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Hi Guys,

Getting close to ordering new springs/shocks for my Clubman. The original Bilsteins are showing their age.

I haven't been able to find much opinion on Bilstein PSS9 coilovers - good or bad. The main thing worrying me is that they reputedly come with same spring rate front and rear. Presumably that means removal of the rear sway bar to get better rear wheel spring rate for cornering, but does that have a major impact on ride over bumps?

I'm after a suspension that meets three main criteria:
(1) Something with proven durability and reliability - at least as good as the factory Bilsteins
(2) Dual road-track capability, focusing more on road capability - the hills around Adelaide are a mix of smooth and what I'd call B-grade. Prefer mono-tubes over twin-tubes for better consistency over a range of conditions.
(3) Something that will cope with later mechanical upgrades without replacement, eg turbo.

So has anyone had good or bad experiences with PSS9s on NAs? My back-up plan is probably Bilsteins with Eibach springs.

IIRC Benny has them. I've only heard awesome thing about them - probably you don't hear much because they're more expensive compared to stuff like Tein Super Street/Flex and cheaper Chinese/Taiwanese stuff that's becoming so popular.

Why not get the original Billys rebuilt, fit some fatcat motorsport bumpstops and top plates, select some reasonable springs.
or
Do what I did to my Clubman, I did the above and added adjustable sleeves from http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com and springs from MX5plus.Turned a goat cart into a fun and very smooth and capable fun machine.

Terry

prepare yourself for an avalanche of opinions

PSS9s have been replaced by PSS10s info on them is scant at best i.e. spring rates etc also can be expensive loaclly, can be sourced from the states but local support = ????

Teins are locally supported by a very reputable company and data is easy to get. Same company will also rebuild your billies.

Billies and Eibachs are very nice but the Teins will allow more flexibility plus EDFC.

I will go out on a crazy limb and say Tbro speaks very good truths as well.

From my research I thought that Pss9 were for NBs and Pss10's for NC's so I don't think you have choice (As usual I am probably wrong!)

I have mate with an NB and the Pss9's are sensational on it..

Dampers and springs are very personal: I hate the Clubman set up and find it very harsh;loved Koni,s and standard springs;disliked Kings with koni's but preferred them to the Clubman; love Eibach and Kings although the ride height sagged a bit and have been pleased with The Teins so far.

A revalved bistein Clubman set up may be fine but if you can drive as many set ups as you can otherwise it is like trading a clucker on a new car, anything will feel good compared to a knackered set!!

Peter.

pcmx5 wrote:From my research I thought that Pss9 were for NBs and Pss10's for NC's so I don't think you have choice (As usual I am probably wrong!)

According to this, http://www.bilsteinus.com/305bilsteinapplicationguide.pdf you are correct.

I know they're listed for NB, but isn't the only difference in the top hat, ie if I use the NA top hat the min ride height will be approx 1/2" higher?

PSS9 = the standard by which others are judged.

I can compare to kings/konis and BC, and stock, and they are superb . The GM ran them for years on the road and on the track. I have put them on the new racecar with a view to revalving as a race shock, but am now thinking of swapping the BCs into the racecar as the characteristics of the BCs may be more suited to a racecar, and I would love to have the PSS9s under my bum again on the road. Sigh.

Try shox.com, I saw them there for around $US1300, plus freight, plus duty, plus ...

greenMachine wrote:PSS9 = the standard by which others are judged.

I can compare to kings/konis and BC, and stock, and they are superb . The GM ran them for years on the road and on the track. I have put them on the new racecar with a view to revalving as a race shock, but am now thinking of swapping the BCs into the racecar as the characteristics of the BCs may be more suited to a racecar, and I would love to have the PSS9s under my bum again on the road. Sigh.

Try shox.com, I saw them there for around $US1300, plus freight, plus duty, plus ...

Still, probably cheaper and better than say, Tein Flex.

I'm pretty sure Fulcrum can rebuild/revalve them too.

My PSS9s are awesome - I wouldn't trade them for anything. I haven't dríven on Tiens so I can't give you a definitive reply, but they are light years ahead of the Koni/King combination I was running before these, which in turn were much better than stock. Heasmans are the Australian agents in Sydney and can dyno, rebuild or re-valve to any configuration. They can also rebuild and re-valve std Clubman Bilsteins to a similar spec - but without adjustability. I would go and talk to them, and take a spin in a PSS9 equipped car before you decide.

Suspension is a lot like brake pads and tyres, people tend to be happy with different things depending on their preferences. I think all the people that have PSS9's seem to love them, that was pretty much the data I used when I bought mine. They have served me well but I can only compare to the stock suspension. I got mine at Heasmans, but it was not a cheap way to go, at the time they were the sole importer and it kind of drove up the price, I am not sure if things have changed.

Thanks for the replies. PSS9s from US are now cheaper than local Teins...

Aussie dollar on the rise at 92 cents.

bruce wrote:Aussie dollar on the rise at 92 cents.

I've been watching like a hawk for obvious reasons and I think it will peak around 93c.

stb wrote:Thanks for the replies. PSS9s from US are now cheaper than local Teins...

Yeah, back when I got mine I could only have saved about $500 all up as long as customs didnt come into play. Another inhibitor in those days was US retailers accepting non-US credit cards, but these days with PayPal and what not, its much more relaxed.