Help choosing shocks...

[bigredguy]

Like the title says I am in need of new shocks all the way around and possibly a little suspension tweaking in the front and I have a few questions and am seeking recommendations.

First, for the rear I originally purchased JOM coilovers for the car. The rears didnt go low enough for my liking so I purchased 4 (or 4.5) inch springs with a 5-600 spring rate, I forget exactly. Needless to say the shocks blew out rather quickly with the shorter springs which is why I am seeking new shocks. I will be keeping the springs, I love the ride height and the spring rates are great for daily driving, and am looking for recommendations for what shocks would work well for this spring and not blow quickly.

Secondly, for the front I am looking for new shocks as well. The front is currently on the complete JOM coilover kit, but with the original spring perch cut off so the JOM perch could go lower. I will be keeping the perch because it is sealed onto the strut, but I was thinking about getting a slightly stiffer spring. For those of you that dont know the JOM springs use the stock spring perch, so are there any suggestions for where to get a spring perch for the front. Also what kind of struts would be recommended to replace the shitty JOM ones for the front?

The car is quite low, pictures for reference can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56498043@N08/sets/72157632941345499/

[Earendil]

Budget? After purpose, budget is the next big consideration. Your best bet for the perfect ride is going to be figuring out the exact spring rate of your springs and getting a set of shocks that are custom valved. However that tends to get spendy.

Second, how much to you want/need to fiddle with your setup after it's in place? There are adjustable options, but if you just want to install and go this might not be the best place to put money into your car.

[bigredguy]

Ive looked at bilsteins as that is what most people use, so that is about the budget im looking at, around 4-500 dollars for all 4 corners. And I do not really need them to be adjustable, it is just a daily driver. I dont really want to spend too much money to get them custom valved, just something that will last and help with the bouncing in the back, because my shocks seem to be completely blown at this point.

[bigredguy]

I am more so looking for opinions on what shocks will be able to withstand the ride height I am at and not blow.

[IronFreak]

billy sports

[Earendil]

Yeah, Bilstein Sports are what you want.

If you find that you're hitting the bump stops with how low you are, you can find DIY instructions on how to void your warranty by trimming the bump stops down a little. If you don't know whether you're hitting the bump stops, then you probably aren't :)

[bigredguy]

Yeah, Bilstein Sports are what you want.

If you find that you're hitting the bump stops with how low you are, you can find DIY instructions on how to void your warranty by trimming the bump stops down a little. If you don't know whether you're hitting the bump stops, then you probably aren't :)

I dont believe I have bump stops front or rear on shitty JOM shocks. the shocks are terribly valved and super soft, which is why I believe I may be bottoming out the shock in the front. I do not think it is bottoming out in the rear, just very bouncy from being blown.

Will the bilsteins hold up to the ride height that I am at, in terms of longevity? And also, I know there are short bodied shock options for the front, but I do not want to modify the strut tube, but what about the rear, are their any shorter bodied shocks for the rear to allow for more travel?

[Earendil]

I am by no means a shock expert, but until someone else chimes in I'll respond :)

I dont believe I have bump stops front or rear on shitty JOM shocks. the shocks are terribly valved and super soft, which is why I believe I may be bottoming out the shock in the front. I do not think it is bottoming out in the rear, just very bouncy from being blown.

How "soft" the shocks are won't cause them to bottom out. What you need is room for them to travel up and down the natural length that the spring wants to travel. What you run into with shorter springs is that the usual length of the shock ends up being less. The cure for hitting bump stops is not valving, but having shorter shocks or taller springs. You might know that, I just want to make sure we're on the same page :)

Will the bilsteins hold up to the ride height that I am at, in terms of longevity? And also, I know there are short bodied shock options for the front, but I do not want to modify the strut tube, but what about the rear, are their any shorter bodied shocks for the rear to allow for more travel?

I'm not one of those that can look at the side of an E30 and tell you, based on wheel and tire choice, late or early model arches, exactly how much drop you have. Not to mention that things like camber plates effect ride height. What would be perfect is if we knew the height of the springs you have, and the in/lbs of the springs.

What I can say is that my H&R Race springs, which are 315 front and 570 year and drop me personally (with my weight) about 1.3 inches below stock height have zero problem with the bilstein sport shocks. Are they perfection? No, but they aren't going to die a premature death or be complete shit.

I suspect the Billies would be okay for you, but the only way to know for sure is to do it, runner up would be to find someone that's done it, and in 3rd place would be contacting someone at Billstein and asking them what they think of the pairing.

Around 8th or 9th place is asking me ;)

[bigredguy]

I am by no means a shock expert, but until someone else chimes in I'll respond :)



How "soft" the shocks are won't cause them to bottom out. What you need is room for them to travel up and down the natural length that the spring wants to travel. What you run into with shorter springs is that the usual length of the shock ends up being less. The cure for hitting bump stops is not valving, but having shorter shocks or taller springs. You might know that, I just want to make sure we're on the same page :)



I'm not one of those that can look at the side of an E30 and tell you, based on wheel and tire choice, late or early model arches, exactly how much drop you have. Not to mention that things like camber plates effect ride height. What would be perfect is if we knew the height of the springs you have, and the in/lbs of the springs.

What I can say is that my H&R Race springs, which are 315 front and 570 year and drop me personally (with my weight) about 1.3 inches below stock height have zero problem with the bilstein sport shocks. Are they perfection? No, but they aren't going to die a premature death or be complete shit.

I suspect the Billies would be okay for you, but the only way to know for sure is to do it, runner up would be to find someone that's done it, and in 3rd place would be contacting someone at Billstein and asking them what they think of the pairing.

Around 8th or 9th place is asking me ;)

alright thanks. Im going to keep looking into them for the rear before I buy them. Most likely I will be getting them for the front, but I want to continue looking around for a shorter shock alternative for the rear. Through other research Ive heard of KYB camaro shocks, but they require modification to fit I believe. And as far as my drop goes, I probably have nearly 90mm drop all the way around.

[Earendil]

alright thanks. Im going to keep looking into them for the rear before I buy them. Most likely I will be getting them for the front, but I want to continue looking around for a shorter shock alternative for the rear. Through other research Ive heard of KYB camaro shocks, but they require modification to fit I believe. And as far as my drop goes, I probably have nearly 90mm drop all the way around.

Of potential note, for performance reasons it's best to have the shocks on all 4 corners match. But keep looking around. If Bilsteins fit the bill I'm sure you can find a thread on this board discussing how low they can go. I do know that you do not want to run them on stock springs or you'll damage them in the other direction :)

[bigredguy]

Of potential note, for performance reasons it's best to have the shocks on all 4 corners match. But keep looking around. If Bilsteins fit the bill I'm sure you can find a thread on this board discussing how low they can go. I do know that you do not want to run them on stock springs or you'll damage them in the other direction :)

Alright thats good to know. Maybe I can look or talk to people running air suspension and see what shocks they use, because most of them drive pretty damn low and just raise it up to get over obstacles.