ALFAGTV6.COM

[lucass81]

I want to use Koni sport shocks and springs for my GTV6. It is an European 84 model. Do I need any accesories to install them or they just bolt on as the original? Should I modifie any other part of the suspencion to use this setup? I want a street car with improved handling and high speed stability, not a race car.

[MD]

Go Bilsteins in stead . Both will bolt up without any problems. Bilsteins a bit "choppy" at low speed but great once you drop the hammer.

[SimonB]

I've got yellow konis on my car with standard springs and it made a huge difference to standard. I can't compare to bilsteins but I have been very happy with them. My suspension is otherwise standard. It made the low speed ride a bit choppier, something my then pregnant wife didn't appreciate, but made the high speed stability way better.

[fedezyl]

I've got the koni shocks and bought 27mm torsion bars and rear springs to go with on my Giulie, i'm pretty happy with the way it handles, I need to buy anti roll bars though as I still have the standard ones, i'm no expert, but the diference on the track is very noticeable and the car has a slight tendency to understeer but i'm guessing that with better alignement it could get better....

[MD]

fedezyl

Lucass said he doesn't want a race car spec..

[fedezyl]

Neither did I, I find my current setup acceptable for street use, yes, it doesn't ride like a Merc, but I didn't intended so when I bought the torsion bars and springs, and our streets are equal or worse than the ones in Buenos Aires.
I find the compromise between the harsher ride and the upgrade in handling to be acceptable, now if you want a GT style ride, I might go with the bilstein option, I just like the flatter turn in now.

[MD]

...but the diference on the track is very noticeable

I was just going by this which started to confuse the issue for me..no big deal.

[fedezyl]

hmm...now that you bring it up and I read it over....it definetely is confusing...hehe sorry.

In any case Lucas, if I had the coice between Koni's and Bilstein, wich I didn't have at the time I bought mine, i'd go for the Bilstein's instead.
The ride in my car is great, but i've been reading around, and people who have tried both, and much more knowledgable than me regarding suspension, have recomended the Bilsteins.

[lucass81]

Thanks all of you,
I think that I wil try first using Bistein shocks and springs without changing anything else.
I entered Bilstein´s website and found shocks for our cars but not springs. Are they selling springs for GTV6? or their shocks go with std GTV6 springs?

[Greg Gordon]

Hi Lucas,

The Bilstein's will work with standard springs and torsion bars. Bilstein does not make or sell spring or torsion bars for our cars, you have to get those from another source like Performatek.

I have all of my thoughts on suspension stuff here: http://www.hiperformancestore.com/Performance.htm . Check it out, you may find it helpful.

Greg Gordon

[kevin]

Greg, you mentioned in one of your stages that the watts linkage bushes wear pretty fast. Whats your time or track time indication.How long do you think polyurethane bushes last . Reason why I am asking these questions is maybe i have to replace all the bushings after the second season.
Your article on suspension is brilliant and everyone should read it before they rush out and buy upgrade kits. I have four cars with with various stages on from konis, to bilstien, to RS, to 27mm bars etc . Your article is spot on because you can really ruin a good road car with an overkill suspension if your intention was stage 1 etc.

[Greg Gordon]

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for your kind remarks about my website.

Regarding the life of the Watts linkage bushings I can't say I have good scientific data. However I wore out two sets, each in about a year. Each year included about 5000 miles of street driving and two days of fun at Hallet Motor Speedway. Each day at Hallet involved four 20 min track sessions.

When the Watts linkage bushings would wear out the body would shift enough to allow the inside of the rear tires to rub on the INSIDE of the rear wheel well during hard cornering. It doesn't do this when the bushings are new, and it never happens with poly bushings. Keep in mind, my tires at the time were Yokahama AVSi 225/50-15s. So they would just barely clear back there when everything was perfect.

I have never worn out a set of poly bushings. I don't think they wear out...

Greg

[SimonB]

Just another quick comment although most of the people making comments here know much more than me. If you are based in the UK and want uprated but road biased springs and bars, what about Harvey-Bailey? EB spares sell a set of springs and bars for the GTV6. They used to sell Bilstein Dampers specially valved for the GTV6 too but I Think these are no longer available. I contacted them in the summer and they were out of stock then, but now who knows. Harvey Bailey has a good reputation for judging the spring rates right for better handling although I can't find any reviews for the GTV6.

Good luck

Simno

[superfly tnt]

i tried both , a 75 TS with bilstein and yellow koni on (max stiff). it seems that bilstein handles the standard springs better, they are stiff in bump and rebound. koni is quite soft in bump but much stiffer in rebound. konis would work great with upgraded springs, of course bilsteins too. id give a slight advance to koni if using 27/30 mm torsion bars since you can finetune your rebound. bump will be increased by the torsionbar itself.

if you dont use the car for track and still want to keep some comfort id take koni at about 75% stiffness. bilstein is quite hard on normal (bad ) roads but works great on track , specially with normal springs.

there is another way, put konis to maximum and lower the car until the shocks touch the bumpstops youll get something like go-kart feeling.

[Duk]

Greg thanks for posting that link to your performance and suspension section.
I do have 1 thing I'd like to mention regarding your comments about chassis flex.

On your site you wrote:
"The GTV6 chassis flexes quite a bit.. The GTV6 seems to be stiffer than the Milano, but by modern standards it flexes a lot. Don't believe me, try this. Jack the car up with the forward jacking point, the one near the front anti-sway bar. Now put jack stands under the forward side jack points and lower the car to rest on these points. Now raise the car back up with the forward jacking point and notice when it starts to raise the front of the car. Now notice how far you have to raise the front of the car to release the jack stands. If you do this you will observe the chassis flexing A LOT."

But you haven't given any mention of the see-saw effect that happens. In other words, some of the weight comes off the back wheels when you lower the car onto the side jacking points. The back comes up and the front comes down and it pivots at the jack stands under the side jacking points.
I'm not saying that the chassis isn't flexing, but I just think you may have been a touch misleading with the amount. And I know that deffinately isn't your intentions.