I'm especially interested in the Bilstein Pss9 coilover but i guess this applies to all coilovers.

Do I need to run a camber plate on any coilover. Whats the difference in ride or performance. and what are the cons of not using a camber plate?


thanks

 

I recently installed a set of pss9's on my '05 and couldn't be happier. Top notch quality. These units reuse the top mounts of the stock suspension. So no you don't need camber plates with this set.

Most coilovers, JIC, BUddyclub, Tein, Etc.. come with camber plates for the front. Which is great for easy adjustment of camber. But the stock suspension also has adjustments for camber. The top strut bolt can be rotated for approximately -2 degrees of camber. If you want more camber, then camber plates are for you.

Also camber plates usually have a spherical bearing on the top to reduce slop. The down side is potential harshness. In a track environment you would want to reduce that slop with the addition of urethane control arm bushings. Again, urethane...potential harshness.

Is that slop noticeable? I wouldn't know because of my set-up. If I were to change to spherical bearings and urethane bushing maybe. But to be honest with you, I am loving the way my evo is handling and really see no need to modify....yet. I plan to hit Watkins Glen in May so that would be a true test of my suspension.

I need to be realistic and realize... very fast street car first, track car second. And ultimately this is where my current setup is perfect.

 

thanks for all the info. I dont like to think of myself as a weekend racer and probaly have my car on the road 99% of the time so I didnt want stiff coilovers just something better than stock but not harsh. I just wanted to know the purpose or side effects of not having camber plates.

So no complaints on these coilovers?

 

inslowoutfast,

What is the ride quality like with the Bilsteins coilovers?

 

The ride quality is bmw 3 series-like! Stout, not harsh, hits potholes and bumps with a solid thud. Before it was almost crashing.l

At first I thought they were a wee bit floaty because of the improvement. But a friend of mine took it for a drive and mentioned that it greatly reduced my body roll. This is where it is good to get another perspective because I guess I was soo focused on ride harshness body roll escaped my mind.

Additionally the very nature of lowering your center of gravity and increased neg camber does wonders for handling.

The dampeners are set soft, 6front/7back, and can definitely stand to be firmed up. I really don't think it will effect my ride quality negatively. There is a review here by Germanevo where he recommends a firmer setting. I agree.

All in all it has been a win-win situation for my needs in pothole ridden NYC. Very real world worthy coilover.

 

I had my PSS9's installed about two weeks ago and they are definitely plusher than the KYB's in my 05 RS when set in the soft settings. The body roll was reduced a lot too, even at the softest setting. I initially had them at (9) the softest, and the ride quality improved 10 fold, plus the ugly gap in the front was gone. I also have a WORKS rear sway bar, and a rear Cusco strut bar.
As far as I'm concerned, there are two areas’ where the PSS9's could improve.
(1) Bilstein should make a camber plate for them; otherwise you need to modify the one you get. I originally had the WORKS plates, but it was going to require some modifications to work...so I got some Cusco plates, and they too, require modifying, by tapping the thread to 14mm on the bolt, vise the standard JDM 12mm. I still need to do this, as I want/ need more camber for autocrossing.
(2) The other thing is to difficulty adjusting the front setting, right now, you have to take off the front tires (easiest way), as the adjustment knob is on the bottom. You can jack up the front, but then you will have to roll under there to look...so I guess whatever floats your boat, either way, you have to jack up the front. I change my tires at the event, so it's no biggie for me. The second can be over looked if you don't plan on changing you settings much, and the first can be overlooked too, if you don't need more camber.
I autocrossed a day after installing them...and I was really impressed. Unfortunately, I forgot to adjust the fronts prior to changing tires, so they were set at (9), and the rears were at (1). I felt more confident, as the body roll decreased and the turn-in seemed to have improved. The rear rotated better too.
I'm currently running (1) the firmest in the front and (6) in the rear for street...which is great...not to rough, but firm enough that that you feel glued to the road. I was running (1) in the rear too, but it was too bone-jarring while driving through the streets of San Francisco.
Overall, the quality is outstanding. If you have a problem with them, Bilstein is located in SoCal, so turn around should be pretty short, unlike most JDM’s. They only have 9 settings to chose from (which could be a distracter for some), but who needs 16-36 adjustments...maybe the serious road racers...probably...but for me...this was a win-win buy and I would buy them again...unless the Ohlins came down in price.
If you are in the Bay Area, I'd be happy to give you a ride and you can make your own opinion. If you decide you want these, pm Cal at Speed Element and he'll take care of you.

Dennis

 

Nice info Resin where in Socal are they Located. any address?

 

Their area code is 858, so it's in San Diego. I can get you the number if you'd like.

Dennis

 

Are you in SoCal? If so, I'm driving down to SD Thursday evening for the SCCA's National Tour. PM me for more details if you's like.

Dennis