Strut and spring options (not coilovers)

[firemedic1428]

Are the Bilstein B6 struts / RCE yellows still a viable option?

I want to lower the car a little bit and have no intentions of autocross or road race. I keep getting pitched coilovers but I have no need for adjustable height or dampening.

Seems the Bilstein B6/B8 come pretty well recommended as do the yellows, just curious if anyone had any input.

Also STi strut mounts?

Thanks all

[ansibe]

I think that's a good choice. There's nothing special about coilovers. They do add the ability to change your ride height, and to corner weight the car. But that takes a fair bit of effort, and you need to be a pretty good driver to take advantage of corner weighting. I'm certainly not good enough!

I just bought Koni yellows for my BRZ, because i will NEVER corner weight my car. I do like the single adjustable feature of the Konis. I had a set on a previous car, and they're just magic. At full soft the ride was way better than stock, and I didn't even use full stiff (my local tracks are too bumpy). But if you're not going to track your car, you probably don't need the adjustability.

I see there's a used set of B8 on the Canada classified board for $640CDN. That's like 50 bucks American!

[go_a_way1]

Originally Posted by firemedic1428

Are the Bilstein B6 struts / RCE yellows still a viable option?

I want to lower the car a little bit and have no intentions of autocross or road race. I keep getting pitched coilovers but I have no need for adjustable height or dampening.

Seems the Bilstein B6/B8 come pretty well recommended as do the yellows, just curious if anyone had any input.

Also STi strut mounts?

Thanks all

When I was looking at this route I found the it was almost better to get the Bilstein PSS B14's (coilovers) as they were only slightly more expensive and for a normal road going DD they will be perfect and ride really nice. The advantage is you get proper valving for the spring rates (although they are progressive, good for comfort bad for track use)

[jawn]

When I get tired of the stock struts, or I blow them, my plan was to throw on the Bilsteins. I'm currently running the RCE Yellows on the stock struts. It's great for daily driving.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by go_a_way1

When I was looking at this route I found the it was almost better to get the Bilstein PSS B14's (coilovers) as they were only slightly more expensive and for a normal road going DD they will be perfect and ride really nice. The advantage is you get proper valving for the spring rates (although they are progressive, good for comfort bad for track use)

Seeing as Bilstein B6/B8 are designed as OE replacements and most lowering springs are designed for OE dampers the valving should be matched as well as any other off the shelf coilover setup I've investigated, I'd probably pick that setup over most sub $2k off the shelf coilovers at this point.

I went with B14's too because I can't wait to corner balance my car, I miss doing it as a kid, will be a pain in the ass but offers a satisfaction I enjoy.

IMO the value of Bilsteins is twofold:
1. High quality OE replacements
2. Rebuildable and tuneable via multiple avenues from Bilstein themselves, your local raceteam/shop, or a few businesses that specialize.

Although I think if you go custom/local job first they modify the damper such that OE Bilstein won't touch it.

[firemedic1428]

My local shop has actually recommended the B14s as an alternative to the strut/spring setup. I think I may go that route for the $1050 I was quoted.