Bilstein touring vs HD struts on stock springs?

[nickmcc92]

Which is better?

[e30topdown]

I have Bilstein HD's on my 93 325i cabrio with stock springs. Really like it. Of course, the OE's were shot when I bought my car so, I can only say the HD's were firmer than the stock dampeners. My 92 325i cabrio has all stock still at 94,000 miles. Definitely a softer, ride, but I'd have to say the HD's aren't harsh at all. A side note: after a couple of years, one of the back HD shocks started leaking. Emailed Bilstein and they replaced the shock; all I had to do was send them a pic of the leak. Good service from Bilstein. The warranty is lifetime, as is Koni.

[jeffnhiscars]

I replaced my blown OE struts with BS Tourings until I got around to doing a full suspension upgrade. According to Bilstein, the Tourings are "10% firmer than stock". I believe the HDs are a step or 2 firmer yet.

If you call them they are very open about damper rates

[ME30W]

I ran HD's with stock springs for a year and they rode great. They are firmer than stock, but still have a nice comfortable ride.

To be honest, when I switched to Bili Sports I expected them to be much stiffer than the HDs, but the ride quality has not changed a terrible ammount

[nickmcc92]

Thanks guys I might go with the hd's.

[AndrewBird]

To be honest, when I switched to Bili Sports I expected them to be much stiffer than the HDs, but the ride quality has not changed a terrible ammount

Sports and HD's have the same valving and are the same "stiffness". The only difference between the two is the sports have a shorter shaft which give you more travel when used with lowering springs.