***Finally!!! Bilstein B14/PSS Coilovers***

[FT-86 SpeedFactory]

Originally Posted by PRORICAN

Will these work with other springs? I'm running wide wheels and narrow springs that coilovers usually come with are needed to clear without rubbing.

Yes you could use a small diameter spring with a similar rate. We can customize that option. Will add money to the cost of them though.

[Fizz]

Originally Posted by Ro_Ja

Springs are also progressive, not linear.

After a few days of driving, I'm very pleased with the kit. Ride quality is better than I expected. Early reports stated that you will feel more imperfections of the road, which I found to be true. However, the bumps are definitely less jarring than they were on the stock suspension. Car stability is also improved. Great value for the money, IMO. Bilstein is also a great brand to invest in for ease and availablity of service and rebuilding once you grow out of the stock settings.

Can you post some pics of these on the car?

By the way....can anyone explain whether adjusting the height on coilovers affect the spring rate in any way? i.e. does it increase stiffness the more you preload the spring and vice versa?

[Ro_Ja]

Originally Posted by Fizz

Can you post some pics of these on the car?

By the way....can anyone explain whether adjusting the height on coilovers affect the spring rate in any way? i.e. does it increase stiffness the more you compress the spring and vice versa?

Not sure on the exact drop, but it's definitely quite conservative. About an inch or so. There is a decent amount of height adjustment left on the shocks.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Fizz

Can you post some pics of these on the car?

By the way....can anyone explain whether adjusting the height on coilovers affect the spring rate in any way? i.e. does it increase stiffness the more you preload the spring and vice versa?

Only with a progressive rate spring.

- Andy

[SpeedyJay]

Wow these look great, I prefer the stock top hat as it reduces the harshness of the coilovers, also should keep them quiet.

Definitely at the top of my list for the price.

[Fizz]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Only with a progressive rate spring.

- Andy

Thanks....so would that mean it's not recommended to corner balance a coilover with progressive springs? Because by doing so one side of the axle may end up with more preload than the other thereby giving uneven spring rates on that axle?

[FT-86 SpeedFactory]

Looks great.

[Fizz]

Originally Posted by Ro_Ja

Not sure on the exact drop, but it's definitely quite conservative. About an inch or so. There is a decent amount of height adjustment left on the shocks.

Your drop looks perfect. What wheels are those? Size?

[Ro_Ja]

Originally Posted by Fizz

Your drop looks perfect. What wheels are those? Size?

Thanks. Prodrive GC-07J 17x8 +43 with 225/45 Michelin PSS.

[Fizz]

Noob question: when adjusting vehicle ride height, does the increments on the shock body translate to equal increments in actual ride height?

i.e. say you wanted to lower/raise your car by 5mm, would you adjust the spring perch by that same amount?

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Fizz

Thanks....so would that mean it's not recommended to corner balance a coilover with progressive springs? Because by doing so one side of the axle may end up with more preload than the other thereby giving uneven spring rates on that axle?

Hmmm, well one way to look at it is that if you really feel the need to corner balance your car then you likely should be running linear rate springs with a helper anyway. Also, if you set the car for a perfectly even ride height (but not corner balanced) you may have slightly different preloads on the springs anyway because each corner does not weigh the same.

In reality though the differences will be extremely minor and I wouldn't worry about it.

Originally Posted by Fizz

Noob question: when adjusting vehicle ride height, does the increments on the shock body translate to equal increments in actual ride height?

i.e. say you wanted to lower/raise your car by 5mm, would you adjust the spring perch by that same amount?

This depends on the motion ratio...for the front it will be close but not the rear. Ballpark yes but a little fine tuning would be necessary.

- Andy

[mid_life_crisis]

At what driver weight should you start considering setting the driver's side a little higher to allow for additional compression to make the ride height be level when your lard butt is in the car? Yes, I'm large.

[mike156]

Throw some bags of salt or concrete in the car to match your weight while setting the ride height. The softer the spring rate, the more pronounced the ride height change will be.

Of course, doing it this way, it's purely cosmetic and you are likely messing up the corner balance. Myself, I measure spring free length and then compressed length with my weight in the driver’s seat. Even up the spring length change left to right on the car and you should be pretty close to 50/50 cross weight. This of course assumes you are using good springs, like Hyperco or Swifts. I wouldn't try this with Ebay junk.

[mid_life_crisis]

Whatever comes with the coilovers. I'm either going very basic with a set of springs (probably "Yellows" based on reviews and product description) or entry level coilovers like ST or maybe step up to the Bilsteins. Obviously there won't be any adjustment to worry about if I go with springs.
Now that I think about it, I suppose I could just get in the car and have the wife measure the fender heights to see how far off they are.