I've heard great things about the Ohlins coilovers and the Bilstein PSS series coilovers for the S2000. What I'm looking for is a stiffer and firmer ride with less body roll than stock without the technical know-hows needed to deal with adjustable stiffness settings. I'm wondering if there are coilover kits with the quality and caliber along the lines of the aforementioned kits but with no compression/rebound settings. I don't track the car but only use it for daily driving and spirited cruising, but would also like to have the best in case I will track the car in the future. Recommendations would be appreciated. If there aren't any available, I guess I would have to get adjustables and learn and do trial and error to attain optimal settings for conditions. I just think it might be dangerous as I have zero experience with suspension setups.

Also, I saw in the Ohlins manual that the shocks need to be revalved every 30,000 miles. Is this only a recommendation to guarantee optimal track performance (which a track freak would care about) or does the shock really disintegrate that extremely that is it mandatory to revalve them every 30,000 miles?

Thanks in advance.

 

the bilstein system you are reffering to is the PSS system which is only height adjustable and not dampening adjustable like the PSS9 system.

the spring rates for bilstein coilovers are 345Fr w/ 85lb helper springs and 285rr.

As far as the rebuilf for the coilovers go, i am not sure and would like to hear input on that as well.

 

Thanks for the reply.

Hmm, isn't the rear rate for the stock springs 290? That would make the rear softer (or maybe a bit stiffer net-wise since the shock might make up for it in feel, but still). And since the PSS series doesn't have adjustable settings, I take it the hard-wired settings were tuned for general conditions and are relatively safe to drive on the streets (like the stock coilovers)? I'm assuming the built-in setup isn't unforgiving.

Also, it would be nice if I could take sharp 90 degree turns at speed without much drama. If I did that with the stock suspension, I would have massive body roll, tire squealing and would also be unsafe. Another thing is, I would like to keep the body height stock, or close to stock, maybe half an inch of lowering at most, for the sleeper look.

How do the Ohlins and the Bilsteins compare, in ride stiffness and in performance? And are there other highly regarded brands out there such as these two?

 

I don't know muh about the ohlins or bilsteins but why not just get some koni shocks, set it on the lowest perch for 1/2 inch drop, and just mess around with the firmness setting? It sounds to me like what you are looking for........

 

I guess I could do that. But I'm thinking the coilover packages have shocks and springs that complement each other and have been tested extensively by those companies to ensure maximum performance. And if I'm going to do this once, I want to "do it right" and not have to upgrade to better kits in the future. If the Ohlins are stiffer than the Bilsteins, perhaps I can just crank those things up to max stiffness and use it as a daily driver and maybe the track in the future as well. I really like the feeling of a stiff ride and the stock suspension just feels too soft and plushy and has more body roll on turns than I'd like (not saying the stock setup is bad in any way). Thanks for the reply.

 

the stock 04-05 spring rates are 256 fr and 207 rr.

 

I recommend these. I have them on my car and LOVE them. I got them from the Go FASt lab, you can also get them from TireRack. I had the same requirements you did. Essentially H&R and Bilstein 'work' together. I believe H&R makes the springs for the PSS series kit and Bilstein makes the shocks for H&R. This shock design is pretty much what you'll find in the PSS series, minus the adjustability. H&R has slightly different spring rates.












later,
Chris

 

My pss9's look exactly like those H&Rs.

 

Thanks for the responses guys.

So it seems the H&R and the Bilsteins are very similar. Are they significantly stiffer and firmer than stock? And how do the Ohlins compare to those two in firmness and in performance? Thanks.

*BTW, the earlier model S2000s had 290 lb/in/in for the rears I believe.

 

^^ The H&R coilovers are rated at 345lb spring rates front and rear. From what I know, the PSS9 are 345lb front and 285lb rear.

Something like the KW variant 2 & 3 are at 515lb's. I do not know what the Ohlins are.

If you are looking for a STREET setup, you might find the Ohlins overkill and KW's maybe a little too stiff. But its all personal preference.

I find the H&R's to be very comfortable, and as you can see the spring rates are not that much higher. The dampening on the shocks is excellent. its just a much more buttoned down feel to the car.

-Chris