Bilstein Challenge Or Koni Rear Shocks

[Simon B 3]

Hi everyone!

 

After reading numerous threads on rear shock choices for our 205s, im still non the wiser as to which rear shocks to go for!

 

Currently the car runs Bilstein Streetline front shocks and is lowered slightly on whatever the springs are (on the car when i got it).... the rear end is lowered i believe one spline, and runs what i think are standard rear shocks (cant really tell, havent been able to see any markings on them?)

 

Im like the way the car handles at the moment, the back end is not rock hard and doesnt skip about, but i do wonder if i can therefore go a bit stiffer to promote even better handling?

 

The car is predominently a track car (which i do use on the road) so needs to be good for track use!

 

The Bilstein Challenge shocks seem to get good reviews, but so do the konis by some people (although some say tooo hard?). I like the idea of being able to adjust shocks, so Koni's are good in that respect, but not if they are too hard even in softest settings.....

 

Anyone who can comment, i'd appreaciate your thoughts!

[Hilgie 16 2 Cars]

I'd suggest you put the Billies on.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Bilstein, no competition.

 

Graham.

[Simon B 3]

Thanks for the replies guys! Billies it is!!! Best (cheapest place for them?

 

Moving away from the rear shocks for a minute then.... how hard / stiff should the Bilstein Streetline front shocks + lowering springs (35mm maybe) make the car?

 

The reason i ask is that the car currently crashes / bangs terribly when hitting any kind of bump/hole in the road, and the front end is virtually un-movable by hand!

 

is that right? Too hard perhaps? What are the downsides of being too hard at the front?

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Drop me a line with what you need and I'll get you a good price!!

[Simon B 3]

Thanks Miles, you have PM

 

Anybody else have any thoughts, especially on the front suspension? Its flipping rock hard, and i wonder if perhaps its toooo hard?

 

I was on track at Castle Combe at the weekend and the car handled ok, but suffered from quite a bit of understeer (even though the car runs Toyo R888 semi slick tyres)? Are the other Billies this hard normally?

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Thats your problem, Soft dampers and springs with Semi Slick's this does not work, You need a completly different set up from the road for these tyres to work including some neg camber front and back.

I could go on for your ideal set up, but I would give me a call really as every one likes there car to handle in a set way

[Simon B 3]

Thanks for your thoughts so far Miles!!

 

If we could carry on this discussion here hopefully some other people will get involved with their thoughts / experiences which hopefully will benefit everyone

 

Im still curious to know whether my front Streetlines should be solid as a rock or whether they're shagged?

[TEKNOPUG 3]

Streetlines are softer than the Sprintlines. Sprintlines are fast road shocks. Quite a few track monkeys feel that they aren't stiff enough for serious track work, particularly on the rear.

 

What springs do you have? What the condition of the rest of the suspension (drop-links, bearing, mounts, bushes etc)?

Edited July 11, 2006 by TEKNOPUG

[Simon B 3]

As far as im concerned, you wont get any stiffer shocks than whatever it is on the front end of my car They are seriously stiff.... too much for bumpy road use i assure you!

 

Im told they're Billies, and they are black coloured shocks so im assuming streetlines, but they are soooo hard :s

 

I dont know anything about the springs (have only had the car a couple months or so) and so i also dont know much about the condition of the rest of the suspension!

[Hilgie 16 2 Cars]

The Sprintlines are yellow afaik:

 

[TEKNOPUG 3]

I'd work on the basis that it's all trashed in that case.

 

Hilgie's pic are indeed Sprintlines

[Simon B 3]

Nightmare!!!

 

Need to work out whether the front are trashed or not! Not really sure how to do that definitively?

[mishu 0]

Sorry to sidetrack the topic, but I was wondering what springs you'd recommend together with the Streetlines? Nothing extreme, just decent sporty springs, as I suspect the Streetlines are sporty, but not extreme either.

 

By the way, do you happen to know if this setup is available for non-GTi models? I have GTI front/rear beams from a 1.6 donor car, but I'd have to buy the entire suspension, torsion bars, etc. for it since I can't use the non-GTi parts (except the hubs), right?

 

mishu

[Sandy 191]

I used the Eibach 30mm springs with 309 GTi streetlines to start with on my Rallye, it was a very pleasant set up, sufficiently controlled but comfy as well. Some people on here have had bad expereinces with 205 rear streetline dampers; i'm presuming the 309 rears are different, because I found them to be good.

 

The streetline springs on my sister in law's 1.1 aren't that soft, harder than my eibachs were anyway.