Re: Spider shocks

["Dean W. Cains" <dwc@domain.elided>]

Hi Glenn:

I've got the Bilsteins on my '74 Spider, and they are very stiff.  In fact, 
at first I was quite disappointed, but now that I've gotten used to them 
(and perhaps they've broken-in some, too), they're OK.  I also use the 
yellow sport springs from Ereminas, and the stiffness mostly comes from the 
shocks.  The springs went in first, and w/o the shocks attached the 
suspension was easily compressed.  I paid just over $200 for the set of 
springs and $76 each for the Bilsteins.

For good prices on Bilstein, Koni and KYB, try:

http://www.shox.com/

http://www.eshocks.com/

The Koni Classics (red) are priced about the same as the Bilsteins, and the 
KYB's were about $36 each, at least when I shopped for mine in 
February.  If you can't find a listing for the KYB's, let me know, I've got 
the part #'s somewhere.

I've also used the OEM Sachs shocks on a '72 Spider, and they're not bad, 
when they're not 20+ years old, but you're not likely to find them for any 
less than the discount-priced Bilsteins or Konis.  Never had a set of Spax, 
but I've used Koni red's on many cars and liked them all.  Perhaps the 
KYB's are just what you're looking for, and for less than $150/set, might 
be worth a try.

Regards,

Dean W. Cains
dwc@domain.elided

'74 Spider Veloce
Lutz, FL

At 03:40 PM 11/7/2001, you wrote:
>Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 11:33:29 -0800
>From: "Glenn Wasserman" <glennwa@domain.elided>
>Subject: Shocks
>
>All this talk about SPAX and Koni shocks has got me thinking. I had
>shopped Spax a couple of years ago and found there were concerns about
>the quality, so I didn't pursue the matter further. Not only am I not
>ready to spend $450 on a set of Konis, the fact that they must be
>removed from the car to adjust (well, OK , at least the front) means
>that I will rarely adjust them. This is in spite of the fact that I plan
>to autocross the car and the adjustability would be a nice selling
>point.
>
>It makes me wonder - if I just wanted to stiffen the shocks (not the
>springs, I want the car to stay in the stock class, so I can only change
>the shocks), what would be a good low-cost alternative? Are the
>Bilsteins stiffer than the stock shocks?
>
>At $115 per corner, I'm just not ready to bite. If I could find a set of
>Konis used or on clearance for less, I'd look into it.... But it's just
>not worth that much to me. I would be willing to pay $200 for a set of
>four to get a mild improvement, though.
>
>So does anyone have any comments on stiffer shocks that are lower cost
>and not adjustable?
>
>Thanks,
>
>- -Glenn

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