ducnine

I have been reading everything I can about shocks/struts and see that there are two distinct brands being used: KONI & BILSTEIN

The benefit I see in the KONI is that it is adjustable.
The benefit I see in the BILSTEIN is that it is supposedly more durable. (They look cool too)

Is there anything else technical that you guys know about one or the other that should lean me to either of these brands?

How long are the Konis supposed to last?
The stock Boge shocks on my 964 have 77,000 miles on them and they are a bit worn by now.

Would the KONIs with H&R last at least that long?
From Bilsteins reputation, they should probably last longer than the car right?

slammed1000

if i was going to spend the money i would choose jic cross over the two brands mentioned. they are alot more adjustble and you get a whole lot more for your money....just my 2cents

Rocket Rob

Ceby,

Suspension choices are very wide and in order to recommend the right solution, you need to describe how you want to use the car. Suspension settings are very subjective. One person may feel a suspension is well connected to the road while another may feel the ride is too stiff.

Will it be street only or street/track or full time track toy? Also, what other mods have you done to the suspension (springs, wheels, etc). I also recommend that once you make your decision that you find another 964 with those mods and give it a test drive before investing your $$$. In my case, I chose H&R lowering springs with Bilstein HD shocks. I love them.

Good luck in your upgrades.

CraigyB

How do you use your car Rob ?

Rocket Rob

My car is a street only car. Its my daily commuter car plus its fun to blast on the mountain roads on the weekends. The car with the stock suspension felt "floaty" when the speeds climbed. After the new springs and shocks, the car is a more stable at speed. The ride is stiffer than before but I like it. You do have to watch out for steep driveways and parking curbs.

ducnine

I forgot to mention the details didn't I.

My car has 17" Wheels. 205 in front and 255 in rear. I ordered new tires the other day and after reading more on here, I think I should have chosed 225 for the front to eliminate a bit of understeer huh.
Maybe no bid deal as the car will be used mainly on the street with maybe 1 or 2 DE as year. I do not want to put a lot of money into the new Sus. Maybe a grand for shock/strut & Spring if I do it myself.

I think the car has the original shocks on it now (77kmiles) and it feels a bit wallowy and rolls more than I expected a Porsche to roll. This is my first Porsche. So I am looking to stiffen things up, improve the stance and not deteriorate the ride to the point that it is only good on smooth surfaces.

Hope that helps.

Incidentally...does anyone know if the KONI rears are still available? I have the Perf Auto catalog and it shows "No Longer Available" for 1990MY. Is that true?

Turner

I am installing the FVD sport suspension, part number FVD 333 964 00. I will share my thoughts in a couple of weeks.

brad@tirerack.com

Koni still has rears available only for models built after 10/1990. Model 8241-1122sport. I have some in stock if interested.

brad@tirerack.com

In terms of quality, both are leaders in the industry and have been around for a long time. Both are hand built and use the best materials (single peice bodies, better hard chroming on the pistons, better seals, etc). I have a hard time picking my favorite between the two as we have not been carrying Bilstein for long. I do know that among the 993/996 owners the Bilstein PSS9 coilover system is pretty much the benchmark for performance street driving.

Honestly you won't go wrong with either, and we sell them both.