I think I already know the answer to my question...
Would Bilstein Sport shocks be appropriate for a daily driver, more to the point, for my wife. Or, would the Touring shocks hold up to occasional track days? I would like for the car to be capable on the track, but I'm not planning on coming in 1st!
Last edited by John Boelte on Sep 11, 2007 8:41 PM, edited 1 time in total.
While I have never tracked my car, I like the ride of the Boge TG shocks that I have on it. I know others who do track their cars are also using these shocks.
Bilstein tourings are not the same as Bilstein Heavy Duties. The tourings are cheaper, twin-tube designs like Boge, as far as I know, and not like the original deCarbon Bilsteins. The HD and Sports for our cars are valved identically so the ride is essentially the same. The sports are simply shorter since they're designed to be used with shorter springs. IMHO, the Bilstein touring shocks on my kids' E36/5 318ti are just okay. They are what they are; a cheap alternative to "real" Bilsteins.
If you're using stock springs, don't use Sports, use HDs. And "track days" don't usually have finishing order. If you're racing, you've got the wrong car. If you're learning how to drive by taking a driver education school at a track, a stock E28 with stock springs and Bilstein HDs will work just fine. Hopefully you're spending some money on decent tires, maybe even some dedicated for track use on their own wheels, rather than some all-season stuff. Good tires alone will make your car more fun on the track.
Have fun, and remember the most important thing to check on your car before heading for the track is the "nut" behind the wheel.
The car will spend a lot more time on the road than on the track, unfortunatly. I've got somereally nice Bridgestone summer tires (they're good in the rain, but not to be used when the temps fall below freezing) that should do well for an occasional short track session or autocross. I spent as much money as I could stand to! When winter comes I'll put the snow tires on.
Back to shocks; I'm not planning on doing any suspention mods, so I do need the shocks appropriate for stock ride height. I'll check out the HDs. Thanks again!
I have the HDs on my car (although since it's an M535i the springs are slightly stiffer than a regular 535i so this isn't an exact comparison.) At any rate, I like them very much - the ride is firm, but not uncomfortable at all.
Some people have expressed a preference for Boge Turbo Gas recently in this forum. Do a search. I have Bilsteins all the way around with 16" Bridgestone Potenzas and (currently) stock springs. My ex-wife refuses to ride in my car, saying that it's too harsh ("jiggly" is what she said). From my perspective, it's just right, and anything less is, to me, too soft. Beyond stock, the Bilstein HD has always been the traditional upgrade.
John Boelte wrote:I just noticed I mis-spelled Bilstein in the thread title.
You can fix that.
I tried editing it, it was spelled (and capitalized) correctly. Not sure what the deal is.
It begins to look like one of Shawn D's smartass spelling reminders*. Be sure you spell it '-stein', not '-stien'.
A comment on the Boge Turbo Gas shocks. I have used these before and I recommend them as a good, reasonably priced alternative to a stock E28 shock. The gas charge makes them very slightly firmer than the non gas-charged OE shock (also a Boge, IIRC), but it also makes a smoother ride than a 'performance' shock like the Bilstein HD or Sport.
* A quick test of the incorrect spelling confirms that it is.
Last edited by C.R. Krieger on Sep 12, 2007 2:47 PM, edited 2 times in total.
I installed Boge TG shocks on my old E28. My wife drove it as a daily driver for a while and she really liked the Boge TG shocks. She describes it like riding on a firm steak. Awesome for road trips and they could handle some spirited driving. I liked their feel, too.
The Boge TGs are slightly firmer than stock, but I think a very nice ride. I found Bilstein Tourings to offer the worst ride of any type for an E28.
Rich in WI wrote:I installed Boge TG shocks on my old E28. My wife drove it as a daily driver for a while and she really liked the Boge TG shocks. She describes it like riding on a firm steak. Awesome for road trips and they could handle some spirited driving. I liked their feel, too.
The Boge TGs are slightly firmer than stock, but I think a very nice ride. I found Bilstein Tourings to offer the worst ride of any type for an E28.
Rich in WI
Why is that? To me they felt pretty much the same as stock. The unfotunate thing is that they can't be re-valved.
Just didn't like them. I imagine other people will like them. The Bilstein Tourings are meant to mimic stock performance. Maybe I just didn't like the stock performance.
Suspension tastes are extremely subjective and also colored by the intended use.
When I bought my 533, it had brand new Tourings on it. The ride didn't seem dampened enough - it was just harsh. I soon switched to Sports with H&Rs, which I understand is not quite the same thing, but the suspension travel felt more controlled. It definately felt worth the extra money - and it wasn't a heck of a lot more when you think about it.
I was told by a tech at bilstein that the front sport struts are valved a little stiffer than the hd and are shorter also. The rear are both valved the same.
After running hds and mtech springs I did not think the front were dampend enough so after talking with bilstein I installed the sports in the front and it was much better.
I would tell everyone to stay away from the bilstein touring they are pos they cant even rebuild these because they are crimped at the top!
Or, would the Touring shocks hold up to occasional track days? I would like for the car to be capable on the track, but I'm not planning on coming in 1st!
