Koni vs Bilstein for street E36

[Greg Steinke <GSTEINKE@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello,
I would like to open this can of worms one more time. I have looked in
various web sites for this discussion, but have not found any conclusion. So
here goes, any experience is appreciated.

I have a 1992 BMW 325i into which I have transplanted the
shocks/springs/antiroll bars from a 95 or 96 M3. (forgot which). After 80k
miles or so of use, the shocks are feeling a bit floaty, more floaty than on
my wife's new 2002 325iT w/o sport suspension. So I want to get new
shocks/struts. The main choices are Bilstein and Koni. I want to keep the M3
springs and antiroll bars, so this dictates use of M3-oriented replacement
parts due to the difference in the way the anti roll bar mounts. This car is
driven on the street 98% of the time. I have done one track event, will
probably do more, but no racing and street is the priority. Based on this I
want the simple strut/shock replacement, not coil-overs.

Bilstein: Sport option is what is available for M3. No comfort or HD. For
what it is worth, some of the columnists in Roundel were recently singing
the praises of Bilstein.

Koni: Koni offers Red (Special) and Yellow (sport) varieties. It looks like
only the Yellow is available for M3. It comes as an insert, but it does not
seem to be too difficult to put into the strut. 

The overall question is, which is better for a street application? And
everyone's definition of "better" is different. So to be precise, how do
these compare in stiffness to the stock M3 equipment? For example, the Koni
may be stiffer than the Bilstein, which in turn is stiffer than the stock.
And how much range of adjustment does the Koni have? 

Thanks to anyone who can offer advice on this one. I'll summarize the
responses and re-post.

Greg Steinke
gsteinke@domain.elided

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