Springs For My Bilstein Shocks

[Mr. Untouchable]

Hi Guys, Just sorting out some bilstein shocks, and I'm looking at springs.

Question 1, will GTR springs fit GTST shocks? I dont think so, but not sure??

And any suggestions where to get springs, Looking for 7-5kg range to suit gtst shocks. found some 6kg apexi springs but they suit GTR.

also I am after linear springs.

any help would be appreciated.

[Waxhead]

Going through a similar thing myself. Chasing springs to go with my bilstein shocks for R32 GTR. Whiteline don't do them anymore, Tein S-Techs hard to get, Lovells and Eibach don't appear to do them.

Probably going to go with King Springs. Just e-mail them via their website contact details. Will get back to you within a day (Easter holidays, will probably mean Wednesday)

[djr81]

Going through a similar thing myself. Chasing springs to go with my bilstein shocks for R32 GTR. Whiteline don't do them anymore, Tein S-Techs hard to get, Lovells and Eibach don't appear to do them.

Probably going to go with King Springs. Just e-mail them via their website contact details. Will get back to you within a day (Easter holidays, will probably mean Wednesday)

Why do you mean by Eibach dont do them? I have the red Eibach springs on my Bilstein shocks on my R32 GTR. For what it is worth they replaced Whiteline springs which now sit gathering cobwebs in a box next to some black Eibach springs that bolt straight up to the Bilstein shocks.

If you want to use springs from red (motorsport) Eibach range you need the threaded section that fits over the shock, the two bottom collars, the top spring seat & the spring. Eibach do a massive range of springs. You need to specify the spring length (eg for the rear in inches so a 8" long spring reads a 0800 on it), ID for me its 2.5" (which reads as 250 on the spring) and finally the rate in lbs/in. Divide the number by 54 to get kg/mm, so a 275 lb spring equals 5.1kg/mm.

[rbjunkie]

I'm looking at that ground control kit too, but a little unsure of the ideal spring length for the recommended 355/345 ride height. Whats the popular option? 8" with helpers? 12"? think the stock spring length is like 355mm (14")?

im refering to rears btw

Edited April 30, 2011 by rbjunkie

[NSNPWR]

Slightly off topic but does anyone know what the standard Whiteline Spring Rates are for 32 GTR?

Im running a set of Whiteline springs with my Koni Yellows (Damper and Circlip height adjustable) and im convinced the springs are way too soft...ive got the fronts set at the highest setting yet they will still bottom out over a harsh enough bump and the rears are much the same, the shock is bottoming out...

Waxhead, i'll sell you the Whitelines out of mine

Edited May 2, 2011 by NSNPWR

[KiwiRS4T]

As well as Eibach, Tein make a big range for your car.

[chiksluvit]

Slightly off topic but does anyone know what the standard Whiteline Spring Rates are for 32 GTR?

Im running a set of Whiteline springs with my Koni Yellows (Damper and Circlip height adjustable) and im convinced the springs are way too soft...ive got the fronts set at the highest setting yet they will still bottom out over a harsh enough bump and the rears are much the same, the shock is bottoming out...

Waxhead, i'll sell you the Whitelines out of mine

it shouldn't

either the valving of the konis do not suit the springs or the shocks are worn

factory springs don't bottom out the standard shocks, and whiteline springs arent that much lower

[NSNPWR]

Yeah, I know mate, its strange, they arent that low at all but even when the car is stationary, I can see the shock piston is a long way through its stroke...and theyre definitely not worn, I have damper wound right up and they're firm as, it rides sweet over nice flowing bumps.

Do you know what spring rates Whiteline are?

Edited May 5, 2011 by NSNPWR

[chiksluvit]

whiteline spring rates are about 3.xkgs front and rear, its just a tad firmer, like 20% over stock i think

i had them in my old skyline with bilsteins and i thought it was a pretty good combo, new car has kings and bilstein, the kings were a lot lower and hits the bump stop more frequently. changed it to tein medium which is about 4.xkg front and rear and it was a lot better

i can definitely feel that the tein mediums are harder than the whitelines again, being 4.xkgs, the bilsteins seems to like them more, it handled rough road surfaces a lot better than the softer springs.

for softer springs, you will need to adjust the shocks to a firmer compression, softer rebound; and opposite for hard springs

i also had konis in a toyota i had before and it just bottoms out so easily as well, the konis were quite new, so i just thought that the shocks were not suited to the springs

[simpletool]

Ahh....excellent stuff chiksluvit. I have thought about getting slightly firmer springs for my bilsteins as the king springs seem too soft for me (the the shocks seem valved for firmer springs anyway in my mind). So the tein mediums are both firmer AND at least as comfortable. ?

Edited May 6, 2011 by simpletool

[ARTZ]

do bilsteins have damper adjustment??

my bilsteins have dark blue springs,i have no idea what brand they are but its rock solid

..anyone know what they may be ?

[chiksluvit]

Ahh....excellent stuff chiksluvit. I have thought about getting slightly firmer springs for my bilsteins as the king springs seem too soft for me (the the shocks seem valved for firmer springs anyway in my mind). So the tein mediums are both firmer AND at least as comfortable. ?

yup it is

you can definitely tell that they're harder than the kings, from more feedback from road surface, yet its not uncomfortable because when you go through really rough roads it doesn't vibrate as much, like its better controlled- not sure if it makes sense

an example is say lady game drive, section closer to chatswood, with the kings I will drive through and it'll feel crushy and even get rattles from the dash; with the teins i can still feel how bad the road is, but i won't get rattles from dash, like I only feel what the road is like but not any extra vibrations- upside is i think a better controlled spring oscillation means better road contact, or road holding capability.

conclusion is bilstein valving definitely suits harder springs more than soft springs, bilsteins on my car are only about 1 year old so far.

without telling my mate that i've changed springs, my mate commented on the change in ride quality when he was sitting at the back seat.

bear in mind my car has 27mm sway bar front and 24 rear with poly bushes on the front upper inner and caster rod, so the road surface feedback is really direct

the bump stop does visit the shock body more frequently on the kings than the teins, doesnt happen often with the kings but has happened for eg. when i hit the shallow potholes at comenarra parkway. or the far left lane on pacific hwy in chatswood going towards the city direction just before mobil service stn.

in fact they haven't had a chance to meet yet since i've got the tein mediums- i'd say its because the kings are lower and softer

they are progressive springs, but the soft section is fully closed up with the car on the ground, which makes it a single rate spring- pic attached

Edited May 7, 2011 by chiksluvit

[Mr. Untouchable]

just so people know, I contacted KING's about making me custom items, and they said its no problems. I asked about some 7kg front and 5kg's rears in standard spring design to suit bilstein shocks with circlip height adjustment and I think it was $300 per pair, and 12-15 days as they are made to order. This is the way I'm going to go.

cheers

[chiksluvit]

sounds awesome

don't forget to come back and post a review of it

[simpletool]

7kg/mm front is pretty damn hard, but I trust you know that.

[NSNPWR]

conclusion is bilstein valving definitely suits harder springs more than soft springs, bilsteins on my car are only about 1 year old so far.

I would definitely say that this is also the case with the Koni Yellows I got from Importmonster, from what ive read the valving on the Koni yellow is very hard...time for some new springs or coilovers...

[Mr. Untouchable]

7kg/mm front is pretty damn hard, but I trust you know that.

yeah, not as brutal as the 10kg's with shit valving that is in there atm lol.

I'm going by what other guys who race at local tracks (symmons plains & baskerville) here are running, it will either be 7's or 6' up front with 5 or 4.5 in the rear.

[simpletool]

I asked King Springs for 4.5kg front and 4kg rear (at catalogue lowered height) and they said they could do it BUT they won't be captive at full droop.

Mr Untouchable are your springs captive at full droop, or did you have to alter something else?

[Mr. Untouchable]

ahh forgot about this thread i'm a slack ass.

I ended up using HSD sleeve kits, so I have full height adjustment and also can run any 65MM ID spring. opens up a whole world of options and i will be running helper/retainer springs also.

[simpletool]

OK thanks. Out of interest what ID and spring rates, lengths did you go for?

I assume the threaded section has to be welded to the shock body?