Neuspeed/Bilstein Too Harsh! Help!!!
05-11-2004, 01:22 PM
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Neuspeed/Bilstein Too Harsh! Help!!!
Hey Guys
I have an A4 with the sport package which was stiff yet comfortable. Then I installed the Neuspeed/Bilstein adjust perch shocks to lower it with the hopes of not stiffening the ride too much. I put on lowest perch.
Now its too harsh for my likings. Any way to keep the lower ride height and also soften it up some? i.e. Any softer shocks with adjustable perches? Changing the perch height wont affect the stiffness, right?
Thanks SO much....
I have an A4 with the sport package which was stiff yet comfortable. Then I installed the Neuspeed/Bilstein adjust perch shocks to lower it with the hopes of not stiffening the ride too much. I put on lowest perch.
Now its too harsh for my likings. Any way to keep the lower ride height and also soften it up some? i.e. Any softer shocks with adjustable perches? Changing the perch height wont affect the stiffness, right?
Thanks SO much....
05-11-2004, 01:39 PM
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Go back to OEM.
Most aftermarket suspensions will trade some ride quality for performance benefits. A bilstein shock isn't a terribly harsh shock...especially when it's new. If you find the ride quality objectionable, I would recommend going back to OEM shocks.
Alternatives are Koni shocks. You can't adjust for ride height with these, but you can adjust rebound dampening to make them softer. You can't adjust compression dampening though...so don't expect to work miracles with the rebound adjustments. In fact, setting the rebound properly can be another can of worms you probably don't want to deal with. The reason is...if you need to change it, you have to remove the suspension from the car, completely dismantle it, and make your adjustment.
Alternatives are Koni shocks. You can't adjust for ride height with these, but you can adjust rebound dampening to make them softer. You can't adjust compression dampening though...so don't expect to work miracles with the rebound adjustments. In fact, setting the rebound properly can be another can of worms you probably don't want to deal with. The reason is...if you need to change it, you have to remove the suspension from the car, completely dismantle it, and make your adjustment.
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05-11-2004, 01:45 PM
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this is why bilstein has different shocks for lowered cars....long.
while everyone else has only one shock for our cars. bilsteins are a mono tube gas pressure shock. as you compress the shock it gets harder and harder, as it compresses the gas chamber at the bottom. a lower car already has the shock compressed further than the same car with a higher ride height. therefore the first inch of compression on the lower car is harder than on the higher car.
05-11-2004, 01:52 PM
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Huh?
Shock damping is dependent on piston velocity, not position.
Bilsteins use a shorter piston, because they have a floater inside, which separates the nitogen from the fluid. A shorter piston helps to prevent the piston from coming in contact with the floater.
Bilsteins use a shorter piston, because they have a floater inside, which separates the nitogen from the fluid. A shorter piston helps to prevent the piston from coming in contact with the floater.
05-11-2004, 01:58 PM
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it's a function of the gas chamber.
if you have access to a bilstein shock. try to compress it by hand! you'll find it gets harder as the shock compresses. also unlike a normal shock a bilstein will open to full lenth if let go. do konis do this?