[InfantryDawg87]

I previously posted about my leaking FRPP Dynamic Suspension strut. I am not happy with the progressive FRPP "P" springs that came on the car or the uncomfortable dampers that aren't leaking.

Based on my contentedness with the ride height and extensive research, I've decided to switch to linear Steeda Sport springs. I don't want any lower in the front.

I'm sticking with lowered for appearance, not performance. I want to make it as comfortable as possible at the ride height. My car is a daily driver. It won't see a track or strip.

Despite researching, a lot of dampers are no longer made (Tokico) or have jumped significantly in price (Koni Sports). I'd like to keep around the $500 range for the dampers themselves. Koni Str.t have too many mixed reviews about quality control in recent years. In about the last 6 months Koni Sports went from $700 to $900.

Does anybody have experience with Steeda Pro-Action or Strange 10-way single adjustables? There aren't many reviews about either. I'm leaning heavily towards one of those. I will consider other recommendations within my price parameters.

 

[Hazey]

The Strange adjustables are designed for drag duty. I've never ridden in an S197 equipped with them but based on one ride in a drag-shock equipped Fox, I wouldn't want to use them on a street car. I read somewhere that the Steedas are rebranded STR-Ts. I haven't dug into it further to confirm but I wouldn't be surprised at all if that's the case.
I have Steeda Sports and Bilsteins on my '05 and love it. I know a set of Bilsteins is well over your budget but buy once, cry once and all that.

 

[InfantryDawg87]

The Strange adjustables are designed for drag duty. I've never ridden in an S197 equipped with them but based on one ride in a drag-shock equipped Fox, I wouldn't want to use them on a street car. I read somewhere that the Steedas are rebranded STR-Ts. I haven't dug into it further to confirm but I wouldn't be surprised at all if that's the case.
I have Steeda Sports and Bilsteins on my '05 and love it. I know a set of Bilsteins is well over your budget but buy once, cry once and all that.

I know the whole buy once, cry once saying. My question would be, is the lifespan worth almost double the money? Also, there are many different Bilstein versions. Which do you have?

From what I had read, the newer Strange setup, while great for drag, are more streetable than the Fox versions. There are just very limited reviews on them.

 

[JBert]

I am surprised that the springs cost that much these days! I don't remember them being anywhere near that much when I bought them about 8 years ago. I guess I should not be surprised with the crazy inflation these days (truncated rant to avoid political topics).

Bilsteins are the only others I would suggest, but like has already been discussed, they are over budget.

Another thought would be to follow your local Craig's List, the "for sale" sections in these forums, and E-Bay to see if anything comes up. I actually lucked out a while back and got my Steeda Sports and Steeda HD Strut Mounts used a while back, for about 2/3 of the new price. They don't come up every day, but it you can be patient, it can happen.

 

[InfantryDawg87]

I am surprised that the springs cost that much these days! I don't remember them being anywhere near that much when I bought them about 8 years ago. I guess I should not be surprised with the crazy inflation these days (truncated rant to avoid political topics).

Bilsteins are the only others I would suggest, but like has already been discussed, they are over budget.

Another thought would be to follow your local Craig's List, the "for sale" sections in these forums, and E-Bay to see if anything comes up. I actually lucked out a while back and got my Steeda Sports and Steeda HD Strut Mounts used a while back, for about 2/3 of the new price. They don't come up every day, but it you can be patient, it can happen.

Thanks! I've been watching Facebook marketplace. Everything has gone up significantly in just the last 6 months. I'm hoping to catch a sale one of these days. Steeda had one but it wasn't significant.

Which Bilsteins? LMR sells the B6 series, but according to the Bilstein site, the B8 and up are the ones designed for lowered cars.

 

[JBert]

I got mine from Vorschlag Racing, and they say they are "shorter" for lowered cars, but there seems to be some controversy as to whether that is real or not. Paperwork does not say which ones they are. I think I took pictures of the part numbers, but don't have access to the photos right now. I want to say they are B6 but not sure.

 

[Hazey]

I know the whole buy once, cry once saying. My question would be, is the lifespan worth almost double the money? Also, there are many different Bilstein versions. Which do you have?

From what I had read, the newer Strange setup, while great for drag, are more streetable than the Fox versions. There are just very limited reviews on them.

I have the standard B6 dampers. I've used them on multiple vehicles and always liked them. The S197 Bilsteins are especially expensive for some reason (double what the set for my Grand Cherokee cost) but I'm still glad I got them.

 

[Forddenial]

I've been running the koni str.t's on OEM springs for a few months now and i personally like them. The ride in my car IS a little stiff for some people but i also have the steeda X brace and bmr strut tower brace, so..... yeah its a bit stiff.

That being said, the koni's, imo, are a great compromise between sport and comfort. Tighter in the corners with reduced body roll but still a little forgiving on a crappy road, but you will know you're on a crappy road. The car is glued to the road but i can still drive to downtown chicago and not feel like i'm driving on a washboard. Not quite a lincoln continental ride but definitely not a model T ride.
I also do alot of diagnosing by how my car "feels" as i drive and i have noticed she "talks" more (i know that sounds weird, but i know some of ya'll know exactly what i'm talking about) with the str.t's, moreso than the eibach sports i ran on my old e36 bmw.
I hope this helped

 

[InfantryDawg87]

I've been running the koni str.t's on OEM springs for a few months now and i personally like them. The ride in my car IS a little stiff for some people but i also have the steeda X brace and bmr strut tower brace, so..... yeah its a bit stiff.

That being said, the koni's, imo, are a great compromise between sport and comfort. Tighter in the corners with reduced body roll but still a little forgiving on a crappy road, but you will know you're on a crappy road. The car is glued to the road but i can still drive to downtown chicago and not feel like i'm driving on a washboard. Not quite a lincoln continental ride but definitely not a model T ride.
I also do alot of diagnosing by how my car "feels" as i drive and i have noticed she "talks" more (i know that sounds weird, but i know some of ya'll know exactly what i'm talking about) with the str.t's, moreso than the eibach sports i ran on my old e36 bmw.
I hope this helped

The hard part is comparing Koni Str.t dampers on stock springs vs stiffer lowering springs. Apples to oranges As was mentioned above, the general consensus is that Koni makes Steeda's dampers just valved to Steeda specs. That should mean equal quality. The warranties are the same. Koni has gone up slightly so prices are near equal. Steeda has the advantage to me for 2 reasons. 1. They're valved specifically to their springs. 2. They're not bright orange. I hate orange.

I understand about the car talking to you. That's the best way to know when there's a problem.

The roads I drive to work are some of the worst in my area and among the worst I've ever driven.