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?

Bilstein

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.

Bilsteins all the way.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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