RAIDS2K

Hey guys, I own a MY2002 that is stock suspension wise, other than an nc miata bar in the rear the previous owner had installed. I currently run a staggered setup using ap2v1 wheels with stock ap2 215/245 tire sizes. I am looking into purchasing a set of coilovers in order to eliminate some of the wheel gap. However, I do not want to screw up the suspension balance or ride quality in order to do so. This car will be strictly a street car, so ride quality will be the most important factor for me. I have been looking at the Bilstein PSS, as I have read good reviews on here saying that they were a good coilover for a street car. Would these be a good choice? Or should I save up the money to instead purchase the Ohlins R&T? I have to admit I am leaning more towards the Bilsteins, as the Ohlins seemed to be geared more to those who track their cars.



My second question has to do with suspension balance. As I stated earlier, the previous owner had an nc miata bar installed in the rear in order to combat oversteer. If I were to purchase coilovers like the Bilsteins that have a stiffer spring rate in front, would it then induce understeer? I will also be sticking with a staggered setup, so keep that in mind.



All advice is appreciated, and I thank you in advice for the help.

B serious

I'd take it 1 step at a time.

Install the coilovers and see how you like the way the car acts. Then adjust.

The Ohlins is certainly a better setup. The ride quality is about as good as the Bilstein (when both are set up properly). But with the Ohlins, you can go lower before the ride diminishes.

Bilsteins have WAY more rear shock travel...but you're only adjusting a single point. They're not case adjustments like the Ohlins.

So the Bilsteins are also MUCH more simple to set up. But at this point, people kinda know how to set up the Ohlins before installing them.

Ohlins is a road and track setup. The Bilsteins work great on track too...but they're soft. So they will be merciless to your tires if you ever change your mind and do want to track the car.

Bilsteins will likely last a bit longer before they need service.

Car Analogy

Bilsteins also have lifetime warranty. For long term street use, this could be the differentiator.

You are correct that the pss are more forward biased than even CR specs. So it is possible you may find the need to revert to a stock rear bar. However like already suggested by B, change one thing at a time. Maybe you'll need a stiffer rear bar, but maybe an ap2 rear, which aren't as stiff as ap1.

A lot depends on your personal preferences.

Apex1.0

Pss is a good choice for your goals. I would however look for the twin brother of the pss. The h&r sport coil over. Same damper as the bilstein but it has 345lb springs front and rear. Better balance for staggered cars imo.

MeisterR

Given the choices, I "probably" will go with the Ohlins.
The reason for that is because I had personal experience with the Bilstein PSS9 and I wasn't impressed with it at all.
The adjustment system was really vague, it was really hard to dial in what you want as it was either full soft or full stiff, the middle adjustment don't really give you feedback if you are stiffening the damping or not.

Another reason is the springs rate.
The Ohlins is a bit on the stiff side at 10/8 kg/mm, but it is something that's manageable with a good quality valving design.
On the S2000, I like to see the rear a bit softer in order to aid traction and avoid suspension harmonics.

Understeer isn't necessary a bad thing as it mean the car will be more predictable and you can balance the car using the throttle.
What you don't want is the back end snapping out on you without much warning, something I find that the OEM suspension actually do even at low speed.

Hope that helps, good luck.

Jerrick

gptoyz

This may sound pedantic but walk before you can run...

The PSS, Ohlins and KW V3 and I'm sure a host of other suspensions are all can't miss solutions for the s2000 for different reasons.

The PSS and PSS9 and their H&R cousins will give you a modest bump in spring rate and oem quality like install. The great thing is that just about every suspension tuner knows how to work on the monotube bilsteins and Guy Ankeny has built suspensions that have humbled 3 way boutique coilovers. They are pretty easy to work on and documentation exists all over the internet

The ohlins has independent preload and ride height as well as spherical top hats. My only gripe about ohlins is that they require all kind of special "ohlins" tools to take apart and rebuild but my experience is limited to the TTX and the 46mm monotube.

The KW V3 is really robust and really a no fuss sort of suspension with excellent documentation. As long as you follow their guidelines, most of my friends who have V3s or Clubsports on a multitude of platforms haven't had problems with them.

On the s2000, I have the most experience with the KW v3 and club sport. I have used them with stock top hats, CR top hats, spherical top hats and a multitude of springs (KW, hypercoil, swift). They ride brilliantly, if someone understands how to setup suspension. I used the minimum lowering, basically the highest setting KW recommends for ride height which yielded about 3/4" drop. From there, I corner balance based on how the car is to be driven: flat out on the track or pedestrian use on the street. I hate trouble shooting little idiosyncrasies and the KWs, in my experience, are devoid of that, they don't squeak or rattle. If adjusted properly, they ride better than stock - dare I say even supple.