blakecharles

Hey everyone,
I was browsing for some new struts/shocks and came across this.

http://fastline-performance.com/inde...ge=shop.browse

only $55 /corner = $220 total?!!
am I reading this wrong???

blakecharles

Anyone know why they are so cheap here and 2x as much from hawks?

zenish

it doesn't surprise me.hawks is expensive.btw if you google those parts numbers you may find them even cheaper.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

yes you are reading it wrong. the fronts are 199, the rears are 55. Those are street stock shocks, no the HD shocks people use on 3rd gens. I dont know how they compare. Since they are cheaper, i assume they are not as good.

edit****

thats a different link than you posted earlier, and it says 55 bux, and front struts, the part numbers match. Its a misprint, they may honor it though. But again, they may not be what you think they are

blakecharles

yes, I posted the wrong link earlier sorry about that.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

That price is impossible, the front struts are right around $300 a PIECE!! the part number is 35-125228

blakecharles

I guess the real question is, "What in the world is the Bilstein AK series?"
nobody seems to sale them for nearly as much as the HD's, but I never heard of em.

anyone??

blakecharles

saw them at summit
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BSN-AK1053/

blakecharles

May be a better alternative to KYB or Monroe for the budget builder. I have not found anyone on TGO that has these.

AK
"Bilstein AK series gas pressure shocks and struts are designed for, but no limited to , pure stock, enduro, street stock (stock mount), and mini-stock. The mono-tube construction and steel body make these shocks the ideal choice for the racer who wishes to maintain the original suspension configuration. it is a sealed unit that you can expect Bilstein's famous consistent, fade-free performance from"

HD
"Bilstein B6 Heavy Duty mono-tube gas pressure shocks and struts are the ideal choice for most vehicles, including full size sedans, suv's and trucks. these shocks provide improved handling and stability, without sacrificing ride comfort. they offer super damping ability that makes them ideal for the driver who demands superior performance, while maintaining and exceptional street ride (yellow paint steel body)"

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

That is a second gen application.

blakecharles

I just called Bilstein sales (see contact page on the bilstein site)....

AK series is offered for the 82-92 F-Body and is the same as HD. I asked why the difference in price, they said there is no warranty on the AK series. Salesman told me they mainly sale them to circuit racers who beat the shocks to hell then throw them away... whereas a TGO member might send them back for repair or replacement.

He also said they can be quite a bit cheaper (depends on the retailer). In this case the price is accurate, I 've looked around and have not found them to be more then $70.

I'm going to buy them and let yall know.

Blake

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

Really???

What part number did they give you?

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

i find this very hard to believe since teh crap Gabriel's cost more, but if its legit, that an amazing find.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

I feel robbed, I don't give a crap about warranty...like I would get any. I paid 6 times as much + shipping + tax, so most likely 10 times as much for the SAME shocks??
F Bilstein!!! I'm going to konis if these don't meet my expectation

blakecharles

woe! everyone calm down. I'm going to order them, we will find out soon.

*edit*
How many ppl other then me actually looked for anything other then the HD's??

blakecharles

finishline-performance just called me this morning... I have a feeling this guy is about to do a LOT of biz.

shipment pending.
will give further details soon.

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

What is the part number?

Until we see a good part number, I'm calling BS on this one. The Bilstein site itself only shows the HD's.

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Just ordered mine! I just got the fronts. The site wouldn't let me order online, so I had to call. But the guy on the other end quoted me 55 bucks apiece. I figured it's worth taking a chance on...

blakecharles

keep in mind he is a certified Bilstein Dealer & Repair center. I called Bilstein, he's good to go in my book. The guy is vary nice btw (ppl taking your money always are)...

He is drop shipping them from Bilstein.
2 ppl on the bandwagon so far. Just wait for the results.

If all is well, maybe we can set something up with him and TGO.

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

Hmmm no crap, that part number looks correct. And Fastline is an authorized Bilstein dealer.

Good luck to you guys, hopefully you get the correct product. Everywhere else has them listed for $250/ea. Be sure to inspect them thoroughly when they arrive.

blakecharles

Bruce just called me back...
whoever was working on the website put up the wrong price. He said his cost is almost 3x the listed price. He didn't catch this until he called bilstein and tried to place the order. Buying from this guy is still cheaper then I have found anywhere else.

but BS on the $55/ea!

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

I knew it was too good to be true....:go crazy:

So far, no call or email...But I just ordered them literally 20 minutes ago.

I guess if I can get them for less than 200 each, I'll still most likely get them. If he's the same price as everyone else though, I'll pass.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

still 150 is a lot better than 300

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Assuming they're 150....blakecharles never mentioned the actual price. Would've been nice to know. Hopefully this guy (Bruce?) will email me back so I'll find out and post it up.

91 Droptop

AutoZone has them at $250 each side

blakecharles

hey man,
sorry for the slow response. bruce refunded my money and told me that I could have them for his cost (about $150 ea for the fronts). He normally marks them up 25% (that's about $187, still cheaper then anywhere I have ever found).

keep in mind the above is for the AK's. The HD's are normally $40-$60 more depending on who you buy from.

Warning: I have found that some sites listing the AK's for the HD price (so you don't even get the warranty your paying extra for)

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

EDIT - I just called Bruce after reading this. He claimed he tried to email me...I didn't get it. He says the struts are on back-order anyway, but he did give me a better price than anywhere else I found, and he did apolgize for the misprint on his site.

So I told him I'd still take the struts if I could get them within the next two months. I could care less about the warranty anyways. He says they should be here way before then. Just goes to show you - If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

I feel ripped off now

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Now?!?? - If you're like me, I felt ripped off when I paid 200+ for the T-Top weather stripping, 300+ for a headliner and sail panels. 250+ for plastic louvers....I can go on and on you know...lol

It's all supply and demand...what the market will bear...(enter your own here)

I rarely (if ever) get a deal in which I believe the materials and labor justify the costs...

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

I feel ripped off because I paid 300 a strut so $600 total, + 200 shipping making it $800. Then over this there was an import fee of some 6% -> 850 and then 19% tax over that making them a good $1010

now, if they were 150 a pop the total would be 630 quite a difference huh?

blakecharles

My weatherstrip was almost 900 for everything (ASC convertible) + $550 for the top... that's almost as much as I payed for the LS1+T56! LMAO!!

blakecharles

OMG! why did you order them from the USA???

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Now I know what you mean...I don't know how you guys do it living in places like the Netherlands. Everything you get is uber expensive due to tax+shipping....But I get ripped off enough here in the good 'ole US for me!

EDIT - I got the weatherstripping a good 5 years ago!! Costs more by now...if you can even find OEM.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

They don't sell them here, at least I couldn't find a dealer. They do sell the konis and they are more expensive here than in the US (made in US by ITT, back in the day when Konis were made here in the Netherlands I got much better deals). A buddy of mine bought Konis in Germany and had to wait 7 weeks for them and they were over a 1000 dollars too (front & rears)

The ones I have are the HD 35-125228 the other model is also 35-125228 but labeled sport, I guess those are cheaper

blakecharles

Been reading up on the AK series...
In a nutshell I would like to conclude the following

HD series - for OEM stock replacement w/ warranty
AK series - The same product + performance valving w/o warranty

Yes, the valving is a bit different. This may be why some ppl say they are mid level and others say they are almost as good as the KONI yellows.

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

I'm confident they'll be nice...maybe a bit stiffer?? Doesn't matter as I don't take my car out on long trips anyways.

blakecharles - You didn't mention whether you decided to go ahead and get those AK's from Bruce or not.....I'm paying less than 187 each, (not too much less) - so I just decided to bite the bullet myself since I won't get them cheaper anywhere else I know of...Just curious if you're getting a different price than I am...PM me if you don't want to post it...I understand.

Bruce says he's correcting the site.....

91 Droptop

Could you post a link or his #? thanks

blakecharles

No no no.... It's nothing like that...
heck prices for everything I have so far are listed in my build (nothing to hide). He processed my payment with paypal. They take 7-14 days for a refund (I need the money to put toward my actual purchase).

I think I will get the AK's from him. He told me that he marks them up 25%, so I did my own math and came up with my own numbers.

I will get official numbers when I make my order next week.
I just don't wanna have ppl holding him to numbers that I posted.

blakecharles

I will most likely be paying what you are paying for the fronts... about $173 or something like that..

LAFireboyd

iTrader: (3)

If you're getting the correct Bilstein front struts for under $200/each, it's a very good deal. Fronts tend to cost about $300/each everywhere else, and the rears about $90/each everywhere else.

If the AK series is used for racing applications, the "different valving" probably makes them a little stiffer. But we drive thirdgens, so we're used to the "bobblehead effect."

Assuming they're built to the same standards as their other products, they'll probably outlast the terms of any "limited lifetime" warranty.

A few years ago, Autozone was selling the correct HD struts for $180 each. It was legit, and I got 'em; no phone calls, no questions, no hassles. But it did turn-out to be a mistake, because shortly after that their price went WAY UP. Evidently they got hammered with orders and looked into why.

Now, if Bilstein would just paint them not-awful-yellow(black or stainless steel[like their 5100 series]).

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Thanks - I was under the impression you ordered them by your posts. I only ended up calling him last week and ordering them because the web site kept giving me "error" messages when I tried to run my card. I didn't realize you could pay with paypal because I have that too.

I was NOT accusing you of hiding anything, I myself don't like to post exactly what I pay for things because invariably someone chimes in about how much less they paid, you got ripped etc.

project89

iTrader: (1)

nice find, u gota let me know how they work out when u get them, im still stuc between getting adjustable rear drag shocks and adjustable front struts or just going with stock/bilstiens all the way around for my iroc

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

I ordered both front and rears....I most likely won't know how they work for a couple months. I'm doing other suspension stuff too.

patricklav

iTrader: (7)

Great info. I have looked everywhere and the cheapest i could find Bilstein's was shockwarehouse.com, which they wanted $289 (free shipping) for each front.

Did he give you a price for rear shocks as well?

thanks

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

The actual price on his website in post#1 for the rear shocks is correct...$55 each. It's the price for the struts that's wrong.

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Well, I got the rear shocks. They look exactly like the HD's, just different part#. Bruce emailed me to let me know the fronts (AK1049's) will be 2 more weeks out before they're shipped. Not a big issue since it's like 18 degrees out right now. I won't be driving the car anyways.

No issue with the customer service...it's been great.

91 Droptop

Okay what is the price on the front? I just left Autozone and they are $246 each

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Keep in mind, I got a drastically reduced price...since the price on his web site was wrong when I originally ordered them.

Here's his normal price:
http://fastline-performance.com/inde...art&Itemid=263
Which is still less than Autozone. And he's a first class guy to buy from.

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

As promised, here's a couple pics of the AK series rear shocks I'm getting ready to install:


I'll be getting the front struts in about two weeks.
....What the...when did I become a "Supreme" member?!?! ..lol

patricklav

iTrader: (7)

looks good. they are on sale for $215 on the website now, still lower than everything else i have looked at.