I'm considering the pss9 coilovers for my IX MR as one possible option.
I don't see much talked about them on the forum.

Any body running them and want to share their impression?
What springs they use etc.

Looking for a good shock / coil over for light DD duty (aggressive mountain road driving), AutoX, and track days. Which means compromise I know.

Thanks
Shoe

 

They're a good solid coilover for DD and track days for fun. Very comfortable, but still firm. Some people say they are too soft, but the rates are quite good. They're just valved really well.

They are not time attack coilovers out of the box, although they could be custom specced to do so.

Any camber plate you use will need to be customized to work with their different then stock thread pitch on the shaft, so that's a pain. Vorshlag can make custom nuts for their plates..

And that's if you really want camber plates...you can still get -2 or so with just the stock adjusments and that should be good for your uses.

Bilstein quality and support is very hard to beat too.

- Andrew

 

Im trying to decide between these, the H&R's, and the KW V3's...anyone have a swaying argument?? I keep hearing somthing about these having progressive spring rates? I also heard somthing about the H&R's having some kind of rubber or somthing that makes them stay quiet????

 

What kind of driving do you do?

Remember the standard KW V3 spring rates are horrible, you NEED custom spring rates.

- Andrew

 

What are the supplied spring rates?
I assume the springs are of common dia/length.
My understanding is the Bilstiens are easily revalved.

I have considered sending my MR struts to be freshened and revalved for stiffer springs. But I like the idea of being able to cross weight the car.

 

I do very very very spirited street daily driving....I track the car once a year if that but would like the benifit of being able to set them up if need be...my choices are now between KWV3 fortune auto street/trakcs, CUSCO zero2e, and PSS9....I hate being uncomfortable but I drive to aggressively and want coilovers so Im really leaning toward the CUSCO and the PSS9

 

Something to keep in mind with the Cuscos is you can't have them rebuilt in the USA.....a huge bummer.

- Andrew

 

I had mine revalved for autocross (700lb/900lb springs) and love them.

Regarding the pillow-ball mounts, I got Tein's and just had rallysportdirect.com sell me a different sized top nut. Fits perfect.

My one complaint about the PSS9's are their poor corrosion resistance. I would highly recommend not running these in snowy climates during the winter, as the salt on the road will corrode the shock body.

 

^ Interesting...i've seen sets that look great after a couple of winters. Most TUV approved euro coilovers last a long time. Hosing them down after a snowstorm is good insurance against that.

- Andrew

 

I am incredibly happy with my PSS9's, they are an excellent daily driver coilover. I've been running them for about a year and a half now. While not the most adjustable, they do offer a firm but comfortable ride that soaks up bumps nicely. I've had mine set on the 2nd to stiffest setting. (labeled as 1-9, with 9 being the softest)

Commuting daily in NYC, I've also taken a fair share of those "come-out-of-nowhere" holes, cracks, etc. , the PSS9's are still going strong. I wish Bilstein would release the PSS10's for the CT9A, as they have for BMW and Porsche.

Until my Evo is no longer my daily driver, I'll stick to the Bilsteins. As said in earlier posts, they aren't a hardcore track setup. If it ever does become a weekend only/ track car, I think I would step it up to an Ohlins or KW setup, as they are a little more track specific and adjustable.

 

So what are the standard spring rates as supplied?
Or what is the rate range without revalving?

Shoe

 

I have a couple of questions that relate to this...

Do you mean the camber plates will allow you to run down to -2 degrees or get you back up to -2 degrees? I want to run some camber but not TOO negative so I can keep my tires running for a while.

Can you use the stock upper mounts and still have -1 to -2 degrees of camber or are plates required? If you were to purchase the PSS9, it looks like some type of upper mount is required before you can install them as they don't come with them, is that true? Recommendations on upper mounts for these? (any other parts that required you know off?)

Finally, are the H&R good or would you suggest the PSS9 over them?

 

You can get up to -2 degrees using the stock camber bolt. Camber bolts will get you more.

You can just use and I would recommend stock mounts if you only need -2 degrees of camber.

I haven't tried the H&Rs but have heard they're pretty good. I think they're more "street" oriented.

- Andrew

 

Nice! Hey thanks for the quick response. I have been doing a lot of research on this lately and am getting closer to the purchase. I am sure I won't be disappointed! I converted the bilstein spring rates from english to metric and I find it interesting that people complain about them being soft even though the rates are ~8kg/mm front and ~9kg/mm rear. Is this because of the valving of the strut and the damping coefficient?

 

Some people confuse "soft" valving with good valving.

Good shocks are not overly harsh even with decent spring rates, unfortunately a lot of people confuse a harsh ride with good handling which is generally not the case.

- Andrew