Bilstein or KYB's. 15 in. or 14 in. ??????

[California Dart]

I bought a 1974 dart to fix up and drive around. It will always be just a driver but when I'm done it will shock people (I'll post pictures). It has stock 14 in. wheels but I'm looking for rallies.
1. Is it worth spending the money on Bilsteins over KYB's?
2. What size rim is all together better for ride, 14 or 15?

This car will be used to drive the 15 frwy to Vegas and I want this car to drive firm, tight and smooth in the end. Suggestions PLEASE!

 

[pauly v.100]

Bilsteins have been mentioned by users of both brands as being tons better than KYBs. I myself have KYBs that will be swapped out for Bilsteins when $$$ allow.

 

[72bluNblu]

KYB's get the job done, they're fairly stiff so they seem to work better with larger bars. But if the budget allows, Bilstiens are much better all the way around.

Don't bother with 14" rims if you're swapping to a different style already. Tire selection is minimal, and will continue to get worse. 15" rims have a ton more tire options, plus less sidewall to flex. Better tires and less sidewall flex = better handling.

 

[Jim Lusk]

No doubt on the 15". Shocks are really a matter of the budget. My son's Barracuda has KYBs and I don't find the ride objectionable (1.14" torsion bars, too).

 

[twofosho]

It's even getting hard to find a good selection of tires in 15" sizes.
As far as shocks go, KYBs seem to "wear" in and aren't nearly so "objectionable" after you've run them a while. While Koni, Bilstein, or E-brock IAS sound like good upgrades, they're expensive, and I still feel my KYBs are a pretty good bang for the buck.

 

[72bluNblu]

It's even getting hard to find a good selection of tires in 15" sizes.
As far as shocks go, KYBs seem to "wear" in and aren't nearly so "objectionable" after you've run them a while. While Koni, Bilstein, or E-brock IAS sound like good upgrades, they're expensive, and I still feel my KYBs are a pretty good bang for the buck.

Truth! For street driving the KYB's aren't bad. I've had a set of my Challenger now for 30k miles. Bilsteins are on my list, but I've got some other things to take care of first.

And yeah, even 15" tire selection is getting worse. Not nearly as bad as 14" though. I run 17's on my Challenger now, much better options for performance tires.

 

[California Dart]

For the Record, I went with the Bilsteins. I was surprised when I found out the front's already had KYB's on there. A b s o l u t l e t l y no comparison in quality. I found that the Bilstein plant in Poway California custom build's them for all hot rods and older custom cars. They were just under $400.00.