Well I've never been one for modding I've always preferred a standard car with the belief that if you want something better then go buy the complete car. So a mate who works for Mazda offers me a free track day @ Donnington last week so I decided to take the plunge and fit some upgraded suspension & brakes.
I really didn't want to spend too much but after looking at some reviews mostly for other makes bmw etc I decided to go for the bilstien b12 with pro line springs (30mm drop) if it can improve the handling on a BMW M car surely it will do wonders to a Astra Sri!
Fitting was fairly straight forwards, the only issue being the socket head at the top of the strut is a bit soft, be careful not to use the oem torque settings or you'll round them out. Bilstien provide lower torque settings in the fitting instructions.
First drive impressions - slightly firmer ride but still comfortable. Much less body roll. Great body control and more grip! I reckon about 5 mph better cornering speeds. Steering feel is excellent and weights up nicely with a more meaty feel in the corners.
Donnington (national) was brilliant, I thought the pro line springs may be a touch slack for a track day but they performed great. There was a nice bit of lift-off over steer at the bottom of craners, nice turn in all corners. There was a std golf mk4 R32 who was shocked that my astra could stick with him - he was about 1 sec a lap faster.
£625 has transformed my car, money well spent!