Bilstein or Koni for Fast road - limited track use ?

[pancho]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking to order the suspension for the Giulia Sprint GT very soon and need to get some thoughts/experience on both the Bilsteins and Koni's. I'm opting for an off the shelf kit to begin with and I can see where it takes me after that. The car will be built for fast road with some club track events but not many.

I am aware that both are obviously good pieces of kit but I'm told the Konis will be a little less harsh for road use versus the Bilsteins. Any experience or thoughts on this ?

[SimonR]

I have Koni reds on my 105 and revalved Koni yellows on the 116 GTV and both are great.

I have also heard, like you,that that Bilsteins can be overly harsh for everyday road use and are better suited to a more mild road use/more trackday use oriented car.

[Barry Edmunds]

Bilstein and Koni are both very good shockers. The main difference is that Koni are adjustable (depending on which unit) and Bilstein are not but the Bilsteins can be revalved to soften the rebound.

If you decide on the Bilsteins I would suggest that you consider strengthening the top shock mounts at the front. I had Bilsteins all round on my previous Super but the front shock mounts broke off because of the stiffness of the shocks. Nice firm ride and reduced body roll.

I then had the front shocks revalved and that softened the ride a little and reduced the strain on the mounts. No further porblems after that.

I have Koni Classic on my current Super and have found them to be very good. Only road use so no drives in anger to test. A few laps at Winton by an experienced 105 Series driver had him smiling and commenting that the car felt great was enough to convince me that I had the right set-up
Barry

[Davidm1600]

I have only ever used Konis.  So no experience with Bilsteins.  I have Koni Yellows in my GTV and have had them in the car since I rebuilt the suspension some 10 years ago.  The Konis are still brilliant.  I have Koni yellows for my Fiat 124 sport and for the Super when I am ready, will go for an Alfaholics fast road kit, with Konis, though specifically which ones I can't recall I was advised on by the guys there. 

You could always ask them what they might recommend given your intentions for the GT.

[MD]

pancho

I have had both brands in different cars all for road application. I would categorise them like this:

Konis behave better at low speeds and offer good control at higher speeds.
Bislteins offer less comfort but acceptable ride for a sports car at low speeds but better car control at higher speeds than the konis.

Take your pick.

[pancho]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Koni yellows ordered and on their way.

Now to order the bits to rebuild the rest of the whole front and back end suspension.....

[preacherman]

Where can i get Koni Yellows for my 1750 GTV?

[pancho]

I got mine from classicgarage.com out of the US landed here for ~ $470

They are having a great 25% off their already low prices. Email them as the product is not advertised online.

Hope this helps.