The install - I took a few photos. Its basically the same as installing springs on the front with the only difference being you need to swap the spring seat over to the new Bilstein strut, and it comes with an adapter harness to plug the factory system into the new strut. Fitment was excellent, and the only thing I had to do was pry open the strut mount that ties into the lower control arm a bit with a pry bar due to the tight fit with the bilstein yellow powder coat, but after that, it slid right in for a nice tight fit. Zero issues whatsoever, and if youre like me and dont want to go buy a set of box end wrenches for a single use, the new Bilsten strut has a non removable harness coming out of the end, which fit perfectly into a 7/8 O2 sensor socket I had so I can use an impact. Warning to all of course, if you dont know how to properly use pneumatic tools, or dont realize you dont have to use maximum torque to install every bolt and nut, go buy box end wrenches and do it the way the instructions said. Ive done 300+ sets of springs in my life on various makes of vehicles, I use air tools, I won't ever change.
Rears were quite a bit easier than I thought they were, but I cheated and didn't remove anything other than the aero shield on the lower control arm and disassembled the strut in the car. I zipped off the lower shock bolt, then removed the two upper bolts holding the top mount in, then carefully lowered it so I could snake the harness out and unplug it. There is plenty of slack, so if you drop it, it's not likely to cause any issues or break anything. Instead of removing components to take the shock out, I just used two open ended wrenches and removed the bolt off the top of the shock, then the mount comes right off, and the shock comes out the bottom without any hassle (needs to be about a foot off the ground for clearance, but shouldn't be an issue for any common floor jack and jack stand). I lied a little, there is a small hassle. While you can just cut the stock harness and snake the bolt over it, I chose to grab a paper clip and properly remove the pins from the harness, that way in case I (or anyone else) ever needed the strut, its still usable without repairing wires. The new one goes in the same way through the bottom, snake the harness through the dust boot and shock top mount, then install the washer and nut for the bilstein. The new shocks come with new harness plug ends and boots, so now you can install them, it doesnt matter which wires go where as the system is just completing a circuit and controlling voltage (zero instructions for reference were included) and plug it all in, then reinstall the opposite way.
Ride quality
In comfort mode, it's noticeably more... comfortable! Quiet, softer dampening, zero noise whatsoever, and that is on the terrible Tulsa, OK roads (these really are the worst roads ive ever seen next to New York City, and even then, its debatable). I didn't do a huge drive because im a bit sick (needed to get these done, sacrifices were made!), but enough to notice a more enjoyable difference.
In Dynamic, I was even more impressed! Side to side handling feels about the same, however the dampening over bumps is FAR superior to the factory stuff. No more loud jolts over small potholes or uneven surfaces, but I dont feel like it sacrificed any handling ability. Full disclosure, I dont ever intend to autocross, road race, or do anything except drag race with the car, but I have been racing for over 25 years, and do enjoy the feedback of a quality suspension, so the upgrades were definitely noticeable. I will report back as I have more time to play with them.
Appearance
I wasn't expecting any change since the ride height is achieved with springs, however the car does seem to sit a little lower, even though the ride is significantly better... Could just be me, but I will go take some photos later and see if it actually looks different.
Overall
I am very satisfied with the purchase, but I wouldn't say it's something you should go out and buy tomorrow if your factory suspension is fine. While it does ride much better to me, my primary concern with the car is comfort and quiet ride, where as many on here could easily daily drive their car with no exhaust, solid motor mounts, and zero suspension travel, and be perfectly content, so your experience may vary. The Bilstein combo saved me replacing all my factory stuff for around $4,000 since it had just under 70K miles on it and one was leaking, but if I didn't need to replace the single strut, I likely wouldn't have done so. If you do have the active electronic dampers, and need or want an upgrade, I wouldn't hesitate to do these over coil overs, but the ride height is perfect to me, and I really like the ability to change the ride quality.
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Originally Posted by angrycatmeow
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