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

[RYU]

For potential buyers... Don't expect to go super low with these coilovers. They are not designed for slamming your car. They need adequate suspension travel to work properly...something the rear of the 86 has already very little of.

[Krispeee]

Originally Posted by RYU

For potential buyers... Don't expect to go super low with these coilovers. They are not designed for slamming your car. They need adequate suspension travel to work properly...something the rear of the 86 has already very little of.

what would you say the optimal height would be for this particular application? I'm only seeking a 20-25mm drop in ride height.

[PRORICAN]

Originally Posted by RYU

For potential buyers... Don't expect to go super low with these coilovers. They are not designed for slamming your car. They need adequate suspension travel to work properly...something the rear of the 86 has already very little of.

Yup! I ordered some Raseseng rear tops to add a couple of inches of shock travel to try and get atleast a 2" drop without sacrificing ride quality. Also have rear stance lca's.

Working on the front as well with some lowering camber plates.

[OICU812]

Originally Posted by PRORICAN

Yup! I ordered some Raseseng rear tops to add a couple of inches of shock travel to try and get atleast a 2" drop without sacrificing ride quality. Also have rear stance lca's.

Working on the front as well with some lowering camber plates.

Have you thought about Ground Control camber plates? I don't think even Raceseng or Vorshllag would get you the extra stroke that GCs would?

[RYU]

Originally Posted by Krispeee

what would you say the optimal height would be for this particular application? I'm only seeking a 20-25mm drop in ride height.

They ship with height preset to approx 15-20mm drop. At this height they require a spring compressor to mount the factory top hat. In other words, the additional spring preload has pros/cons affect on ride and handling. Typically, great for the street. More body roll for the track especially coupled with longer droop travel.

Originally Posted by PRORICAN

Yup! I ordered some Raseseng rear tops to add a couple of inches of shock travel to try and get atleast a 2" drop without sacrificing ride quality. Also have rear stance lca's.

Working on the front as well with some lowering camber plates.

Increasing the stroke thru taller top hats only address part of the problem. You will still bottom out the spring and potentially the bumpstop. If you want to increase the stroke properly and maintain a low height I would recommend the offset/lower LCAs. Contact @CSG Mike or @CSG Dave and they can assist you if you want to go this route.

Last I looked at the setup...the upper control arm comes dangerously close to crashing against the chassis if you go too low. I have not tried it... because I hate the way slammed cars ride especially on the 86 chassis but that was what logic tells me given the motion ratio and how low people seem to want to go...

[PRORICAN]

Originally Posted by RYU

They ship with height preset to approx 15-20mm drop. At this height they require a spring compressor to mount the factory top hat. In other words, the additional spring preload has pros/cons affect on ride and handling. Typically, great for the street. More body roll for the track especially coupled with longer droop travel.

Increasing the stroke thru taller top hats only address part of the problem. You will still bottom out the spring and potentially the bumpstop. If you want to increase the stroke properly and maintain a low height I would recommend the offset/lower LCAs. Contact @CSG Mike or @CSG Dave and they can assist you if you want to go this route.

Last I looked at the setup...the upper control arm comes dangerously close to crashing against the chassis if you go too low. I have not tried it... because I hate the way slammed cars ride especially on the 86 chassis but that was what logic tells me given the motion ratio and how low people seem to want to go...

I have the stance lca's so paired up with the raceseng rear tops I'll be just fine.
As far as slammed 86's go look at what robispec is doing. Highly doubt his car rides like shit but the total opposite knowing his reputation.

[PRORICAN]

Originally Posted by OICU812

Have you thought about Ground Control camber plates? I don't think even Raceseng or Vorshllag would get you the extra stroke that GCs would?

Yeah GC or RCE are the ones I'm thinking unless @Raceseng makes some in the near future?

[RYU]

Originally Posted by PRORICAN

I have the stance lca's so paired up with the raceseng rear tops I'll be just fine.

Ah, I must have missed that. Cool. Let us know how it works for you!

Are you just comparing from stock or do you have a reference point comparing to another set of coilovers?

I've tried 4 sets so far just on this car... not by choice, unfortunately so I have experience to backup my findings.

[PRORICAN]

Originally Posted by RYU

Ah, I must have missed that. Cool. Let us know how it works for you!

Are you just comparing from stock or do you have a reference point comparing to another set of coilovers?

I've tried 4 sets so far just on this car... not by choice, unfortunately so I have experience to backup my findings.

No worries! I'll be comparing to stock, eibach sport lines; and the ISC N1 coilovers I'll be replacing.

[Fizz]

Here are some pics from my install...










The installation itself was pretty straight forward and fairly simple....but it would definitely help if you have a buddy to give you a hand. If you find it difficult to hold the springs down (to fit the top mounts) just wind the height adjusters lower and then wind it back up to your desired height once installed on the car. Springs compressors will help but not necessary. I reused the stock bump stops for rear dampers, but trimmed off about 1". My only gripe is that they should have included shorter/matched bump stops and the nice blue dust covers for the rears as well. However, overall the build quality is top notch as you'd expect from Bilstein.

Ride quality is obviously firmer than stock but without being 'crashy' over rough surfaces. No NVH issues whatsoever. This may be due to the fact that I re-used the factory top mounts....so YMMV if you use aftermarket camber tops. Anyhow the damping over medium to larger bumps/dips is amazing...very well controlled even at speed. In comparison, with stock suspension on the same stretch of road it tended to feel a little floaty once over a certain speed. With the Eibach Pro Kit, it was better but I still thought it felt slightly under damped. With the Bilstein the car also felt more alive and responsive to steering inputs. But one thing that I've noticed now even more than before was that the stock tyres are the weak link and a limiting factor in the handling department. What I mean is that the stock tyres were never brilliant, but with the stock suspension it masked its low grip limits to a certain degree. Whereas now I find myself pushing harder into corners more often only to find the tyres giving up early.

To summarize, I'd say the B14's are well suited to the everyday driver who wants a top quality German made coilover, improved handling, ability to adjust ride height to your liking, retain the factory NVH levels, and not bother messing around with compression/rebound dials. Factor in the price of about $1k and I'd say these B14's offer serious bang for buck value.

[FT-86 SpeedFactory]

Looking good!

[OICU812]

Good report!

[RYU]

@FT-86 SpeedFactory

Can you check with Bilstein please if these are designed to work WITH or WITHOUT the factory OEM bumpstops?

I think Fizz eluded to the instructions not mentioning either way.

[Fizz]

Originally Posted by RYU

@FT-86 SpeedFactory

Can you check with Bilstein please if these are designed to work WITH or WITHOUT the factory OEM bumpstops?

I think Fizz eluded to the instructions not mentioning either way.

I'm pretty sure you need to re-use your oem bump stops in the rear, otherwise you'll get metal to metal contact on full bump. Also because the rears are not 'inverted' type dampers which have built-in bump stops.

Another issue is that the instructions doesn't even mention whether you need to cut the oem bump stops....but I figured if you didn't cut it you'll end up riding on the bump stops since the travel space before touching bump stops is very minimal. Or maybe they were designed to be used with full length oem bump stops....hmmmm. Some clarification here from the manufacturer would be great.