I will be installing the Eibach springs and Eibach rear sway bar on my '04 R53. I am sans runflats on lightweight 18" rims.

I am looking for opinions on whether to go with Bilstein Sports or Konis.

No track use, spirited street use only.

Thanks in advance!

 

Personally I love the Koni's and having dampening adjustablity is a real bonus along w/ a lifetime warranty.

 

I would take Bilstein... because Koni, its is a little more hassle to install in the back (modifying is required..) Plus, bilstein just seems to be better constructed. (Had coilovers with both Bilstein and koni shocks..)

 

What sort of modifications are required? I'm split between getting the Knoi's and the Megans.

 

enlarging top hat components..
spring hats, washer, and the some piston piece..it was such a PITA for me..

 

If you do go w/ the Koni's..best price I found was outmotoring.com

http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...ustable_shocks

 

I don't think either shock would be a mistake and I would buy the one I could get a deal on. I have used both in the past and confess for the street, I lean towards the Bilstiens. Presently running bilstiens w/ stock springs and rear sway and the ride is much improved over the stock set-up.

Assuming you are buying the springs and shocks new - you are not too far away from coilover $$ territory (bc coilovers are about 1,100.00) and might want to consider coilovers. The reason I say this is because your running 18s and might regret not having ride height adjustability. Also the 18s will give you a harsher ride so some ride adjustability may be desirable as well.

food for thought.

 

Requires drilling enlarging the rear top-hat from 10mm to 12mm and a washer. Takes about 2 min on a drill press.

I did a few week ago:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=130116

 

+2

I enjoyed my Koni Yellows, they were a real improvement over the stock dampers and the ability to adjust dampening allows for tweaking from front to rear. Drilling out the top hats isn't a big deal at all. I used a hand drill.

I actually have a set of Yellows for sale with about 7k miles.... Could throw in the top hats...

 

BahamaBart - How are the Bilsteins more comfortable? Are they better at small bumps, large imperfections, or what? Do they handle better than the Yellows? Any comparison with the Koni FSD? Which do you think you would pick for autocross or track days (without doing coilovers)? Oh, and are you using the sport springs?

 

I always heard the Bilstein SPs are very firm..

 

+1

 

+2

 

I have talked with race shops that agree, but they do say the Bilsteins provide better dampening curves. I have never had them (or the FSD) so I am very interested in comparisons. Usually all you see compared are shocks vs. coilovers.

 

I can only compare to the MCS stock set-up. For regular driving, I find them slightly firmer yet more forgiving (less harsh) on the small bumps and pavement irregularities. When driving aggressively, I find they firm up nicely and the car doesn't lean as much.
Stock MCS springs .

For AutoX, I would want adjustability so Konis would be my choice HOWEVER I go back to there are several coilover set-ups that are not much more than new shocks & springs and they come WITH camber plates.

 

I've not run Bilsteins on a Mini, but have in the past on several Bimmers and was very happy with them. Just installed Koni yellows (part of Dinan's pkg) on my MCS and and impressed thus far but haven't yet had the car on the track or autox. As noted above, it's pretty easy to modify the strut washer and top hats for the Konis with either a drill press or a bench vise and drill.

If you're just looking for Konis, there is some variability in pricing, but should be able to find them around $599 shipped.

 

+3
I hated the Bilstein sports I had on my BMW e36. The rears blew every winter and the ride was just plain harsh over bumps.

 

+3
Been using Konis on just about every car I ever owned except the previously mentioned BMW. I've always been satisfied with them and have never blown one. Driving included HPDE autox and spirited street.

I often bought mine from shox.com. They have offereed great pricing and they've been around over 20 years. They didn't let me down when I had my warranty claims on the Bilsteins that blew on my BMW.

 

I think I'd have to agree and say that the Bistein SPs are firm. I've had mine for about a month and yeah, you the ride is firm. However, I don't mind the firm ride as I feel the handling is much improved. I also have linear springs which probably adds to the firmness. There's not as much bounciness in the ride anymore which is good.

 

Why did the rears blow out in the winter? It looks like I have a blown rear Koni FSD from this winter. I'm thinking cold ( < 0 ) along with rumble strip roads.

 

Are you lowered?

 

Nope. Stock springs, Koni FSDs.

 

DTPMCS, get Bilstein SPs if you keep the stock springs, together they are great street performers. You will be more satisfied with the ride height and suspension travel of stock springs as well as the performance.

The FSD strut can be overdriven easily whereas the Bilstein SP limits are not likely to be reached on the street. I pushed the car on a very high speed section of road today with dips that pitched fits with every other spring & strut combo I’ve used, but the SP/OEM spring combo kept the vehicle stable.

I also had an FSD strut failure.

 

I have this set-up and the Bilstiens and stock springs mate up nicely in my opinion as well. I did consider a pair of JCW springs to get a little drop but couldn't find a deal on them and thought to try the stockers. Never looked back. I did add a 19mm rear sway which also improved things.

 

I am loving the Koni's...FWIW..they are so road friendly..yet the performance is stunning. TSW linear springs too