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Will be installing ROW M033 springs on 993S and trying to decide between Bilstein B6 and Koni shocks. Setting up car for the street and the many great back roads/canyons in So California.
There are many threads on this and search is your friend on this. But, the take-away I got from those threads was that while many like Bilsteins, a significant amount of folks complained about them being too stiff. I went with Koni Sports for two reasons: (1) the dampening is adjustable and (2) my prior c4s had Koni Sports with RoW M030s and I really liked the ride. The downside of Koni Sports is there is limited ride-height adjustment.
I replaced Koni's with Bilsteins on the same springs as you. I found the Bilsteins to be slightly firmer but otherwise very similar. That could be because the Koni's were old. I think most people would be hard pressed to feel a huge difference between them for road driving IMO. Perhaps decide based on price / availability?
The Bilsteins are rebuildable at considerable savings over new. Does anyone know if the Konis are? As this may be part of the decision to purchase one over the other.
I figured I would be mostly driving on the street, so I went with the Koni gold colored FSD's, which I believe are now the "Special active". They were paired with the M033 springs.
I’m running the Konis with M033 springs and find the ride very comfortable on SW PA roads while firm enough for the many twisties we have. The biggest drawback (as mentioned previously) is that the rears have zero adjustablility while the fronts are limited to approximately 1/2”.
Looking for ROW height and my Bilstein B6 shocks on ROW M030 springs, while adjustable could only lower the car as pictured. Would have liked to lower the front a tad more
I have the Bilstein B6 with MO33. They are a bit harsh.
If I could go back I wouldn't mind something that was a little more compliant.
But no regrets thus far.
If you have the same experience as I did - you will need another pair of locking rings to lock the sway bar perch down.
If you're thinking about DIY'ing - this is a simple and nice task to tackle.
Here’s a questions - Do the B6's offer any real adjustment? Won't the springs dictate the height no matter what you do?
I wish I could go slightly lower in the back.
Last edited by haygeebaby; 01-07-2019 at 07:12 AM.
Looking for ROW height and my Bilstein B6 shocks on ROW M030 springs, while adjustable could only lower the car as pictured. Would have liked to lower the front a tad more
Originally Posted by haygeebaby
I have the Bilstein B6 with MO33. They are a bit harsh.
If I could go back I wouldn't mind something that was a little more compliant.
But no regrets thus far.
If you have the same experience as I did - you will need another pair of locking rings to lock the sway bar perch down.
If you're thinking about DIY'ing - this is a simple and nice task to tackle.
Here’s a questions - Do the B6's offer any real adjustment? Won't the springs dictate the height no matter what you do?
I wish I could go slightly lower in the back.
That’s odd that you guys can’t go any lower. Do you have the B6 XT (extended threads)? Also are you sure the springs are ROW and not US? I’ve had B6XT and B8’s together with Euro M030 springs and H&R springs. They both go down much lower than both cars pictured here. M033 springs is more compliant than the M030 springs but still offer the same drop.
It is my understanding the you can adjust the Bilstein B6's to lower the car further, however there could be issues with "floating springs". I went with Bilstein B8 shocks (with ROW M030 springs) shown on the Polar Silver 993 above to avoid floating spring issue. I'm considering the Koni shocks this time in hope that I can lower to ROW height and also improve the ride a little bit (hence the M033 springs).
Personal experience. Bilsteins are not valved quite right for a 993. Konis are better shocks, but they last about 2 years before starting to leak. Yes, they have a lifetime warranty. No, replacement labor and alignments are not free.
So... hard to recommend either. My last 2 993 suspensions had been B8 based I would seriously think today about what to put in, given that question again. Perhaps revalving the B8s is the answer.
01-06-2019, 12:44 PM
Bilstein or Koni shocks
