Koni or BILSTEIN SHOCK ABSORBER?

[Maaij]

Hi

I have to order new shock absorber for my 05 MINI Cooper.

I can choose between 2 brands:

- Koni
- Bilstein

This new shock absorber will replace the stock shock absorber with Eibach lowering springs.

Which one is the best? The price is the same

[Berthil]

I have read several German tuners use Bilstein for their shock absorbers, like AC Schnitzer, Alpina and Hartge. But I have no personal experience with them. I will be lowering too with Eibach, so I'm interested in experiences of others as well

[pocketrocketowner]

I believe the Bilsteins will not be adjustable while the Konis are. Thus I would opt for the Konis as you do not have to compromise if you are doing say track days and going to the supermarket with your wife.
Adjusting the rear Konis is a right pain in the oss......the fronts are VERY easy.

[JohnDonahue]

On my BMW I have had Koni's and Bilsteins. I found the Koni's to give a harder ride and I liked that more than the Bilstein. But the Bilstein makes a "sport" shock that may be as stiff as the Koni. If your looking for tight performance I suggest the Koni. The car will lean very little. But the Bilsteins were excellent too only a smoother ride.

[JohnDonahue]

I have had both Koni's and Bilsteins. I found the Koni to be a lot tigher ride. The Bilsteins were still excellent and gave a smoother ride. On my last car I put Koni's on back and Bilsteins on front because the Bilsteins seemed to absorb the shock better. Both shocks are a world ahead of KYBs or most other American shocks and definely the investment will show the difference in handling and hugging the road, yet giving an excellent ride as well.