Egan Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 First off, yes I know there are a bunch of threads on the Bilstein setups, but I found a lot of conflicting information and I hope someone can clear it all up. I'm looking at putting the Bilstein HD setup on my wife's LGT sedan. I need a recommendation on a spring for them that will NOT give that god awful "back sits lower than the front look." Any recommendations? Assume I'll be using the SpecB strut tops in front. I've found the Bilsteins online sold alone as well as in a kit with front and rear hats and dust boots and whatnot. Is this the way to go? The complete kit seemed pricey at $835 when the struts themselves are only around $550. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 If you are concerned about comfort as well as performance, get a spring with the least drop possible. Pinks are a good option, from what I've read over the years. The saggy butt can be mitigated with shims made by one of the members on here... search "saggy butt shims". Lowering the front to level out the car is a bad option because you trade-off compression stroke travel which we don't have much of to begin with. The package deal from FredBeans (forum vendor) has all the bits and pieces that you will need. $835 seem a little high, but it likely includes rear tophats which you don't need if you're going to tear down your old struts/shocks. All the misc hardware adds up if you don't salvage your old stuff. The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iON Performance Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Egan - The following picture is the Bilstien's with our Sport Spec Fronts & HD rears installed. We've got our 7th GB going on right now -> http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103709 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT4 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I just ordered the bilstein kit from fred beans yesterday and they quoted me $749. When I went to place the order I noticed the price had changed on the website. I had to place the order over the phone to get that price. Just tell them you found out about it on this site and you want the $749 price. I ordered some 2.5i wagon springs to try with them. I am pretty sure the softer springs are going to match up with these really well. Call me crazy, but if I am wrong I can always go stiffer. The springs were $28.49 ea for the front and $30.29 ea for the rear, so a very cheap experiment. I am shooting for a more compliant highway ride than my stock GT but with better dampening and control. I am using the car mostly for long distance trips right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egan Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 If you are concerned about comfort as well as performance, get a spring with the least drop possible. Pinks are a good option, from what I've read over the years. The saggy butt can be mitigated with shims made by one of the members on here... search "saggy butt shims". Lowering the front to level out the car is a bad option because you trade-off compression stroke travel which we don't have much of to begin with. The package deal from FredBeans (forum vendor) has all the bits and pieces that you will need. $835 seem a little high, but it likely includes rear tophats which you don't need if you're going to tear down your old struts/shocks. All the misc hardware adds up if you don't salvage your old stuff. Looks like they make 3 different heights of spacers: http://www.camotoy.com/products/saggybutt/index.php Anyone know what would work best with the Bilsteins and Swift Springs on a sedan - 1/4", 3/8", or 1/2"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Well I have Swifts on Konis which use the stock GT tophats. My drop is -2.13"F and -1.5"R, which makes the car perfectly level. The bilstein strut/tophat combo supposedly rides ~3/8" higher up front than the GT combo. If that is the case then I would recommend 3/8" shims. If everything else is equal between our cars, you would end up at -1.75"F and -1.13"R. The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egan Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 Well I have Swifts on Konis which use the stock GT tophats. My drop is -2.13"F and -1.5"R, which makes the car perfectly level. The bilstein strut/tophat combo supposedly rides ~3/8" higher up front than the GT combo. If that is the case then I would recommend 3/8" shims. If everything else is equal between our cars, you would end up at -1.75"F and -1.13"R. Thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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