This is NOT for a track car, but theres more people with experience with custom order coilovers on this subforum than the general suspension page so I decided to post over here. ANYWAYS: I had ridden and consequently decided to buy bilstein pss9's some time ago, but when I finally had the time and spare change, I was swayed by the recent good reviews on the fortune 500's and decided to order a set with 10k swifts. Ive had them for a little over a month, and Ive been pretty unhappy with them. So now Im back to thinking about picking up a set of bilsteins, but now Im thinking of going down the pss with stiffer swifts and a revalve route (Bilstein West is 30 minutes from me). Who else has done this with good results? Where did you buy your springs and what size do I need? How does a stiffer set of springs compare to stock pss9's and an aftermarket front sway, from a bang for your buck perspective? Any other things I should be mindful of? The only other suspension bits I have are mugen compliance bushings. Your thoughts are appreciated...

 

For the money it's really hard to beat the price/preformace of a revalved koni yellow. Contact PSI, they build a lot of the shocks you see on "our" "track" cars.

http://performanceshock.com/index.ph...roducts_id=677

 

Not sure what your future plans are but if you are street oriented you should be fine with the bilsteins as is. I seem to remember a thread where someone successfully went up on rates about 100#. If you want more you will probably need the revalve. If that's the route you think you need to go and have any interest in autocross I'd give Guy Ankeny a call. I have been running the custom setup PSS9's that he trophied with at nationals in 2010 STR. They take some work like shortening the rear bodies etc. to get the lower ride heights but they are monotubes so they are fundamentally better than a twin tube koni and ride orders of magnitude better than any koni I have ever had experience with.

 

^this.

Guy knows his stuff and knows how to build winning shocks.

 

I had koni yellows with my espelirs, but I prefer the ride of the bilsteins, although Ive never ridden revalved konis. I dont track, maybe at some point but Ive been saying that for 6 years now so I doubt it, but I drive very hard on the very windy roads around here and prefer minimal body roll. If I got different springs it would be 9k or 10k; If I put them on without a revalve it would be "just fine" but will it be a noticeable difference with a revalve? If I can I feel like I might as well, its not far from me and its only $65 a corner for the PSS.

 

Curious as to what spring rates you're running with these, and the impact on the ride (yes, I know, not really a racing question) that results.

 

I've been running revalved Bilstein PSS for a few years now. You need to buy 70mm, 6" length springs. You cannot lower more than about an inch unless you have them shortened.

Bilstein > Koni
They are dead on consistent in valving!

 

"Curious as to what spring rates you're running with these, and the impact on the ride (yes, I know, not really a racing question) that results."



700f 600r and they could take more. When traveling to and from events I usually turn them down and I'm not exaggerating when I say this but the ride is better than factory. There is some nvh but it is entirely from the monoball tophats that I installed. They basically have three settings soft, controlled and KILL lol. Using Guys advice I just turn them to "KILL" when racing and worry about driving. If adjustments need to be made for balance I adjust the sway bar or air pressure and its usually just a couple pounds. Another good thing about these is that because they are a street oriented shock they are more robust than the delicate Penske's, AST's etc. and don't require annual revalves or seals etc. The trade off is that they don't have quit the level of control that the really high end stuff does.
These do not have the factory bilstein valving so I can't say that you will have the same experience but rest assured that if setup by someone like Guy Ankeney you will not be disappointed with their ride and you will be extremely pleased with their performance. Just ask Jon Lugod (2012 STR national champ).

Mine may be for sale soon btw <shameless plug

Edited AST for ACT

 

Are your running staggered or square tires? Im staggered right now, and running the same rate all around, but since most systems (and stock) run a different spring rate front and back, I was considering it on my next set, maybe thats something I could talk to ankeny about.

 

255 17 square which is the widest we can run in STR.