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Suspension recommendation

12K views 95 replies 16 participants last post by  jomor 
#1 ·
OK, the big moment has come :D

I m going for a new suspension for my bella. I just had the steering rack replaced on warranty and the front noise is gone :cool: Now the rear noise is from the shocks and its getting worse day by day, so i was thinking to fit a set of H&R springs ( as they are softer (!!) than the stock ones at the first mm of compression ) and i need to find a set of shocks that will be a soft match for them.

Until now i only tested a 147 with HR+stock shocks ( quite comfort combo, but gives a slight body roll on some occasions, and they stock shocks dont last long). I also tested a 147 with HR springs and Bilstein B8 (yellow sprint) shocks. Great performance, I cant say it was harsh, but i cant say it was comfort either.

I would like a shock that will be between these two, a bit softer than the B8.

I was thinking about the red Konis but everybody says that they they need re-adjustment every once in a while and they have reliability problems lately as all Konis have.

B8 seems the only solution until now, any ideas ?
 
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#77 ·
Lukas said:
Hmm...ok, as the author of a highly off-topic answer I promise I'm gonna shut up.
i didnt mean it that way, and thanks for the light wheels comments btw, I just didnt want it to get carried away in a long conversation about tyres and alloys, it would be more useful to stick on shocks and springs since thats usually the first move most people do (and what i m about to change the next days) and it would be heplful to see eveybodys (and your) point of view about it. :)
 
#78 ·
jomor said:
i didnt mean it that way, and thanks for the light wheels comments btw, I just didnt want it to get carried away in a long conversation about tyres and alloys, it would be more useful to stick on shocks and springs since thats usually the first move most people do (and what i m about to change the next days) and it would be heplful to see eveybodys (and your) point of view about it. :)
I think you will not get much more info about different setups here. You have allready driven B8 + HR, you have had B4 + HR, now you have to find someone with Koni + HR and have a test drive. You will see what combination is the best for you (B4 probably not :) ) Dont forget to post some comments on the ride, when you change your shocks. All best!
 
#79 ·
My final piece of Advice on this topic.

Forget all these stupid shock/spring combinations that are going on the cheap. :rolleyes:

Save up a few extra euros over the next few weeks and go and buy a set of Stainless Steel KW Variant 2s for the 147.End of all suspension/handling and rusting problems too :lol: .Height and dampening adjustable too.Simple as that.
 
#80 ·
Alfadublin said:
Forget all these stupid shock/spring combinations that are going on the cheap. :rolleyes:

Save up a few extra euros over the next few weeks and go and buy a set of Stainless Steel KW Variant 2s for the 147.End of all suspension/handling and rusting problems too :lol: .Height and dampening adjustable too.Simple as that.
You're right ! There is nothing better, it's a complete solution, but speaking about damping adjustment I think it's variant 3 not 2? Variant 2 has height adjustment only. Am I right?
 
#81 ·
Lukas said:
You're right ! There is nothing better, it's a complete solution, but speaking about damping adjustment I think it's variant 3 not 2? Variant 2 has height adjustment only. Am I right?

Nope you are wrong. :(

I have Variant 3s on my 147,these are height,damping,bump rebound adjustable-(multi adjustable settings for fast road and slow road useage)

Variant 2s are height,damping adjustable-(3 settings,soft,medium,hard)
Variant 1s are only height adjustable.
 
#82 ·
Oh yez, I see. I tought that only v3 has adjustment. So, shocks from variant 2 are sth similar to Yellow Koni Sport I got? Anyway I try ;) to save money for v3 which seems to be a perfect solution for very bumpy roads as well as for track days. Adjustment is like in a true sport car! Details: http://www.kw-gmbh.de/en/30_Products/20_KW_Coilovers/30_Variant_3/index.php

Is the "gas box" really out of the shock in your car?
 
#85 ·
jomor said:
Well, here they are. Bilsteins B8 (yellow sprint). I ll fit them one of the next days and let you know how they feel. Dont the front ones look tiny compared to the (very expensive) rear ones?
I have seen them separately, but never both at once. Huge difference (both size and price)

Looking forward to your comments on the ride.
 
#86 ·
The shocks were fitted yesterday afternoon, the first impressions are positive as expected. At very low speeds (second gear, low revs) it seems stiffer than before (with the B4s), on some occasions that i had to use the first gear (speed bumps combined with potholes :mad: - long live the greek roads :D ) it seems to follow every anomaly of the road, but as the speed increases it gets smoother and smoother. Comfort at low speeds is gone in other words but not completely. Its not annoying and the suspension does work up and down, and the most important ( to me) it doesnt pass any knocks inside the cabin. It copes with potholes well and feels solid. When passing speed bumps with first gear, the rear seems slightly stiffer than the front, but this could be just my idea. Generaly the dumping force is quite satisfying and sporty, the car does just one oscillation at road anomalies and never a second one (i hope you understand my english :D ) but you can feel that the supension worked up and down (its not too hard). The comfort as i said is gone, but not compeltely, it does exist in a degree, especially when there are more than two passengers in the car and when the speed is not too low. I had experience of other cars with quite stiffer setups where I had to keep my teeth tight not to loose my fillings, if you get my point. Thats not the case here. But comfort is very subjective issue so dont count just on my words if any of you is considering the HR+B8s. To me its a bit softer and progressive than any other lowering sping - performance shocks combination i ve experienced, except of course the H&R + stock shocks which is quite more comfy. But it feels quite stiff at first to someone used to a stock suspension, a friend of mine who owns an Astra found it "hard". Its a lowered setup afterall. On the other hand, my other friend who owns a 147 Ti with HR+stock shocks, loved it!! "Now it works perfect" he said (meaning that there is no bodyroll finally - as i understood). From a performance point of view, it seems promising, but I can't say if its better or worse than the koni, since i have no experience of the last one. I didnt have the chance to test it at very high speeds (for example 180km/h), i just took some corners with 130Km/h and it felt stable, stuck in the line (i was feeling insecure taking those corners with the old socks at this speed). I only have them for half a day though, so these are just first impressions.
 
#87 ·
Why the heck haven't they painted the dumpers in black? :confused: Why yellow? :eek: Aaarrrgggg.... :rolleyes:
 
#89 ·
Thank you Lord! :lol: :D
 
#90 ·
This might seem odd, but thats how i felt it: tonight i drove in a road i used to drive very often. When i passed through some specific points
where the road is uneven, i felt that somebody had fixed the road! I don't know, the fact that the bodyroll has gone away completely makes it feel more ..comfort? I m not sure how to describe it exactly.. I m very pleased until now. Seems like they worthed the money (i should have listened to the mechanic who insisted on the B8s at first place, it would have saved me the 300+ euros of the B4s and all the fuss)..
 
#91 ·
jomor said:
I had experience of other cars with quite stiffer setups where I had to keep my teeth tight not to loose my fillings, if you get my point.
Yanni my man now that the suspension passed the "rotten teeth test" it's time you performed the "vertical vibration absorption at standstill" test ;)


jomor said:
But it feels quite stiff at first to someone used to a stock suspension, a friend of mine who owns an Astra found it "hard". Its a lowered setup afterall. On the other hand, my other friend who owns a 147 Ti with HR+stock shocks, loved it!!
:tut: Astra? You should pick your friends more carefully Yanni! Stick with Philippa :D
 
#93 ·
Hey Jomor

Thanks for keeping us up to date with your suspension saga :) , thanks to your findings I have decided to go for H&R's instead of Eibachs on my 147, and once my current shocks have worn, I will replace them with Bilstein B8's.

Just a pitty that you had to pay twice for shocks, but if you had bought the B8's in the first place, you would have probably always wondered what the B4's would have been like, so on the bright side, at least you answered your question ;) .

Just wanted to ask you, are your H&R's the 35mm drop?
 
#94 ·
Jomor nice learning from you what you've decided to put next in your bella and waiting for your further impressions with your new set-up.

However, does your friend with the Konis start to play from the first kms with the stiffer setting of konis? When you install konis the first words your technician says you is not to stiffen them clockwise before they've done around 5,000kms or more on the softest set up as they came from factory..

Furthermore, don't forget that Konis are approved for usage as well as with OEM springs therefore does the extra difference in lowering 0.5mm (eibach's 3mm vs H&R's 3.5mm) affect the functioning of konis with H&R springs?

I had koni-eibachs for more than 18,000kms and suspension works perfectly without any strange noise inside the cabin, even when keeping the right lane from faluro to flufada on paraliaki and throw the car into unexpected road holes (freatia) with 60 or 160 kms! As you said increasing speed with these set ups suspension's comfort increases exponentialy!

However, at the beggining I was afraid with the idea of lowering the car but when I putted the springs, together with the konis offcourse, the handling was superb without any significant sacrifice in comfort especially on slow speeds. Ok, its stiffer but this is rational since I lowered it. On the back shocks Koni has manufactured at least the right Mcpherson shocks which need no further modification to fit them, just like bilsteins!
Anyway, after 15,000kms I turned front konis only half-turn stiffer (more it was to much for our roads) and the car felt less bouncy without reading any road anomalies and nothing to bother you while cornering with more more kms than before!! Maybe alignment plays an interesting rolle as well here together with the whole set up.. The car requires less effort now from you in a corner on any type of road quality and suspension works even better on extreme cases. I don't know about the chassis stifness but up to now there was nothing to notice.

Ending, Konis yes need adjustments since you have your personal style of driving but at least you can do it, you have a range to play. If you think that they've worned after plenty of kms you can just stiff them and gain their initial characteristics and if you reach the point the bolt does not turn anymore clockwise you can fix them and replace anything from inside at half the price of purchasing them. If you are more demanding you can make a special order with custom settings and bigger pistons straight from Koni.

Up to now I am very satisfied and wish you the same with your new set up!
 
#95 ·
Thanks for your impressions Jomor. Seems you are quite happy with your new setup. When my OEM shocks are enough worn to replace, I will probably go for B8s too. :) I am just not sure about the low-speed stifness. Looks like city driving will be pain in the a... and country roads great fun. Well, everything is a compromise.
 
#96 ·
Chris, as I said, i have no personal experience from the Konis, so i cant say which is better. Perhaps we should meet and compare one day.
Besides my opinion is based on a few days of testing while yours is for 15000kms so its much more reliable.
I was about to go for the Konis too, but most professionals and non-professionals sugested the B8 while they kept
warning me about the Koni's hardness. Not just on Alfas but on every other car. Perhaps most of them dont know how to adjust them properly
(you cant trust anyone but yourself nowdayz :D ). The only good opinions i v heard about konis where here and on the greek alfa romeo forum but
then again "good" or "bad" is a very subjective matter, what i may find good, you may find it awful and vise versa, so we all should be kind of cautious before making decisions that cost a lot of money. Basicly the fact that i had pesonal experience from the B8s while not from the Konis, made me choose the Bilsteins.

I also am a bit upset, since i might encouraged someone to buy the B4s when posting my first positive impressions after fitting them, while they proved quite insufficient for the circumstances after some months.
So I d like to make this clear, DON'T just rely on my opinion on the B8s, its just one owners opinion (while the konis are appreciated by many alfa owners) and I only have them for a few days.

@Brad: My HRs are the 3.5cm, product code is: 29360-1, my car is a 147 petrol 1.6lt 120bhp
 
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