What shocks to use?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: NC
What shocks to use? I just bought a set of Eibach sport lines for my 02 SS. I was wondering if it would be best to go with the SLP Bilsteins or the Bilstein HD's, or go with a totally different shock all together?
Any feedback?
Any feedback?
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 579
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by Chevy02BLUESS
I just bought a set of Eibach sport lines for my 02 SS. I was wondering if it would be best to go with the SLP Bilsteins or the Bilstein HD's, or go with a totally different shock all together?
Any feedback?
Any feedback?
My car is sitting slightly lower on the pass side, I had to put 2x4's under the tires to get it off the lift
Its sittin lowI have heard of others having problems with the pro kit sitting lower on one side or in the back, I am going to play around and see what I can do.
blah blah blah. i get tired of this. but i'll break it down for ya anyway...
bilstein hd's are meant for stock spring rates because bilstein makes their hd to match the stock spring's rates. not many lowering springs have the same rate that stock springs do. most aftermarket springs are much heavier spring rates. so the high spring rates and low-spring-rate hd's are not matched precisely correct, obviously. however, there are more than enough people, me being one of them, that have a high spring rate on a bilstein hd, and have absolutely no issues whatsoever. the "hd is not meant for aftermarket springs" is theoretically correct, but to an average driver, trust me, you'll never know the difference. people say you are not supposed to run bilstein hd's with lowering springs, but they either don't know how it rides, or are car racing enthusiasts who are looking for the best handling cars. normal drivers don't notice these things.
having said that, eibachs are *almost* an exception. the pro-kit has a linear rate of 400; the sportlines linear rate is 360. stock rate (these are the front springs only that i'm talking about, the rear is not quite as important) is 292, and bilstein claims their hd's "can take 20% more than stock spring rates offer," which would put their *maximum* capability with a spring rate of around 350. so the eibachs can handle rather well with the accompanyment of the hd's, just because their spring rates are so damn low.
i have a progressive spring, and my springs don't even start at that rate (350, that is). once again, i have no issues. dampening and rebound are affected by this mismatch, but it is not something an average driver should worry about. bilstein is a good company that makes damn good shocks. increasing their "proposed" shock's spring rate handling capability by 100% or more is not going to hurt them. yes, it will hurt your handling capabilities, but not nearly enough for you to know, or worry about. many other guys on this forum are running 500-600 linear rate spring rates with hd's and have been doing so for a while - they have no issues either.
now, the original question asked about the sportlines and the shocks... if anything, do the bilstein hd's. if not, then just stick with stock shocks. the very soft sportline spring rate is not very different from stock spring rates. the decarbons will eventually die, but they'll eventually die on stock springs too. so upgrade the shocks if you can, but if you don't, it's not going to be a very big deal. sportlines are low and soft though, so keep in mind that you'll be hitting your bump stops a LOT.
bilstein hd's are meant for stock spring rates because bilstein makes their hd to match the stock spring's rates. not many lowering springs have the same rate that stock springs do. most aftermarket springs are much heavier spring rates. so the high spring rates and low-spring-rate hd's are not matched precisely correct, obviously. however, there are more than enough people, me being one of them, that have a high spring rate on a bilstein hd, and have absolutely no issues whatsoever. the "hd is not meant for aftermarket springs" is theoretically correct, but to an average driver, trust me, you'll never know the difference. people say you are not supposed to run bilstein hd's with lowering springs, but they either don't know how it rides, or are car racing enthusiasts who are looking for the best handling cars. normal drivers don't notice these things.
having said that, eibachs are *almost* an exception. the pro-kit has a linear rate of 400; the sportlines linear rate is 360. stock rate (these are the front springs only that i'm talking about, the rear is not quite as important) is 292, and bilstein claims their hd's "can take 20% more than stock spring rates offer," which would put their *maximum* capability with a spring rate of around 350. so the eibachs can handle rather well with the accompanyment of the hd's, just because their spring rates are so damn low.
i have a progressive spring, and my springs don't even start at that rate (350, that is). once again, i have no issues. dampening and rebound are affected by this mismatch, but it is not something an average driver should worry about. bilstein is a good company that makes damn good shocks. increasing their "proposed" shock's spring rate handling capability by 100% or more is not going to hurt them. yes, it will hurt your handling capabilities, but not nearly enough for you to know, or worry about. many other guys on this forum are running 500-600 linear rate spring rates with hd's and have been doing so for a while - they have no issues either.
now, the original question asked about the sportlines and the shocks... if anything, do the bilstein hd's. if not, then just stick with stock shocks. the very soft sportline spring rate is not very different from stock spring rates. the decarbons will eventually die, but they'll eventually die on stock springs too. so upgrade the shocks if you can, but if you don't, it's not going to be a very big deal. sportlines are low and soft though, so keep in mind that you'll be hitting your bump stops a LOT.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 579
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by tuffluck
blah blah blah. i get tired of this. but i'll break it down for ya anyway...
bilstein hd's are meant for stock spring rates because bilstein makes their hd to match the stock spring's rates. not many lowering springs have the same rate that stock springs do. most aftermarket springs are much heavier spring rates. so the high spring rates and low-spring-rate hd's are not matched precisely correct, obviously. however, there are more than enough people, me being one of them, that have a high spring rate on a bilstein hd, and have absolutely no issues whatsoever. the "hd is not meant for aftermarket springs" is theoretically correct, but to an average driver, trust me, you'll never know the difference. people say you are not supposed to run bilstein hd's with lowering springs, but they either don't know how it rides, or are car racing enthusiasts who are looking for the best handling cars. normal drivers don't notice these things.
having said that, eibachs are *almost* an exception. the pro-kit has a linear rate of 400; the sportlines linear rate is 360. stock rate (these are the front springs only that i'm talking about, the rear is not quite as important) is 292, and bilstein claims their hd's "can take 20% more than stock spring rates offer," which would put their *maximum* capability with a spring rate of around 350. so the eibachs can handle rather well with the accompanyment of the hd's, just because their spring rates are so damn low.
i have a progressive spring, and my springs don't even start at that rate (350, that is). once again, i have no issues. dampening and rebound are affected by this mismatch, but it is not something an average driver should worry about. bilstein is a good company that makes damn good shocks. increasing their "proposed" shock's spring rate handling capability by 100% or more is not going to hurt them. yes, it will hurt your handling capabilities, but not nearly enough for you to know, or worry about. many other guys on this forum are running 500-600 linear rate spring rates with hd's and have been doing so for a while - they have no issues either.
now, the original question asked about the sportlines and the shocks... if anything, do the bilstein hd's. if not, then just stick with stock shocks. the very soft sportline spring rate is not very different from stock spring rates. the decarbons will eventually die, but they'll eventually die on stock springs too. so upgrade the shocks if you can, but if you don't, it's not going to be a very big deal. sportlines are low and soft though, so keep in mind that you'll be hitting your bump stops a LOT.
bilstein hd's are meant for stock spring rates because bilstein makes their hd to match the stock spring's rates. not many lowering springs have the same rate that stock springs do. most aftermarket springs are much heavier spring rates. so the high spring rates and low-spring-rate hd's are not matched precisely correct, obviously. however, there are more than enough people, me being one of them, that have a high spring rate on a bilstein hd, and have absolutely no issues whatsoever. the "hd is not meant for aftermarket springs" is theoretically correct, but to an average driver, trust me, you'll never know the difference. people say you are not supposed to run bilstein hd's with lowering springs, but they either don't know how it rides, or are car racing enthusiasts who are looking for the best handling cars. normal drivers don't notice these things.
having said that, eibachs are *almost* an exception. the pro-kit has a linear rate of 400; the sportlines linear rate is 360. stock rate (these are the front springs only that i'm talking about, the rear is not quite as important) is 292, and bilstein claims their hd's "can take 20% more than stock spring rates offer," which would put their *maximum* capability with a spring rate of around 350. so the eibachs can handle rather well with the accompanyment of the hd's, just because their spring rates are so damn low.
i have a progressive spring, and my springs don't even start at that rate (350, that is). once again, i have no issues. dampening and rebound are affected by this mismatch, but it is not something an average driver should worry about. bilstein is a good company that makes damn good shocks. increasing their "proposed" shock's spring rate handling capability by 100% or more is not going to hurt them. yes, it will hurt your handling capabilities, but not nearly enough for you to know, or worry about. many other guys on this forum are running 500-600 linear rate spring rates with hd's and have been doing so for a while - they have no issues either.
now, the original question asked about the sportlines and the shocks... if anything, do the bilstein hd's. if not, then just stick with stock shocks. the very soft sportline spring rate is not very different from stock spring rates. the decarbons will eventually die, but they'll eventually die on stock springs too. so upgrade the shocks if you can, but if you don't, it's not going to be a very big deal. sportlines are low and soft though, so keep in mind that you'll be hitting your bump stops a LOT.
Thanks for the explanation!
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: NC
2w0s060,
My brother has an 01 SS. It has a Eibach prokit and the slp bilsteins.
There is about an inch difference from driver side to passenger side. The passenger side being lower. He took the car back to the dealership and they told him that there was a 1 inch tolerance with that suspension package. They may have just been blowing smoke but thats what they told him.
My brother has an 01 SS. It has a Eibach prokit and the slp bilsteins.
There is about an inch difference from driver side to passenger side. The passenger side being lower. He took the car back to the dealership and they told him that there was a 1 inch tolerance with that suspension package. They may have just been blowing smoke but thats what they told him.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: NC
Should I be concerned about changing the panhard bar? I was also wondering if I should be concerned with changing the panhard bar or any other components? If so, would SLP parts be sufficient? Will it be ok just to change the springs and shocks and be done with it?
Chnage the springs and shocks.
If you get tire rub, then consider a PHB.
If it a street only car, suspension parts are not necessary. Buy parts to fix a problem. Buying parts randomly can cause more problems than they fix
If you get tire rub, then consider a PHB.
If it a street only car, suspension parts are not necessary. Buy parts to fix a problem. Buying parts randomly can cause more problems than they fix
