[crazy4c409]

so I need new shocks and have a buddy that runs a shop and they said they could do monroe sensa tracs. I havent seen anything on the forums about these, only kyb, bilstein and koni. I was wondering if I would sacrifice all performance with these, anything would be better than present considering there is over 120,000 miles on the stock bilsteins. I usually am street driving I dont kill it around corners but still like to have a little fun and would like a smoother quieter ride any advice? thanks!

 

[Poncherello]

Just remember, you get what you pay for. Monroe is OK, but Bilstein is much better.

 

[crazy4c409]

does "ok" mean if I am not autocrossing it will work fine or does it mean I am making a mistake for a daily driver?

 

[Poncherello]

does "ok" mean if I am not autocrossing it will work fine or does it mean I am making a mistake for a daily driver?

IMO, replacements should be equal to or better than the stock set up. I just don't think the Monroe shocks are equal to the stock set up. It would work fine, but the quality just wouldn't be there. They wouldn't allow the car to handle as it was designed to.

 

[OldVetteFan]

I agree with Ponch. I've discussed shock replacements with other owners, and I haven't found very many people that were happy with the Monroe choice. Of course, now that I've written that, all the Monroe fans will come streaming out of the woodwork!

The Bilsteins will provide the best compromise between cost and quality of ride/handling on the C4.

Steven

 

[crazy4c409]

just called and they said they could do sachs ultimate touring I have never heard of this brand before but it is supposed to be pretty good. Both were priced at 49.95 a piece what do yall think?

 

[Poncherello]

just called and they said they could do sachs ultimate touring I have never heard of this brand before but it is supposed to be pretty good. Both were priced at 49.95 a piece what do yall think?

Is your car a Z51? Sachs shocks are not for the Z51. I'd also have to say that I wouldn't put "ultimate touring" shocks in my corvette. That thing might ride like a cadillac after that. Why not go with Bilstein?

 

[crazy4c409]

Im wanting to go with what my supplier can get, they are not charging much for the labor so I want to help with their business as much as possible. Also I have heard that bilstein will raise the ride height even after the car is settled and it will ride stiff (something I do not really desire) I am wanting a shock that will blend performance and ride, heck Im not racing or autocrossing just cruising and zippin around corners and flooring it when I get a wild hair. Plus I researched and sachs is used on porsche for the 911 GT thats good enough for me.

 

[muddpile]

I may be a minority, but I love the SensaTracs on my 84 base coupe. I run them on all my vehicles for what it's worth.

 

[willg1966]

monroes

I have them on my wife's c4 and she noticed the ride difference almost immediately, and she is a begine (b9) ? driver. I have a bad back and need a smooth ride. the monroes are a good "value" for what I use the car for. Monroe also makes 2 grades up from the sesatrac. at least for 1/2 ton trucks and they really improved my Silverodoooo. It is more of a matter of need and money. Just enjoy it.

 

[OldVetteFan]

Also I have heard that bilstein will raise the ride height even after the car is settled and it will ride stiff (something I do not really desire)

Here's the story on the "Bilstein's raise the ride height" legend.

The Bilstein shocks generate an upward force on the car (in my case, the Z51 spec shocks generated about 70 pounds of force straight out of the box). If your old Bilsteins are worn, then one of the symptoms of that wear is that the shocks begin to lose some of that force, and the car settles down. In my case, the Bilsteins I removed were only generating about 40 pound of upward force to the car.

When I initially measured ride height (before I started replacing anything), the car was sitting between 27.375" to 27.75". When I was done, the ride height was close to 29 inches! However, after a quick 20 mile exercise, the ride height was a uniform 28" at each corner. I'm convinced the minor height change was due to the difference in force between the old shocks and the new ones. Here's a link to my thread about the Bilstein installation ...

http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75341

It boils down to your choice. If you want the Monroe shocks, then get them. There are folks out there that like them (see above), and it may be the right choice for you, too.

Good luck!

Steven