People who know about suspension on cars... I'd love some advice

[Mephistopheles Janx]

I own a neat car. It is a 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP (tuned to 305HP). I love the car and other than the fact that the 15 year old suspension just gave up the ghost... the car is in great shape. The only problem with it is that original parts are hard to come by.

Bilstein originally made the coilover suspension for the GXP which are rated at F3. They no longer make them though. So I head over to Rock Auto and I see that AC Delco has taken the mantle but the issue I have here is that Rock Auto lists the same coilovers (AC Delco 503-706/7) for both the GXP and the Base model.

I head over to AC Delco's website and can't find a ****ing thing about them when I search the model number. After several hours of digging I came across an old post stating that the 503-706/7 shocks from AC Delco are F2 rated.

So... no one makes the stock suspension for this car anymore. ****ing yay.

My options are as follows:

Buy the AC Delco shocks that are f2 rated because those are still gonna provide a better ride than what I am getting now with my leaky f3 rated ones. - Cost $350 + install

OR

Go 3rd party with it and snag these Coilovers at $1235 plus install

CONVERSELY

If you are aware of another coilover manufacturer you are familiar with that makes quality products I'll gladly go check them out and see if they have anything available for me.

ALSO

Once the shocks are replaced I'm going to keep the old ones and send them to Biltein because though they don't make new ones... they will absolutely rebuild the old ones. I'll have a backup set for when the next set goes out.

---

The car is daily driven and will be doing autocross. I also, though, live on a dirt road so I don't care about lowering the car any more than it already is. I need them for go... not show.

TIA

[kpic]

Before I got to the bottom of your post I was wondering why you weren't just having the Bilsteins rebuilt as I was pretty sure that could be done.

Maybe you've already done so... having owned and owning a 'niche' (IE: not popular) car currently and in the past I've found most helpful are the forums dedicated to that vehicle, but you probably already did that I'd imagine and there are likely several different ways to do what you want.

Ultimately then in my opinion it would depend on how you are going to use the car.

Those coil-overs are going to be more of a rough ride for sure, so where is the line between 'daily' and 'autocross' is what I'd be thinking. If full-on autocross most of the time then I'd lean to the coil-overs, if however you're leaning more to the 'daily' side and occasional autocross I'd go ACDelco.

Just from what you've explained (daily, dirt road, not interested in lowering) I'd choose the ACDelcos and be just fine with that, especially since I can put the extra savings towards the rebuild of the Bilsteins.

You don't want to imagine what it would have been like with the BC coil-overs so if that's how you're leaning don't let the price stop you there, last thing you'd want is to be taking the car out and each time wondering how much better the coil-overs would have been over those ACDelcos. BUT if you're on the fence you don't want the added expense of the coil-overs, put them in and then be not happy with them and have to take them out, sell them and then put the ACDelcos in.

The coil-overs are adjustable for ride of course but no doubt they'll be rougher and stiffer than those ACDelcos and likely way stiffer than the stuff they're replacing now (since your current setup is so worn).

Hope that helps some!

[HonestChieffan]

I had an idea but **** it, shitty car that you cant get parts

[Mephistopheles Janx]

Originally Posted by HonestChieffan

I had an idea but **** it, shitty car that you cant get parts

It is far from a shitty car. Parts are available... there are just decisions to be made.

[Mephistopheles Janx]

Originally Posted by kpic

Before I got to the bottom of your post I was wondering why you weren't just having the Bilsteins rebuilt as I was pretty sure that could be done.

Maybe you've already done so... having owned and owning a 'niche' (IE: not popular) car currently and in the past I've found most helpful are the forums dedicated to that vehicle, but you probably already did that I'd imagine and there are likely several different ways to do what you want.

Ultimately then in my opinion it would depend on how you are going to use the car.

Those coil-overs are going to be more of a rough ride for sure, so where is the line between 'daily' and 'autocross' is what I'd be thinking. If full-on autocross most of the time then I'd lean to the coil-overs, if however you're leaning more to the 'daily' side and occasional autocross I'd go ACDelco.

Just from what you've explained (daily, dirt road, not interested in lowering) I'd choose the ACDelcos and be just fine with that, especially since I can put the extra savings towards the rebuild of the Bilsteins.

You don't want to imagine what it would have been like with the BC coil-overs so if that's how you're leaning don't let the price stop you there, last thing you'd want is to be taking the car out and each time wondering how much better the coil-overs would have been over those ACDelcos. BUT if you're on the fence you don't want the added expense of the coil-overs, put them in and then be not happy with them and have to take them out, sell them and then put the ACDelcos in.

The coil-overs are adjustable for ride of course but no doubt they'll be rougher and stiffer than those ACDelcos and likely way stiffer than the stuff they're replacing now (since your current setup is so worn).

Hope that helps some!

You have given me a LOT to think about. Thank you!

It seems that I have just stumbled across yet another option. Koni has discontinued the Sport Shock series for my car but the front set are still available through NAPA and the rear through TireRack.

I could split the difference between the base model ACDelco and the other coilovers.

$318.04 shipped for the rear
$391.72 for the front
$710 total

[kccrow]

I don't know if AFCO has anything to fit yours but they make good shocks.

Seems the BC ones come with solid reviews?

[George Liquor]

Just buy the delco's and do it youself since you live down a dirt road and those are awful on cars.

Replacing shocks isn't that hard. I have next to zero mechanical aptitude and have replaced shocks on my car and my wife's.

[Dunerdr]

No option to let the car set a few weeks while the current shocks get rebuilt? Ultimately you want it to be as it is now. Rebuilding would get you what you want.

[kpic]

Originally Posted by Mephistopheles Janx

You have given me a LOT to think about. Thank you!

It seems that I have just stumbled across yet another option. Koni has discontinued the Sport Shock series for my car but the front set are still available through NAPA and the rear through TireRack.

I could split the difference between the base model ACDelco and the other coilovers.

$318.04 shipped for the rear
$391.72 for the front
$710 total

This would be a great option, you'd likely love those Konis and a big step up from the ACDelco ones. I would double-check those by calling them directly though, often on the sites they'll show discontinued as 'in stock' when in actuality they're nowhere to be found, I've come across this a few times.

[kpic]

Originally Posted by kccrow

Seems the BC ones come with solid reviews?

BC are fine, they get crapped on by the upper tier crowd but they are also comparing them to 3k-4k (or way more) coil-overs. If you're buying BC don't expect that kind of performance from them, expect 1k performance and use and they'll be fine.

[kpic]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

No option to let the car set a few weeks while the current shocks get rebuilt? Ultimately you want it to be as it is now. Rebuilding would get you what you want.

This is the best option if it could be done. But I have heard a few weeks turn into a few months in some cases, so you'd have to be willing to take that as it comes. Plus I thought there were some stuff they couldn't rebuild so you'd need to investigate that.

You'll have a decision to make at some point. From your original post everything was fine until I got to the 'daily driven' part. Right now it's the suspension parts but it's only going to get worse from here. It would be different if it were a garage\parked queen, meaning you could get to things as they happen and not have to make these kind of choices.

If you plan on keeping it expect to have to do this at some point, the amount of 'wear\maintenance' items that'll start going extinct is only going to continue to go up, and haven't even talked about 'unexpected' parts that may need replacing. I mean we aren't talking about an older popular musclecar, or a Corvette, Mustang or a Camaro. I think the last one of these I saw in my area (NJ\DEL) was at a car show like two years ago before that I'd think probably when they were just a few years old I recall seeing one every so often. At least I'm pretty sure the engine is cross-platformed and in other cars so you should be ok there but it'll be everything specific to this car that when you need it you'll see it on Ebay for 3 or 4x the expected price.