Bilstein dampers good for 986 Boxster S?
 

The dampers on my 2001 Boxster S are tired and it seems Bilsteins are the way to go. Any thoughts, recommendations or experiences you can share? This is not a track car, so I still want compliance on the road. Not looking for super stiff. Thanks.

The OE are Bilstein B4 easily available aftermarket.

Is there much ride degradation with the B6 dampers?

That's a subjective question but B6 is equivalent to M030. If you are thinking stiffer and B6 I would get the Koni FSD/Special Active which kind of gives you the best of both worlds between B4 and B6.

I rebuilt my entire suspension with stock parts & Bilstein struts & shocks. Ride & handling is like new.

B6's
 

I just replaced the struts on my '00. It's not an "S" but came with the Sport Package that included 18" wheels and sport suspension. I went with the B6's. I've only had the car for a short time and the old struts were totally worn so I don't have a fair comparison. The ride is sooooooo much better, but difficult to compare to B4's. I will say that over rough roads as the speed increases it's silky smooth and controlled.

I'm not sure that someone wouldn't say the same about new B4's.

I'm running the Koni FSD on my 01 Boxster S. As edc mentioned above, best of both worlds. They really firm up when you are pushing both speed and cornering. If you are looking for 100% sporty stiff ride, get the B6 and don't bother with the Koni FSD.

There were some reports of members who got rid of them in less than 1000 miles of road time, and expected the Koni FSD to be stiff all the time, but that isn't how they are designed to work. I like them particularly because the roads are just awful where I am (Toronto) and I need a compliant ride for the street, not a bone jarring driving experience over every bump, crack, and pot hole in the road. The Koni FSD does a good job of absorbing the imperfections of the road. It's not going to be as compliant as a Toyota RAV4, or as stiff as a GT3, so up to you on what you are after.

Thanks for this. I live in Toronto too so I know what you're talking about. I'm definitely going to give the Konis a try. Where did you get yours?

The roads here in Winnipeg make the roads in Toronto feel smooth as silk. I lived in The GTA for 28 years and there is no comparison. Monster truck suspensions have issues on the roads in the ‘Peg

Sorry for the late reply.

I got my set from EuroSport Tuning in Oakville, although in hindsight, I should have just bought them through the shop I had them installed. The whole warranty and installation part confused the heck out of me. Would have saved a few bucks had I known that any shop who can order it, the warranty is valid.

If it means anything, I had my Konis installed at Mantis Automotive in Oakville.

Coincidentally, I live in Oakville too and was looking at EuroSport! I sent you a private message. Wouldn't mind checking out your car if possible. My mechanic dude is really pushing me towards the Bilstein B6s but from what I'm hearing about the Koni SA I really want to give them a go.

Hope today's test drive helped, Peter. Nice meeting you today. Let us all know what you end up with. All the best! :)

Where do the Koni FSDs stack against the Ohlin R+T? What springs are you folks running with them?

The Ohlins are in a very different price bracket.

Yup, so my question is, can folks who primarily daily driver their vehicles get comparable performance out of this shock for a fraction of the price? Of course you lose adjustability.

The Koni Special Active/FSD offer something similar to the Ohlins R&T, but think of the Ohlins R&T as the Koni Special Active/FSD on steroids, so I urge you not to compare the two setups as they are different monsters. I run my Koni Special Active on H&R sport springs. I did originally have them on a set of the original factory springs but wanted to lower it.

If you are thinking of the Ohlins setup, just get it. On the Koni, you can't make adjustments, but you already knew that. I sometimes kick myself for not getting the Ohlins, but I am happy with the Koni setup, and I still stand by my post above where its all smiles whenever I'm driving the Boxster. I've owned a set of Ohlins shocks before, but for motorcycles, and they are a great setup.

You can think of the Koni FSD as the budget version of the Ohlins. They both have similar dual valve type technology.

What springs did you use with the Konis? I got the B6s with the stock springs on my car, it handles great but I don`t like how high the car sits. I was thinking of changing to B8s with lowering springs, either H&R or eibach, not sure which ones yet.

I'm running on the H&R lowering springs. The H&Rs were readily available, whereas the Eibach springs had to come from Europe, and I just didn't want to deal with the shipping, duties, taxes, and extortion UPS/Fedex brokerage fees. Consider throwing on some spacers front and rear; It will make your Boxster look amazing.

I do have regrets running on lowered springs because of the speed bumps I have to avoid, or parking lots I need to avoid altogether. I don't enjoy scraping the underbody!

You can use be M030 height springs which are -10mm. H&R and eibach lowering springs are otherwise -30mm normally.

I had the konis with H&R springs before in one of my cars and they were a lot stiffer ride then the B8s with the Eibach springs which I have on my 330 now. I think the the Eibach springs are more suited for the B8s then the H&R springs. I have all winter to make up my mind as to which set up I want to go with, I`m just trying to figure out what is the best set up for comfort, ride height and handling for the car, thanks for the input.

I chose the H&R springs knowing they are progressive and were a good match to the Koni Special Active's technology, and this was based on several rounds of discussion with Bilstein and Koni technical reps. It has been comfortable, but stiffen up when it needs to. I can't speak for the B8 as I've never had any cars run them, but understand they are stiffer than the B4 and B6.

Edit: I should note that the Eibach pro kit springs are progressive as well, but as mentioned in my previous post, were not easy to get.