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performance shocks and struts...


recklessOP

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i've been looking into to reworking the suspension on my mustang lately, and today i was digging around looking at shocks and springs, when i came across something interesting...

 

found a web site online, that sells OEM parts for fords. i was digging through the mustang sections, checking prices on a new front bumper cover ( :mad: ) when i ran across another page. seems they had a parts list of some of the different parts used on the 2003 cobra and mach 1. anyways, i knew the new cobras come standard with bilstein struts and shocks, so i decided to take a closer look.

 

they have a small package deal, which includes a pair of 03 cobra front struts and a pair of bullitt or mach 1 tokico rear shocks, for 190 bucks. they sell the struts individually, coupe or convertible spec, for 65 dollars. i was looking at aftermarket bilsteins for my car online, and front struts are like 200 dollars each.

 

here's the question. since these are stockpiled OEM replacement parts, they're nice and cheap, exactly what i'm looking for. would cobra struts be a nice performance upgrade for my car's suspension? i realize they have ford specified valving, but are these basically the same bilstein design struts they sell in bilstein boxes online for 200 bucks? how much to revalve them to the exact specs i need? right now, i'm going for maximum bang for the buck, and i would think these units would complement a pair of stiffer lowering springs quite nicely. i'm counting on some open track events and autocrossing next year, but the car has to be daily driveable...

 

any thoughts? they also have bullitt and mach 1 spec tokico struts, as well as rear shocks. too bad cobra bilstein shocks won't fit my rear suspension. think these might be the way to go, or should i keep my eyes set on aftermarket pieces? right now i'm looking for good performance and value, not all out performance.

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I'm running Koni's front and rear. The fronts were about $180 a piece and the rears were about $108 each. Expensive, but god what a improvement they made.

 

The nice thing with Koni and Bilstien is that if you want to retune them, you can have them revalved to change there performance. There is a place in Hilliard that rebuilds and revalves Konis.

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here's the thing though. i am not looking at aftermarket bilsteins. i was looking at OEM replacement struts for a 2003 cobra, which bilstein manufactures. a pair of these for my car would cost 130 dollars for the front struts. aftermarket bilsteins usually run about 400 dollars for the front struts.

 

my main question is, would it be a smart idea to go ahead and use 2003 cobra front struts, valved the way i want them, or save up more money and buy aftermarket struts... i realize they're ford spec parts, but they are manufactured by bilstein, and i would assume they are the same design with ford specified valving. am i crazy?

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here's a pic of them off the web site...

http://www.fordpartsnetwork.com/dsc_466.jpg

 

as far as them being the same part, that's what i was thinking. hell, they're even labeled as bilsteins too...

 

and the price, FOR A PAIR, $130 OEM vs. $400 aftermarket... :eek::D

 

anyone know a place around here where i can get them revalved?

 

[ 12 December 2002, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: recklessOP ]

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here's the web site for anyone that's curious...

 

http://www.fordpartsnetwork.com/03Cobra.htm

 

i'm going to call my local ford parts department tomorrow and see what they usually cost over the counter...

 

as far as the prices on that page, they don't suprise me that much. for a 2003 cobra spec T56 6 speed, they want 4000 dollars... :rolleyes:

 

some of the prices are good, some aren't...

 

[ 12 December 2002, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: recklessOP ]

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