Bilstein Shocks?

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Superelbert

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Has anybody tried Bilstein shocks on their Dart/ A-body?

Mine has a set of "cheap" Gabriel shocks that I bought many years ago as an emergency replacement for the completely dead shocks that came on the car when I bought it.

Now that I have replaced all bushings and links in the front suspension, added adjustebla strut-rods and slightly stiffer torsion bars, I'm thinking that there might be further gains to be had by replacing said shocks.

I see that firm feel sell Bilstein shocks from my Dart, and from what I understand, Bilstein shocks have digressive dambing valves, i.e. valves that gives less damping of fast motions like bumps and potholes, and more damping for slower motions like body roll etc.

To me, this sounds very favourable compared to conventional shocks which are progressive, i.e. get stiffer the faster the motion.

The Bilstein shocks are not the least expensive available, so I would be very much interrested to hear if anybody have tried them and in what way they changed/ improved the handling and ride characteristics.
 
i have not used them on an A body specifically, but i have them on my truck and used them on other cars as well. IMO, They make some of the best shocks around.
 
I have a set on the 66. I love them. They handle really well and ride much nicer than the KYB's I had on previously.
 
I've had KYB's, QA1's, Konis, and Herb Adams shocks on mine. I like the Bisteins the best that I got from Hotchkis.

Yesterday...
 

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Are these the same as the Bilstein shocks PST has for $349.00 a set???
 
Anyone have any input on the Bilsteins vs the Edelbrock IAS? I put a set of 4 IASs on my 65 Formula S Cuda but have no real drive time on it yet. The hot ticket shock a few years ago was the SPAS (sp?) but you had to replace the bushings to fit Mopars if I remember correctly. Spent a considerable amount of time talking to the Hotchkis guys at MATS about their products, very nice stuff but $$. Didn't get to go for a ride in their cars like I was hoping. Damn weather!
 
Thanks for all the replies so far!

Seems that those who have tried Bilsteins are generally very satisfied with them, allso when comparing with other brand-name performance shocks. That bodes well for purchasing a set.

But can anybody be a bit more specific in what way they were good and in what areas improvements was noticed?

How do they fare when hitting bumps and potholes? do they simply make the ride stiffer and firmer? is there a tradeoff or improvement in comfort? Do they improve handling in turns etc??

The reason I keep going on about this is that "good" can mean different things to different people..:wink:
 
dodgedifferent2 said:
do they make bilstein shocks for the ss springs?
Click to expand...

SS springs are not for handling, they are designed for drag racing. They are right and left. They raise both sides of the car on accelleration which pushes down on the tires to get better traction. You should get longer shocks to get the full benefit from SS springs.
 
Ok, how about a seeing them in action?

Here are my Bilstein RCD shocks while I'm working the hell out of them at 125+ mph !! This was last Thursday at Willow Springs raceway.

They worked awesome. Now if the driver was up to the level of the shocks!

The rattling at the beginning is the RePlayXD cam picking up the rattling front valence. I borrowed that tiny camera. It is AWESOME. You can get them for under $200. Drag racers could learn a lot about their car from them too I think.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je5oeamQ_uw"]YouTube - 68 Barracuda Hotchkis TVS suspension cam[/ame]
 
Superelbert said:
Thanks for all the replies so far!

Seems that those who have tried Bilsteins are generally very satisfied with them, allso when comparing with other brand-name performance shocks. That bodes well for purchasing a set.

But can anybody be a bit more specific in what way they were good and in what areas improvements was noticed?

How do they fare when hitting bumps and potholes? do they simply make the ride stiffer and firmer? is there a tradeoff or improvement in comfort? Do they improve handling in turns etc??

The reason I keep going on about this is that "good" can mean different things to different people..:wink:
Click to expand...

They handle better in turns. They also ride better than other handling shocks. I think autoxcuda knows what he is talking about when it comes to handling in turns. Hitting potholes is not recommended, I bent a 15 x 7.00 Rallye wheel going through Chicago. The tire did not lose air but I'll be bypassing Chicago on my next cross country trip. I prize handling above comfort.
 
66fs said:
SS springs are not for handling, they are designed for drag racing. They are right and left. They raise both sides of the car on accelleration which pushes down on the tires to get better traction. You should get longer shocks to get the full benefit from SS springs.
Click to expand...

Thats why i asked if they made any for the ss springs. Longer to help traction ... seeing what options were out there.
 
From what I've read "A" body rear shocks are about 20 inches long, while what you want are at least 24 inches long for serious drag racing. "C" body shocks are longer but I think the upper shock bushing needs to be replaced with the "A" body one. All that being said, We are running "A" body KYB's on my sons 73, 4 door Dart with SS springs. But it is not a dragster by any measure. Mopar performance sells long shocks for "A" bodies with the extended travel, but I have not used them personally. Not sure how they would work on the street. I am pulling the SS springs off the 67 Barracuda and am going back to the original 67 Formula S, 6 leaf, 4 speed, springs and Bilsteins for better handling. I'll take measurements with and without SS springs so you guys can get an idea of the difference, but that will be later this summer.
 
I have Hotchkiss springs, actually their entire system, on my 69 Dart. I stayed with the KYBs I had on there already because I didn't want to spend another $400 at this time.
The KTB's are VERY stiff and were so before I put the new suspension on. I have no idea if the Bilstiens make the ride any softer, I kind of doubt that because Hotchkiss is all about handling and I wouldn't think they would advocate a soft shock after stiffening the suspension, then again I am not an engineer so what do I know?
 
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