...here and bilstein/eibach

that tech guy should be fired for the misleading information.
the stock shocks can't even handle the stock spring rates... even less a spring that is 25% stiffer... not to mention the out of wack stock rear compression and rebound settings.
the drop has little/no effect on proper damping as long as you have suspension travel... it's mainly dictated by the spring-rate at that given point. since the prokits are linear, you'll have the same 400lbs/in throughout.
Eibach Tech

**Carlos01SS** · 04-12-2007, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by 00maroz28

i called bilstein myself and spoke with two different tech people and told them what set-up i was gonna run and everything...they both told me that the settings that a stock bilstein hd comes with will operate perfectly from stock ride hieght to a 1.5 inch drop..after that youll start to lose some of the comfort/ handling....so then i called eibach and talked to a tech guy there and he said the pro-kit springs are actually designed to work with oem shocks and running any aftermarket upgraded/heavy duty shock would just enhance everything...and they wont damage the shocks.....i mean they could be wrong ...i wanna do this the right way but im getting two tottally different responses...here and bilstein/eibach

Okay, do yourself a favor, call Sam Strano NOW.

Sam sells all the items that you're inquiring about.
Also THE advantage of calling Sam Strano is that he is THE f-body guru, as no one knows as much as he does regarding our cars. Sam also will give you flat out information about everything, as he has used them while figuring out what was the best setup for his application.
FWIW, Sam Strano has won the SCCA Autocross National championship 4 out of the last 8 years while driving a 4th-gen Z28, beating every car you can think of...His recent championship was 2006.
He will also give you the downlow on EVERY product that he carries, including Bilsteins and Eibach.

He won't bullshit you either about products, no marketing hype, info based on real life usage.