[saabpat]

After nearly 3 years of being Saabless I have finally found a 1995 9000 cse turbo, nice body, good interior decent drivetrain but suspension needs some work. The struts are history so I was planning on replacing them with KYB units. Now I have stumbled upon KYB GR2's matched up with Vogtland springs on ebay for ~$370 and I'm suddenly feeling VERY tempted but I can't find much info on either KYB or Vogtland on this forum, has anybody used either of these products on their Saabs. I wanted to improve the handling somewhat but I really don't want to sacrifice ride. Just hate to pull the trigger on these guys without some background info first, thanks!

 

[John Z Williams]

From what I understand, the bilstein sport are oe force dampers. I had the kyb's and thought they were harsher than my Koni adjustable's on fill firm.

The Voxtland springs are matched to Koni dampers and they make a great combination. My car with kyb and voxtland was pretty bad, good for cornering, but very harsh on bumps in the road. Finally put the Koni's with Voxtland ands its more comfortable and corners on rails.

Genuinesaab.com has the voxtland and Konis!

John

 

[Therealet23]

From what i know, anytime you upgrade to a stiff suspension....you have to give to get (unless you get adjustable koni's).... my friend has the kyb gr2 in the front with BG springs and they are great....corners very well, but with the stiffer suspension u will feel the bumps in the road....

my other friend has bilstein HDs and HR springs....again.....corners like a miata but u feel everything....its a stiff ride...which is fine on smooth roads but, if the road is bumpy u will feel it, though you do get used to it after a while and it doesnt seem as intense as when u first apply it....

konis can be just a rough but if u adjust them (which is a pain for the backs) u can make them smooth or hard....i mean koni is great but me personally, unless you are racing the car or really need to adjust them (or if just money isnt an option) i think bilstien would be fine....kyb prolly just as fine....

i have seen the same kit on ebay and i have been pretty tempted myself to purchase them....everyone says kyb is pretty bad, but i know my friend has them and they are fine....i know old kyb was pretty bad but new kyb seems ok...also there is a lifetime warranty so i mean its pretty much up to u....

 

[saabpat]

I had KYB's on my NG 900 with stock springs and the results were pretty good, like brand new stock performance. Had ajustable KYB's on a Focus with H&R lowering springs and ride was harsh, handling pretty good. KYBs on a Merkur XR4TI and it was WAY under damped, handled like an F1 car all the same. KYb's on a Renault R5 and the ride was fantastic. So, Ive had a mixed experience with them myself. They are probably ok but just not sure how well they work with the Vogtlands.

 

[John Z Williams]

That is why I stated, I had the kyb's with voxtland springs, it was a harsh ride, but handled and cornered nice. The Koni with voxtland springs was a great combo with a much less harsh ride, I thought it was softer or better than stock and the handling and cornering were improved a ton...

This is the best combo in my opinion and I tried them both.

John

 

[Therealet23]

yeah...i mean i think that is only because the konis are adjustable, if it was set even alittle softer than the kybs, of course the ride would be nicer...also...if it was set firmer than the kybs or any shock/strut...the ride would be harsher....at least that would make sense to me...

 

[saabpat]

I just can't justify the expense of Koni's unfortunately, so I guess I may pass on the performance springs and use the KYB's with stock springs. I just hate throwing a 12 year old part back on the car especialy since installing new ones is just as easy .

 

[John Z Williams]

yeah...i mean i think that is only because the konis are adjustable, if it was set even alittle softer than the kybs, of course the ride would be nicer...also...if it was set firmer than the kybs or any shock/strut...the ride would be harsher....at least that would make sense to me...

I don't really think so, like I stated up top, the konis on full firm where a better less harsh ride than the kyb's... I hated em... It might have been mostly because I had kyb's on Voxtland springs, bouncy and very harsh up front. Konis were not bouncy at all and cornered better and were more comfortable even on full firm..

They are expensive and if you do not need them for track use and don't really care about adjusting them for you're personal preference, the bilsteins are the way to go in my opinion. Saabsite has the rears for 83.00 a piece and the fronts are maybe 180.00 a piece.... Its about 100 bucks cheaper to go the bilstein route vs. the koni route.

John

 

[Norman Lovie]

recently fitted a set of bilstiens matched with kilien springs to another guys car, compared to my koni set up, the bilstiens are just too much IMO for real road application.
Very nice handling but sufficently harsh to be concerning. I suspect the kiliens were not helping, although nice and short the spring rate is just too soft & the front damper just freezes over pot holes. If you go with bilstiens I suspect they will benifit from a stiff spring rate giving enough force to work the damper.
your going to end up with a really nice tight and flat turning car, but be well prepared to pay for it with respect to ride comfort

 

[John Z Williams]

That is exactly what I heard and the guy that has bilsteins on his car hit his head on the roof when he hit a pot-hole in the road.

That is why I am going with Konis