Question about new shocks/struts and body roll

[golfdave]

I think that's what it's called. It's where it connects closest to the wheels.

nope that's the drop link which connects the arb to the lower wishbone...…& it looks ok in the pictures...from what I can see...

 

[Desslok]

Are the shock and strut bolts tight? Seems a silly question, but once had my truck bouncing all over the place because the install tech never tightened the nuts on the struts.

 

[Hammersticks]

That's just how B8s are in my experience. They aren't as sporty as a Koni yellow

This. The B8’s are very forgiving for a “sport” damper. I have had vastly different experiences with them vs Koni on the same springs. Definitely get an upgraded RSB, and go from there. I wouldn’t bother with end links unless they are broken.

For sways, I'd recommend the H&R 24 RSB / H&R 26 FSB combo unless you want something aggressive like the 26 RSB. I figured H&R knew what they were doing when they put the 24/26 combo together though. I run the front at full soft, so maybe you could go 26/26 and increase the front stiffness, but I have no desire to change what I have. If you're at all considering a FSB I'd go SOLID vs. tubular/hollow. Last thing you want is a broken bar, especially in front.

 

[uberdot]

Are the shock and strut bolts tight? Seems a silly question, but once had my truck bouncing all over the place because the install tech never tightened the nuts on the struts.

They seemed tight on inspection, but I suppose I could try a torque wrench on the top nut while I'm regapping plugs today.

 

[uberdot]

Is it inadvisable to run koni rears and B8s up front? FCP Euro would probably let me swap em out.

 

[GFGTI]

Aw man i just pulled the trigger on a set of B8's to pair with my H&R Sports. I believe I want that "on rails" feeling more.

Did I make the wrong decision or are the B8's suitable? I think the lowering springs + B8s will be a huge improvement over stock.

 

[flipflp]

Aw man i just pulled the trigger on a set of B8's to pair with my H&R Sports. I believe I want that "on rails" feeling more.

Did I make the wrong decision or are the B8's suitable? I think the lowering springs + B8s will be a huge improvement over stock.

See what it would take to swap to Koni Yellows instead. B8s aren't bad shocks, but they are what they are out of the box. With Konis you can at least tweak them to your liking, and they will be firmer even at the lowest setting.

 

[uberdot]

Aw man i just pulled the trigger on a set of B8's to pair with my H&R Sports. I believe I want that "on rails" feeling more.

Did I make the wrong decision or are the B8's suitable? I think the lowering springs + B8s will be a huge improvement over stock.

It's an improvement over stock for sure. The car definitely feels more planted and responsive but the lateral roll does feel more prevalent; especially with a passenger. Seems like B8s were designed for cars with upgraded RSBs.

 

[JD-1]

I have a APR rear sway bar with bilstein b8s, and vwr springs. I don't think I have more lateral body roll. My girlfriend sat in the car driving with me and mentioned she felt like the car was more composed then it previously was.

 

[uberdot]

Sway bar must be the ticket then.

 

[KevinC]

Aw man i just pulled the trigger on a set of B8's to pair with my H&R Sports. I believe I want that "on rails" feeling more.

Did I make the wrong decision or are the B8's suitable? I think the lowering springs + B8s will be a huge improvement over stock.

Solid choice. B8's are made for use with lowering springs, and H&R Sports should be an ideal pairing.

Back to the OP - what springs are you running? Did you pair B8's with the stock springs? If so, that's an absolute mismatch. The correct Bilstein damper to pair with stock springs would have been the B6 or B4.

 

[flipflp]

Solid choice. B8's are made for use with lowering springs, and H&R Sports should be an ideal pairing.

Back to the OP - what springs are you running? Did you pair B8's with the stock springs? If so, that's an absolute mismatch. The correct Bilstein damper to pair with stock springs would have been the B6 or B4.

OP is running H&R Sports as well.

Just as a note, the only reason the B8s are recommended for lowering springs over the B6s is that they have shortened shock bodies. That keeps shock travel as normal as possible with a lowered ride height. A B6 is the same shock internally but with the same shock length as the factory shocks, at least for our cars.

 

[uberdot]

Back to the OP - what springs are you running? Did you pair B8's with the stock springs? If so, that's an absolute mismatch. The correct Bilstein damper to pair with stock springs would have been the B6 or B4.

B8s w/ Sports. Even crawled under to double check the PNs to make sure (again) — at least under the rear. The front is now a bit higher than with the stocks, but the stock mounts and shocks were totally blown. Brick roads + Sports + stock springs didn’t do me any favors lol.

 

[Tooly]

I've had B8's with Eibach linear European springs (essentially the Bilstein B12 kit) for about 8 months now and I've been very happy with the combo. I'm still running the stock rear sway and wouldn't say there was an increase in body roll over stock. Car feels more planted through corners and of course a little stiffer than stock. I went the Bilstein route over Koni since I knew I'd never bother adjusting them and the the fact you needed to remove the rear shock to change the the damping.

 

[Hammersticks]

It's not like the B8's are bad. The ride quality is better than Koni...they just don't offer flexibility. They make stiffer springs ride nicely though in my experience.

Anyway, uberdot, get an RSB and go from there. Definitely don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, and appreciate the relative smoothness the B8's bring to marginal roads.