astral

Hey all. Obviously I'm new here. Picked up a single owner 2005 Evo 8 MR. Intro/Build post should be coming soon.

Anyways, I have to say I am extremely impressed with the MR Bilsteins out of the box. Mitsubishi really nailed it with the stock Bilstein suspension. The handling is very very good, ride height is very performance oriented but still very usable on the street (or off) and relatively decent ride quality to boot.

However, I am scratching my head wondering if there is further advancement to be found in the aftermarket.

I have a set of 949 Racing Xida coilovers for my turbo Miata, and the dampers are absolutely incredible. They provide incredible grip while still tolerating stiff springs and providing a good ride (on par with the Evo Bilsteins, but far exceeding them in performance).

If anyone has any experience with high end aftermarket springs+dampers, I am all ears.
Of course I have seen the Ohlins, and have driven on a set. They were on a stiffer spring rate than the Road and Track Ohlins come with out of the box, and so I don't feel like it was a good demonstration.

If compromising for multi-use suspension duties (daily driving, snow, rain, backroads, no track/autocross), would a low mile set of Evo 9 MR Bilsteins a good option? I read that Bilstein designed the shock to basically never need to be rebuilt, which I am highly skeptical about.

If anyone has experience replacing their stock bilsteins with a fresh set, or getting them rebuilt/revalved, I would like to hear that as well.

Thanks in advance to all and I am a very happy guy in my Evolution!

MinusPrevious

iTrader: (3)

Welcome aboard & congrats

There are more than a few choices. Basically you can stay w/the Bills & go w/the Swift / GT Worx springs & that will work just fine for aggressive street / light track work

If you want the adjustability of C/o's & more suited for track work , I recommend the following:

One of the popular brands that a lot of us run (as well as me) is Fortune Auto. They are not too expensive & they are built / assembled here in the U.S.
Each set is built to per order

http://www.fortune-auto.com

astral

What kind of spring rates are you running on your fortune auto coilovers? Did you find ride improved or suffered as a result? Keep in mind the car is primarily a daily driver, and is a canyon carver second. Will likely need softer rates as the roads I will drive on require more compliance out of the suspension.

MinusPrevious

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, you would not want to follow my spec. My FA 510 c/o's are basically set-up for track only (rates are 10K/12K)

You would want to go with their 500 series c/o'r at a rate of approx 7K/8K based on your notes (add the option for Swift springs & upper bearing kit)

I would recommend you call them direct. If you are interested & based on your driving profile, they will recommend & build you a set, tuned to your needs

astral

Thanks for the info. Sounds like a great company to work with. I took a look at some of their higher end products, and wow. They make some quality suspension.

LetsGetThisDone

iTrader: (1)

For street use, Ohlin's r/t's with the included springs switched (front to rear, rear to front) will be perfect. Fortune auto is extremely close in price to the Ohlins (only $500-$600 difference with the upgrades on the FA500's), but the Ohlins are a far better damper.

astral

I've always heald Ohlins in high regard.

Can you explain a little about the swapping the stiffer springs to the rear? I am coming from an Front engine rear drive suspension world and am not well versed in setting up a suspension for a AWD car.

MinusPrevious

iTrader: (3)

The Ohlins spring rates are backwards to what the EVO's suspension geometry requires

I agree, Ohlins is top shelf in some regards, but their c/o's are not assembled to your needs & are hundreds of $$$ more. So the spring rates & valving are pre-set to an incorrect standard for the EvO.

FA servicing & customer service is far superior to what Ohlins offer

FA, on the other hand, specifically matches spring rates & valving to each set of c/o's & each set are dyno plotted w/the results sent w/each kit

Due to the motion ratio (lever arm) of the rear suspension, the EVO needs an approx 1K-2K higher spring rate in the rear vs the front (i.e. 8k front 10k rear) The Ohlins have them backwards

mrfred

iTrader: (50)

Evo 8 and Evo 9 Bilsteins are the same. The Bilstein HDs are stiffer and have poorer ride quality. I went directly from Evo MR Bilsteins with GTWorx springs to Ohlins R&T with 400 lb/in (7 kg/mm) springs on all four wheels, and they work better in every way. I do think that 400 lb/in is too soft though and have a set of 450 lb/in springs waiting to be installed when I find the time. I recently got to drive an Evo with R&Ts that had 11k/12k springs, and I was amazed at the ride quality. It was essentially as good as mine.

Choice of spring rate can generate a lot of debate. My suspicion is that Bilstein choose a strong front spring to combat roll in the front and therefore maintain a better contact patch that will prevent understeer. I have no idea whether it works in practice, but I ended up going with equal rate front and rear, and combined it with a stiffer rear bar. This has produced neutral to mild oversteer under power.

LetsGetThisDone

iTrader: (1)

Do to the motion ratio of the dampers (frot is very nearly 1:1, while the rear is slower, about 1.25:1), the OEM springs are about 25% in the rear. So swapping the springs on the ohlins more closely maintains the OEM spring rate gap as Mitsubishi intended it to be.

astral

This is great information here. I'll be using this to set up my my car's suspension in the future.

dineshblack

Anyone know how reliable it will be to use the MR Bilsteins with Swift MR springs?

Reliable in regards to will my Bills blow after continuous usage or will it last due to the Swift MR being made specifically for the Bills. Usage is 100% daily driving and uphill roads/back roads. No track or auto x. Also how often does my stock bills need servicing? with these springs

Thanks !

llDemonll

iTrader: (21)

you'll be perfectly fine running swifts on the bilsteins

deylag

iTrader: (23)

Bilstein stopped doing the revalving and rebuilding of their shocks. There are a couple shops that will rebuild Bilsteins in California.

Swift spec R lowering springs are a good combination of performance and ride quality. I have never come across an issue with that setup.

dineshblack

Thanks guys. Shall be my next upgrade!