Shocks: looking for Blistein quality at KYB price.

Okay, I remember writing and posting an entry about this, but it doesn't seem to be here, so I either posted it somewhere else, or I'm hallucinating.

Probably the latter.

Installed Bilsteins. Tightened factory steering box 1/2 turn, enough to eliminate very slight perceived play while running (the exact adjustment procedure is impossible with the steering box installed in an actual car).

Factory springs and torsion bars, no sway bars, 14" 70-series whitewall radials.

Car feels alright now. There's no way it's "tight," and it's got a tendency to understeer, compared with, say, my 330ci, but the ride is smooth and it handles better than cars used to handle back in the '60s. I can feel small bumps in the road more than before, but the ride is not the slightest bit rough.
It's smooth and straight at 70mph, and I haven't even had it aligned yet.
There's no point where it has that "Oh ****!" feeling and it goes where I point it without having to feel like I'm riding herd on it.

Would it handle better with sway bars, and "tighten up" a whole lot? Yes.
Would that change the ride character? Absolutely.
I've driven several '60s cars over the years with large sway bars, and I know the differences in feel, ride, and handling that result, and I generally like them, but, since this is a very original car, I'll probably avoid them for now.
We'll see what kind of urges I get in the future.
Besides, with the original Slant-Six, BBS carburetor, and 1-3/4" tailpipe, it's not going to get me into any trouble without a whole lot of effort on my part.

Were the Bilsteins worth the $500 price? Yes.
Would a set of KYBs have achieved the same effect? I doubt it, but I can't prove it.
I have run KYBs in the past though, and while I kind-of liked them when I used them, I've loved Bilsteins whenever I've used them.
I look at it this way: For a girl you really love, you'd take her out to a $500 dinner.
For one you just like, you'd take her out to the local pizza place or something.
For your wife, you'd bring home a sandwich from the deli (whoops, my wife's coming -- Better run!).

So, to answer the OP's question, and make this digression ostensibly relevant to the subject of the thread:
No, there is nothing that works like Bilsteins but is as cheap as KYBs.
They cost over three times more because they're more than 3 times better.
You're better off to wait and save up for Bilsteins than to settle for KYBs, unless you have tried them all and just like the KYBs (or the hydraulic Monroes) better, in which case, you're lucky, in the same way that the man who loves caviar is unlucky.

We've all got different cars, different driving styles, different road conditions, different uses for our cars, and different ways we want our cars to feel. This is my description of how these shocks feel in this car, and what that is worth to me.
Your mileage... well, you know.

- Eric