[saabturn]

I have a 2004 Aero and would like to lower the car and replace the Struts and Shocks.
I had settled on Koni yellows and H&R springs but I can't find the Front struts anywhere.
So plan B was to get Bilstein B8 but then the rear shocks are unavailable.
Questions:

• Does anybody know a place who sells those hard to get Koni or Bilstein or a set at a reasonable price?
• If not , can I run Bilstein B8 in front and Koni in back. Any issues to expect?
• This one is more for education purposes. What would happen if low Springs were used with Bilstein B6. I suppose this would reduce the life expectancy of the shocks.
• Any other suggestion about what and where to get Shocks/Springs.

Thanks

PS:
I'm looking for part #
Koni Yellow Front Strut 87411479 or 87411539
Bilstein B8 Rear Shock 24102551

 

[mstrjon32]

Bilstein B8 Performance Plus Rear Pair Monotube Shock Absorber For Saab 9-3 | eBay

Entdecken Sie Bilstein B8 Performance Plus Rear Pair Monotube Shock Absorber For Saab 9-3 in der großen Auswahl bei eBay. Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel!

www.ebay.de

Located in the USA.

Let me know how they ride when you fit them. I was thinking of replacing my KYB's with Bilstein B8's to pair with my Eibach lowered suspension, but still haven't done it.

 

[N_Raged]

I had B6's on Aero springs for a while which was good enough to win me a class championship at autocross in 2013. It did ride very firm because mono-tube dampers are high pressure. Then I put some Eibach pro-kit lowering springs on it and it was an immediate regret. It rode incredibly hard and I could not live with it.

This prompted me to switch to Koni Yellows and comfort was restored. Mainly because the twin-tube Koni Yellows are naturally softer than mono-tubes even before taking into account you can turn down the rebound of the Koni's. Also the Koni Yellows are designed for lowering springs.

It's not an apples to apples comparison but I don't think the Koni Yellows perform as well as the Bilsteins. My car with the Pro-kits and Koni Yellows were more understeery than on Bilstein B6's and Aero springs where I could really chuck the car and rotate under braking.

Don't mis-match your front and rear dampers. Your car will not sit right and the handling balance will be all wrong.

Going back to the B6 vs B8 argument, for my Subaru BRZ the B6 and B8 are valved the same, the only difference is the B8 have less droop travel to keep lowering springs seated. I don't know how much of this applies to the Saab fitments of B6/B8 but expect a very firm ride after lowering.

 

[N_Raged]

Rockauto has B8 fronts.
Vivid Racing has B8 rears.

I can't find front Koni Yellows anywhere, only rears in stock at various retailers.

Here's a set of Koni FSDs
Koni 2100-4014: $767.65 Plus $5.00 Instant Coupon, Free Shipping at Andy's

Vivid Racing and Summit Racing also has the new Koni Actives which are the revised version of the FSD. I'm kind of curious about them now, even though I was determined to leave my second 9-3 stock...

 

[saabturn]

Very interesting.
Now you got me interested in the Koni Red (active)
They are cheaper and available everywhere.
But will they work with H&R or Eibach springs?
I thought the FSD shouldn't be used with lowering springs .
I couldn't find any post reviewing that setup.

 

[N_Raged]

Very interesting.
Now you got me interested in the Koni Red (active)
They are cheaper and available everywhere.
But will they work with H&R or Eibach springs?
I thought the FSD shouldn't be used with lowering springs .
I couldn't find any post reviewing that setup.

Correct, Active/FSD should not be lowered. I should have mentioned that.
Lower & harder springs mess with the FSD dual valves which was designed to work with stock springs.

 

[Finesse58]

Oof, this prompted me to check Genuinesaab.com because I had gotten the koni yellow and Vogtland lowering springs kit from there for my 05 9-5. Kits for either cars are no longer even listed - this makes me worry for when they'll need to be replaced...