I have a 2016 F Type Base Manual, with standard shocks. Looking for replacements, I see the that bilstein has and OE Replacement and then there is a KW V3 Coilover replacement kit. Does anyone have any experience with either of these replacements? Strictly road use no tracks where i live. How does the Bilstein or stock shock compare to the Dynamic Adjustable shocks.

 

I believe the oe shocks are made by bilstein, you shouldn’t have any regret going with them, it’s a well established large company supplying both oe and aftermarket.

i will soon have the bilsteins installed for the rear, they are the active ones and tirerack is quoting “about 10% firmer than stock”.

Though my impression probably won’t be too useful for you since i also have h&r lowering springs installed, and that’s if i even perceive any difference in the first place!

 

Bilsteins are rebuildable, contact them about that. Looking at a lot less; unless you cannot put the car on stands for a couple months; then buy new and get your old ones rebuilt. Plus, rebuilding they can make minor changes to enhance ride or cornering, etc...

 

Bilstein fitted in the rear, as expected i don’t feel the difference compared to stock, feels exactly the same as stock.

If you are looking for a street upgrade, i don’t think you can go wrong with the main stream offerings, vap, eibach and h&r all have positive reviews as far as i have seen here, all of which will play well with bilstein shocks.

on the higher end you have kw HAS and kw v3, not a lot of people running those, especially the v3, but i don’t think you will be disappointed being kw products.

 

The stock units are Bilstein, so I would expect no difference replacing them with Bilstein. The dynamic ones are also Bilstein but I don't know that they could be substituted. Without the wiring, sensors, and electronics they would only have one setting. I think that'd be the firmer setting but am not certain. I also don't know how adaptive the adaptive suspension is either. If it is continuously adjusting the damping based on suspension movement it might end up working poorly.

To the OP, are yours worn, or are you just looking for something different?

 

It defaults to soft with probes unplugged/malfunctioning, rides like a pogo stick with h&r springs!

Base to adaptive is not easy nor cost effective, might as well go for custom spring and valving at that point.

 

Here’s info on how adaptive damping works.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/05kci965sf...mping.pdf?dl=0

 

Thanks. I put that in my local archive, only to find it was already there :/ My memory is not what it once was.

 

I'm assuming this is your own empirical finding, but seems at odds with the documentation provided below. I'm trying to get this clear in my own mind.

"When de-energized, the bypass is closed and all the oil flows through the main (firm) piston."

What unplugged/malfunctioning probes are you referring to? The ride height sensors and/or accelerometers? It might be different with the shock itself unplugged, as it would be if one were to install adaptive shocks on a base model.

 

Yes your assumption is correct, it’s my personal finding after a tech broke the pin on one of the rear shocks, hence No dynamic mode available, i drove 2 weeks this way and the ride was unmistakably bouncing up and down excessively(due to the h&r springs).

The situation was immediately rectified once the replacement bilstein shocks were fitted and the adaptive suspension plugs(i called them probe in the last post &#128514 plugged in. And driving in normal mode produces the same bouncy ride i had to suffer for 2 weeks.


BUT, i do vaguely recall it does default to firm mode in case of malfunction, from experience of my previous f type r, i might have even commented that in one of the posts here.


It’s weird, might have something to do with the mode you were in before it malfunctioned or unplugged?

Or different from car to car? Unlikely but i found quite a few difference of this f type r from my previous one of the same year…for one,
the current ride has no gps box under the screen, while the previous one did.