Bilstein HD struts & Abbott springs --or-- a full Eibach kit.
I didn't want to ask which was "better" since that's so subjective... "aggressive" meaning a harder more sport oriented ride. Is there a large difference in handling between the two setups?
i have the eibachs on konis. I don't find the setup to be overly stiff. I think most of the setups you will find are designed for road cars. Then again the konis are adjustible albeit not on-car adjustible. I don't think eibach makes struts/shocks for the 9-5...
You want to run Bilstein Sports (B8) with Abbott springs. I don't really know which is more aggressive, but I have the Eibach springs with Bilstein Sports and while the car corners very well, I just don't feel the spring rate is high enough to really handle the weight of the car.
Bilstein HD struts & Abbott springs --or-- a full Eibach kit.
I didn't want to ask which was "better" since that's so subjective... "aggressive" meaning a harder more sport oriented ride. Is there a large difference in handling between the two setups?
Absolutely correct. You need to ensure you have a sufficent amount of compliance for the application. If harder was better then why do we still run springs and dampers on the race cars???
Anything off the shelf isn't perfect to be honest as they all use a cheap single way adjustable damper at best. With a damper like this you simply cannot set the car up well enough to meet what I would consider the targets requried for a good improvement. Best off the shelf appears to be the kit Hirsch offer. I've watched as many videos as possible of the Hirsch kit in action on track and whilst it appears to offer much better mid corner control it still has a lot of dive under braking. To be fair though you will get this regardless without the ability to alter slow compression.
Very difficult to compare the two side by side, all i will say is the Bilstein/Abbott setup is gonna be a compromise, whereas the full Eibach setup is gonna have spring rates that are matched to the dampers. (yes i do have the Eibach Pro suspension, and i'm very happy with the improved handling combined with a compliant ride quality)
Is the Eibach kit still available in the US though? :roll:
In that case the Eibach Pro is the one to go for, as the springs are progressive (unlike the Abbott ones), and as Kermit says, are a designed match with the dampers.
However, as Kermit infers, you may be looking at having to personally import from Europe as the Eibach kit is no longer sold in North America...???
Best off the shelf appears to be the kit Hirsch offer. I've watched as many videos as possible of the Hirsch kit in action on track and whilst it appears to offer much better mid corner control it still has a lot of dive under braking. To be fair though you will get this regardless without the ability to alter slow compression.
You've got me thinking of the good old days, I need to go and have a good look under the 9-5 at the front suspension setup and see whether you could design an anti-dive kit on the same principle of the simple old Boreham kit that we used to fit to Mk1/2 Escorts. That was so effective for a relatively simple piece of engineering.....
... However, as Kermit infers, you may be looking at having to personally import from Europe as the Eibach kit is no longer sold in North America...???
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