im looking at new struts and cant decide between the three:
sachs oem, billy tc, koni str.t. the str.t are fairly new and would like your oppinion/input. i dont have the money for the expensive stuff, so any thoughts are appreciated. i like the sachs oem but was looking for something a bit stiffer. the billy tc may be too stiff for me, and have read the str's are in between. id like to go with the koni's but have read both good and bad. the roads here in RI have to be the worst in the country. thanks for your help i really need to get this done. and if anyone has anything used in decent shape im open to that option too if the price is right. this probably should have gone in the suspension forum. i forgot to mention theyre going on the estate. currently there are Monroes in the rear and original stock in the front, have never been changed at 178k and counting.

 

I bought the Monroe struts and had them but kept reading about the Bilsteins. Took the Monroe struts back and bought the Bilstein B6s.

But if money were no object the Koni coilovers sure look good !!

 

It depends on how long you expect to keep your car and what kind of ride you like. I like the Bilsteins. Koni's seems geared towards preformance. There is some other struts that they have been selling that are suppose to adjust for the road surface. I'd like them but $750 a wack it a dream for me when it comes to struts.

 

Ride quality IS the question.. I bought the Koni FSd's Ride was way to hard... Went back to Sachs... I love em...

 

i have sachs on the sedan and like the ride but want to try something quality on the wagon so im going with the bilstein tc's. i've read nothing bad about them but the koni str.t's have some bad publicity and dont appear to have the quality of koni. funny thing happened when i was filling out my order, i chose the koni at first and was ready to click submit when i decided to wait on a few other things and go with the bilsteins. price difference was only 25 per strut. the wagon is in nice shape and would like to keep it for a while. gave wifey the sedan. i will report back with my findings after i get them installed.

 

I have sachs in the NA wagon and they actually are rougher than whatever I replaced. Rough roads or roads with lots of expansion cracks/joints are not fun.

Be sure you post your impressions of the Bilsteins. That is what my BMW has and they have always impressed me in that car.

 

I once purchased a car just to get a set of Volans. While I was pulling the wheels off, I seen a set of front Bilstiens. The struts and shocks on my daughters S70 were shot and we were planning to drop about $600 on new ones so I jerked them off of that car and did a swap.

That S70 handles so well with the Bilstiens that I may put a set on my wagon. Her car use to buck going over speed humps but now it goes over them like a spider. A little harsh when you hit a pot hole dead on, but perfect in every other way.

 

put the front bilsteins TC in this afternoon and all the weird sounds went away. the spring mounts fell apart as i was taking the old stuff off. total time 3 hours both sides. the hardest part was getting the top nut off, they were rusted on pretty tight. i dont have a vice so i lowered the car on top of the bottom of the strut and sandwiched it between the underside and a cinder block, whatever works. both shocks removed were original equipment 15 years old and 180k. first ride i noticed a huge difference but i must say for the roads around here theyre a bit harsh, the roads are real bad and this state is broke. im trying to adjust the harshness with lowering tire pressure. tried the recommended 41 rear 36 front, way too harsh, at 32 all four corners now but too soft so im going to try 34 and see how that feels. handling though is great, highway is awesome. at this point i feel the entire ride may be compromised because the rear are bad too. i plan on doing those in a couple of weeks and that will be the true test with all 4 corners done. i guess ill stay with the bilsteins in the rear to keep it all uniform.