gas or oil ?

[briggie]

gas or oil shockers? ... which is best for a nice smooth bump free ride ?

 

[solarman216]

Think they all have oil in them, but gas ones give the suspension a bit of a boost, Rick

 

[Freebird]

Gas shockers is my choice.:thumb2

 

[briggie]

are bilstein any good ? :nenau

 

[Adz]

Yes

 

[The Patrolman]

are bilstein any good ? :nenau

wtf!!

That is such a non question!

But i suppose if you don't know you gotta ask!!

 

[briggie]

wtf!!

That is such a non question!

But i suppose if you don't know you gotta ask!!

WAS A GENUINE QUESTION . I DUNNO WHICH IS GOOD OR NOT :nenau

 

[briggie]

Ive heard of monroe , but not bilstein , i just did a google search on terrano shocks

 

[danielj]

If its front shocks you need try terranosaurus and see if he still has any of the pro-comp shocks left. A good shock at a good price if you get them from him. You could also try Milners for standard shocks at a reasonable price (Got a set of Kyaba shocks from them and they seem ok).

 

[extreme-4x4]

gas shocks are i believe gas charged so return out to fully extend, my pro comps are not and driven slow are hard and bouncy back breakng stuff. but more aggressive driving stull hard but little after bounce.saying that its bloody sturdy and road holding is awesome, off road hell ..... if i was buying agan id get gas shocks. preferred them anyday

 

[briggie]

all i want is a nice soft ride ( not like i have now lol ) but without compromising road holding

 

[briggie]

at the moment i feel every little bump in the road , most of the time it makes the cd jump and skip , i just would like a softer ride , but without compromising road holding or safety ....... advice please ?

 

[kbekl]

this shows how adapt i am at this i thought it was the springs that determined the ride comfort not the shocks

 

[TONUP]

wtf!!

That is such a non question!

But i suppose if you don't know you gotta ask!!

Well I wouldn't have known if you had asked me a couple of days ago, but I have just ordered a set and new struts & springs for our BMW 318is (1999) and intend to fit them Saturday.

Bilstein in fact were the cheapest I could find, Sachs were the dearest. I had also only ever heard of McPherson before.

I have also borrowed some spring compressors and will be attempting to fit the new springs to the struts, which I am told is fraught with danger!!

Any tips up front on fitting the springs would be appreciated.

Alan

 

[makeitfit]

I hate spring compresser work
So I use some wire wrapped round as well once you've compressed them, belt n braces like
I use 2.5 twin n earth and go round lots of times. So if you need to adjust at all you can unwind slowly till spring starts to move :thumbs
Good luck

 

[macabethiel]

at the moment i feel every little bump in the road , most of the time it makes the cd jump and skip , i just would like a softer ride , but without compromising road holding or safety ....... advice please ?

There is always a trade off or balancing act when you want a softer ride. That why F1 cars are bone shakers to minimise roll, improved road holding etc.

Not sure what size wheels and tyres you have but if you go for smaller diameter wheels to keep the same rolling radius you have a higher aspect ratio tyre and a softer ride. It might be worth looking at your tyre pressures and running them on the lower load pressures. Some tyre depots now use Nitrogen instead or air to inflate the tyre and this is to reduce the amount of tyre pressure increase when hot.

Gas filled dampers are great but most Billsteins are associated with competetion work as that is where they built a reputation with Ford etc for road rallying. They will be a firmer ride especially on the rebound cycle as that is where the gas component comes into its own.

Likewise most people go for uprated springs and they tend to be firmer as a general rule though a manufacturers tapered coil spring can have quite a soft ride at low speeds. Leaf springs again one tends to associate with heavy duty work or plain old fashioned design.

 

[TONUP]

I hate spring compresser work
So I use some wire wrapped round as well once you've compressed them, belt n braces like
I use 2.5 twin n earth and go round lots of times. So if you need to adjust at all you can unwind slowly till spring starts to move :thumbs
Good luck

Sounds like a worthwhile precaution...

Thanks

Alan

 

[briggie]

so ..... conclusion for a softer ride , but still maintaining road stability / handling /load carrying capability is .......... ?

 

[macabethiel]

so ..... conclusion for a softer ride , but still maintaining road stability / handling /load carrying capability is .......... ?

If your existing dampers are original and you find the ride hard then any new damper will make the ride worse / firmer !

If they are not leaking or an MoT failure then save your money and leave it as it is.

How about a nice soft cushion or have your drivers seat re-built with a nice comfy seat cushion base ?

My choice if you feel the urge to replace them is go for the best gas dampers you can afford. There are a lot of good dampers on the market without paying for the brand name of Bilsteins etc .You might find some adjustable ones like Spax so you can fiddle with the damping rates.

http://www.shockabsorbersworld.com/suv-shock-absorber.html

This link might be useful.