328 Shocks: Bilsteins (UK) same as Konis (US)?

David512 · May 12, 2004

Without or without springs and other attachments, are the Bilsteins available in the U.K. interchangeable with the U.S. setup, which uses Konis? I have been discussing with Mark and Stuart at Ferrari U.K., but there is some residual uncertainty about whether they are interchangeable.

David

Ferrari_tech · May 13, 2004

David512 said:

Without or without springs and other attachments, are the Bilsteins available in the U.K. interchangeable with the U.S. setup, which uses Konis? I have been discussing with Mark and Stuart at Ferrari U.K., but there is some residual uncertainty about whether they are interchangeable.

David
Click to expand...

They are not interchangeable, basically Konis were fitted to pre-ABS cars up to chassis number 76625, and from chassis number 76626 Bilsteins were fitted. Springs, mountings, suspension arms, hubs, discs, wheels and so on were all changed to accomodate the ABS system.

MW

enjoythemusic · May 13, 2004

David,

While i did not use Blis on the recent suspension upgrade, what you'll find is that the more normal size springs need more clearance in the front R/L upper A arms. You'll need to cut out a small notch to allow for clearance as the arm "swings" during driving movement. The real advantage here is that once you do this, you can choose a vast amount of springs and spring rates. Good info can be found at http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/256120/199158.html . Hope this helps. Personally, i am VERY glad i did this as the stock suspension is good, but compromised and dated as compared to more modern widely available solutions.

David512 · May 13, 2004

Ferrari_uk_tech said:

They are not interchangeable, basically Konis were fitted to pre-ABS cars up to chassis number 76625, and from chassis number 76626 Bilsteins were fitted. Springs, mountings, suspension arms, hubs, discs, wheels and so on were all changed to accomodate the ABS system.

MW
Click to expand...

I have heard that the before and after 76625 shocks are incompatible because of the attchment fixtures, but I had not heard about a demarcation based on manufacturer. My car is 81xxx, a late model ABS-equipped car, and the existing shocks are definitely Konis! Is this an American phenomenon? I am still wondering if the late model Konis and Bilsteins themselves are interchangeable.

Thanks for your input.

David512 · May 13, 2004

enjoythemusic said:

David,

While i did not use Blis on the recent suspension upgrade, what you'll find is that the more normal size springs need more clearance in the front R/L upper A arms. You'll need to cut out a small notch to allow for clearance as the arm "swings" during driving movement. The real advantage here is that once you do this, you can choose a vast amount of springs and spring rates. Good info can be found at http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/256120/199158.html . Hope this helps. Personally, i am VERY glad i did this as the stock suspension is good, but compromised and dated as compared to more modern widely available solutions.
Click to expand...

Since I am at work, I did not read every detail of the entire thread that you reference--lots of details there. For now, I am curious about what suspenion you chose, what model (308 or 328?), and how did you know to cut out the notch? I'll read that whole thread tonight.

David

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