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Which Shock Absorbers?


keewee

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Hi

 

 

New to the forum but have owned my 1980 SC almost 2 years. I brought the car back to NZ with me earlier in the year after owning it in the UK and travelling all over.

 

I am now on the hunt for some shock absorbers, does anyone have any recommendations? It may be cheaper to order from the UK or states so any tips/links would be much appreciated. It is purely for road use so don't need expensive high performance etc.

 

Cheers

 

Keewee

post-3921-1258335217_thumb.jpg

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Bilstein will rebuild them for you - if that's what you have and the shipping isn't too expensive.

 

3-5 Swannington Road

Cottage Lane Industrial Estate, Broughton Astley, Leicester, LE9 6TU

+44145 528 3407

 

Great colour!

 

Would definitely stick with the Bilsteins - you should have green one's on your car already. There is a standard SC Sport setting which any good 911 supplier should be able to provide. For the front you most likely only need to buy the insert, not the full strut. The front struts can be unbolted at the top and, with the car jacked up, can be pulled out from under the front wings. Then it's a simple case of unscrewing the retaining collar (c-spanner needed), pulling out the old insert and inserting new one. Be careful not to damage the brake pipes. I don't recall the insert being fixed in at the bottom but yours may be.

 

Good luck!

Edited by Flat 6
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  • 5 years later...

I'm planning to replace shock absorbers for my SC. I think I'll go with Bilsteins no matter what I have now.. I have read that there are (at least?) two types of front struts and shocks must be selected accordingly.. The question is: Is there a bullet proof way to determine if I have Boge (standard) or Bilstein (sport) type front struts?

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Here is a picture. Two leftmost photos are from my car, rightmost photo is from pelican parts article stating that you can identify Bilstein struts by this roll pin (marked by arrow). So I don't have that and they are black so it is Boge type then, right?

 

911-tunnista-iskarit.jpg

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Thanks. 100% sure?

100% sure they are not 100% Bilstein, but they could be Boge struts with Bilstein, or Koni, inserts inside!

 

Only way to tell that is looking inside.

 

Inserts are available for Boge struts in various forms see here (towards the bottom of the page) http://type911shop.co.uk/epages/de867ca1-377e-432e-84fd-bdccf2206766.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/de867ca1-377e-432e-84fd-bdccf2206766/Categories/Shop/12/231/1088

 

Mark

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OK, I believe :) Thanks for your help!

 

I'm going to replace inserts anyway, so no matter which brand they are. Just wanted to make sure I'll order correct inserts for my struts. I'm still wondering if I want my Bilsteins with standard sports/turbo settings or harder street settings. No idea which setting would suit me and my car better..

Edited by suckho
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Ive got std Green Bilsteins all round on mine they give a compliant ride at the same time giving quite flat cornering. I would call them comfortably stiff...and spot on for road use. The car always feels planted and they take the edge off pot holes etc

 

I guess it depends on how your going to use the car. I think i would want something harder and adjustable for track days etc

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Hi,

 

Despite your Fuchs and front spoiler I suspect you have a non-sport model SC, which I have.

 

I swapped my standard boge for bilsteins all round on my old SC coupe (also non-sport) and it transformed the car. After a lot of research I went for a middle ground 'street sport' setup which is slighly stiffer than the standard OEM sport setting. Type 911 show all the options, but with the Euro rate being so good you might want to check out French or German sources.

 

As described above, changing them is not a difficult job.

 

I'd recommend you also get your camber and toe-in settings checked after you've changed your shocks. There are lot of views of suspension settings so I won't get into that... :steering:

 

Al.

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This is all good information!

 

Flat6, Do you have firsthand experience driving a car with standard sport setting Bilsteins? I mean can you compare between standard sport and street sport settings? These are the two options I have also been thinking but it is very difficult to say which one I would like more.. I think the standard setting would be the safest choice, but not sure how hard and uncomfortable the street sport setting would be..

 

Also, I'm planning to upgrade my tie rods to turbo tie rods as well, so then wheel angles must be checked anyway...

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Sorry, no experience of SC on standard sport bilsteins. I used that car a lot and the ride was fine, definitely wouldn't describe it as hard or uncomfortable. That said, Porsche know what they are at and I'm sure the standard sport settings were selected for a reason!

 

Maybe get along to a meet somewhere and see if you can persuade some friendly SC owners to take you for a test drive?!

 

Al.

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