Me too, but mine is really smooth. What tires are you using?

I have 18" wheels and Yokohama Advan Sports and the car rides smooth and handles well.

I have them on my GTS and had them on my '87 S4 and both cars ride and handle well. Both cars retained stock springs.

 

for going around a road coarse that is smooth the shocks do great especially when you push the car hard...my only difficulty here in kansas a lot of pot holes developed thisyear and expansion joints on the highway really jar you some times...but for sporty handling they are great.

my tires are the quietest I have ever had.....goodyear unidirecitonal F1.

 

Tire sidewall could make a difference in ride quality, all mine are still smooth riding 16" factory sized.

 

I had to replace the original Boge's that were on my GT. The only thing the car needed when I got it. The fact that I could push down the front or rear a few inches w/out much effort made me think that the springs were tired as well. At only 30k, that seemed really weird to me...particularly for a pampered GT.
So I went the whole gambit: Bilsteins w/Eibachs. I have no regrets. The setup provides very stable handling. Certainly more than adequate for street use, since I don't DE this car....but I wouldn't say teeth rattling. Now my DD is a 220k & counting Explorer. That ride defines teeth rattling.
Also, I'm not going from a GTS stock ride to a B/E ride & I avoid Kansas potholes.

 

JP I think your right on.....the gts was really cush until the bilsteins.!

andy

 

+1 - my 81 has the same setup.

I am very spoiled, every 928 I've driven, up until a year ago, has either the comp package or upgraded shocks / springs. I assumed every 928 handled like that. Talk about an eye opener when I drove a "regular" 928.

I just installed Ott Drop's in the front and the 928 Intl spring sale once they arrive.

IMO the ride is a bit soft,

 

Hacker,

Do you know are the stock springs all progressive on the 928 or did they vary from linear to progressive depending on year and package

 

I have no idea, trying to decipher this stuff too.

I know I have green shocks on my 81 and they are original. Above that.....no clue.

 

I was so disappointed with the 'stock' GT ride that I trashed the original GT springs. In hindsight maybe I shouldn't have done that.
Hacker, I'm just now noticing your post count. Man, I'm a Newbie. That's got to be some kind of record

 

Stock springs are all linear.

 

Unless your GT had the CS spring option, which only applies to the front springs anyway (I forget the code but I can find it) you only trashed S4 springs.

 

That makes me feel better. I always thought that "GT Suspension" was supposed to be something special.

 

To play off the original posting's question, my 86 has boge shocks and I want to know what if anything I would need to change to run bilstein's? Do the perches or adjusting sleeves need changing over?

 

New Bilsteins fronts (in my experience buying from one of the big3) come with perches and adjusters, where the early cars with M474 did not have adjustable perches (mine). Rears should always have had adjustable perches. The WSM says in a note that adding gas shockers will lift ride height ~ 10mm over non pressurized shocks IIRC. You probably should investigate the difference between springs fitted with Boges , and those fitted with M474, if any. Personnally I wouldnt fancy fitting new shocks, finding I didnt like them, and then removing to change the springs.....not in the same year anyway.
I suggest that you try to find a 928 with M474 you can try out for ride quality, and your driving style.
jp 83 Euro S AT 52k, M474

 

The factory fit Bilsteins have different rates than the aftermarket ones, the aftermarket ones will rattle your teeth and me no likey The ride with stock spring and Bilsteins was harsher than with 600/400 eibach/Ledas. On early cars, pre S4 that is I think the problem is amplified by their lighter weight.

Greg