Koni's or Bilstein's?? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Stewie · 02-20-2015, 11:30 PM

Koni's or Bilstein's? That is the question.

Philosphy of use: daily driving and maybe some auto cross
Desired effect: better damping. better performance. smoother ride?

qwerty66 · 02-20-2015, 11:38 PM

Bilstein

swarb · 02-21-2015, 12:38 AM

Wow that's a tuffy. Almost like "frs or brz?" I personally like koni's but I have never used it in our application. Are bilsteins adjustable? For other applications from what I remember they were not. That was the main reason for my choice.

Apoc · 02-21-2015, 01:01 AM

Bilsteins all the way.

grodenglaive · 02-21-2015, 01:49 AM

had koni yellows on my MINI - they were awesome, but when one blew a seal it took 2 months to get a warranty replacement.

Panman · 02-21-2015, 02:24 AM

I have B6s and love them - the faster you go the better they feel. Track for one or more of HPDE/Regularity/Sprints/Drift/Skidpan 2 times a month, canyon carving in the mix also.

Non-adjustable, but I don't feel the need for it. Koni's are adjustable and cheaper, however I'm happy with my choice.

Stewie · 02-21-2015, 02:39 AM

Anybody run both? Present application or otherwise? All input is appreciated. Seems lopsided for bilstein thus far...

Stewie · 02-21-2015, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swarb

Wow that's a tuffy. Almost like "frs or brz?" I personally like koni's but I have never used it in our application. Are bilsteins adjustable? For other applications from what I remember they were not. That was the main reason for my choice.

Non adjustable. But the Koni's are only adjustable for rebound if I'm not mistaken.

was385 · 02-21-2015, 10:37 AM

Went through this same thought process and ended up with bilsteins and rce Tarmac springs. Unless you really feel like you need adjustability, bilstein just makes a better quality part.

Stewie · 02-21-2015, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panman

I have B6s and love them - the faster you go the better they feel. Track for one or more of HPDE/Regularity/Sprints/Drift/Skidpan 2 times a month, canyon carving in the mix also.

Non-adjustable, but I don't feel the need for it. Koni's are adjustable and cheaper, however I'm happy with my choice.

How do they compare to stock for the day to day driving duties. Smoother? Harsher? Do your teeth rattle on rough roads?
Which springs are you running?

@was385

Which bilsteins did you end up with? I'm leaning towards the rce tarmacs as well...

was385 · 02-21-2015, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stewie

How do they compare to stock for the day to day driving duties. Smoother? Harsher? Do your teeth rattle on rough roads?
Which springs are you running?

@was385

Which bilsteins did you end up with? I'm leaning towards the rce tarmacs as well...

I got the B8s. It's definitely a little harsher at low speeds but not bad at all. At highway speeds it's a lot more comfortable though. There's a bump on my route home from work that I used to have to slow down to about 40mph for and it still shocked the whole car. With the bilsteins, I go over at 65-70 and barely feel it.

Pat · 02-21-2015, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grodenglaive

had koni yellows on my MINI - they were awesome, but when one blew a seal it took 2 months to get a warranty replacement.

Good to know. I put about 200,000 miles on some Bilstein Sports with my old A4. I think i blew four of them in that time. I was pretty disappointed in that, but they always were quick to warranty them. I'd buy them again. I don't have any first hand experience with Konis, though.

Fofofawcett · 02-21-2015, 12:15 PM

Just wanted to chime in since I have Koni adjustables.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1487005
They have been really great for me and I don't think you are giving up any quality by going with the koni. That being said, I have heard nothing but good things regarding bilstein as well.

The adjustability of the konis is pretty cool. Yes, you end up mostly using 1 setting, but like I said in my thread, it does a lot more than you think. Personally, I really enjoyed dialing in the rebound and having a "different" feeling car once in a while. Hopefully this helps!

Racecomp Engineering · 02-21-2015, 02:17 PM

Koni vs Bilstein is almost Coke vs. Pepsi. I'd be happy with either but lean towards Bilstein.

I just switched from Koni to custom valved Bilsteins on my Mini and they're very good.

- Andy

02-20-2015, 11:30 PM	#1
Stewie Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Drives: '15 - WRB Brz Limited Location: South Florida Posts: 108 Thanks: 130 Thanked 22 Times in 20 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Koni's or Bilstein's?? Koni's or Bilstein's? That is the question. Philosphy of use: daily driving and maybe some auto cross Desired effect: better damping. better performance. smoother ride? __________________ 2015 WRB Brz Limited 6MT 2001 BMW 540i 6MT M-Sport (sold) 2001 BMW 325ci 5MT (sold) 1988 Volvo 740 Turbo 4MT w/ electric OD/5th gear (sold)

02-21-2015, 01:01 AM	#4
Apoc Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: Raven FR-S 6M Location: Calgary, Canada Posts: 638 Thanks: 348 Thanked 375 Times in 232 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	Bilsteins all the way. __________________ “The World is Flat” [\|\|•]=(86)=[•\|\|]

02-21-2015, 02:39 AM	#7
Stewie Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Drives: '15 - WRB Brz Limited Location: South Florida Posts: 108 Thanks: 130 Thanked 22 Times in 20 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Anybody run both? Present application or otherwise? All input is appreciated. Seems lopsided for bilstein thus far... __________________ 2015 WRB Brz Limited 6MT 2001 BMW 540i 6MT M-Sport (sold) 2001 BMW 325ci 5MT (sold) 1988 Volvo 740 Turbo 4MT w/ electric OD/5th gear (sold)

02-21-2015, 12:15 PM	#13
Fofofawcett Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Drives: GBS BRZ Location: Boston, MA Posts: 57 Thanks: 19 Thanked 38 Times in 20 Posts Mentioned: 4 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Koni shocks Just wanted to chime in since I have Koni adjustables. http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1487005 They have been really great for me and I don't think you are giving up any quality by going with the koni. That being said, I have heard nothing but good things regarding bilstein as well. The adjustability of the konis is pretty cool. Yes, you end up mostly using 1 setting, but like I said in my thread, it does a lot more than you think. Personally, I really enjoyed dialing in the rebound and having a "different" feeling car once in a while. Hopefully this helps!

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02-20-2015, 11:38 PM	#2
qwerty66 Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Drives: frs Location: Canada Posts: 41 Thanks: 12 Thanked 66 Times in 17 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Bilstein

02-21-2015, 12:38 AM	#3
swarb Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Drives: BRZ Location: Los Angeles Posts: 3,052 Thanks: 1,773 Thanked 2,451 Times in 1,271 Posts Mentioned: 79 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Wow that's a tuffy. Almost like "frs or brz?" I personally like koni's but I have never used it in our application. Are bilsteins adjustable? For other applications from what I remember they were not. That was the main reason for my choice.

02-21-2015, 02:24 AM	#6
Panman Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: 86 GTS Location: Brisbane Australia Posts: 706 Thanks: 141 Thanked 275 Times in 176 Posts Mentioned: 13 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I have B6s and love them - the faster you go the better they feel. Track for one or more of HPDE/Regularity/Sprints/Drift/Skidpan 2 times a month, canyon carving in the mix also. Non-adjustable, but I don't feel the need for it. Koni's are adjustable and cheaper, however I'm happy with my choice.

02-21-2015, 10:37 AM	#9
was385 Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Drives: MT WRB BRZ Limited, 2007 911s Location: CT Posts: 812 Thanks: 218 Thanked 381 Times in 181 Posts Mentioned: 9 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Went through this same thought process and ended up with bilsteins and rce Tarmac springs. Unless you really feel like you need adjustability, bilstein just makes a better quality part.

02-21-2015, 02:17 PM	#14
Racecomp Engineering Join Date: Nov 2011 Drives: 2016 BRZ, 2012 Paris Di2 & 2018 STI Location: Severn, MD Posts: 5,511 Thanks: 3,536 Thanked 7,406 Times in 3,030 Posts Mentioned: 310 Post(s) Tagged: 9 Thread(s)	Koni vs Bilstein is almost Coke vs. Pepsi. I'd be happy with either but lean towards Bilstein. I just switched from Koni to custom valved Bilsteins on my Mini and they're very good. - Andy

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