Turns out my car has a Bilstein PSS10 Kit

R1-Racer · 06-22-2018, 04:29 PM

Hello all, I recently posted concerns that my car may be lowered, because A: it looks really low and B: It handles poorly.

I thought perhaps it had been lowered some inadequate way, but it's actually got a full Bilstein coilover kit, albeit installed improperly. Immediately I noticed after doing wheels and tires today that my heights are uneven, both at the fender and in terms of actual suspension length.

Can you guys make some recommendations on where we should baseline the settings all around? I'd like a blend of good handling and steering in the mountains, but where I won't break teeth on potholes. I'd err towards comfort in this car, it's a daily driver for me. I was thinking going 6/6 on damping all around to start (after searching another thread) and now we need to correct height.

The car is now running 19 x 9.5" front, 10.5" rears, with 275/30 - 305/30 tires.

Many thanks to any and all who can get me pointed in the right direction.

R1-Racer · 06-23-2018, 01:21 PM

To add to this, should I do OEM alignment specs? Looking for good handling characteristics, but without unusual tire wear.

JamesGames · 06-23-2018, 03:44 PM

I have -1.8 camber all around on PSS10 with slight toe in rear and even less toe in in the front. If you have uneven heights yea, any coilover is going to handle like crap. I would recommend an alignment with corner balance to get the most out of your setup especially if you're tracking. I've tried multiple setting on the shocks and found 6 front 6 rear to be the perfect balance for me. 3 front 3 rear felt like the car had too many oscillations after hitting a bump/dip. I prefer to stop oscillations as soon as possible in order to recover body motions and have grip, even if it's at the expense of overall ride quality. I haven't tried full stiff, but I'm willing to bet it's still livable for a daily driver.

R1-Racer · 06-23-2018, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesGames

I have -1.8 camber all around on PSS10 with slight toe in rear and even less toe in in the front. If you have uneven heights yea, any coilover is going to handle like crap. I would recommend an alignment with corner balance to get the most out of your setup especially if you're tracking. I've tried multiple setting on the shocks and found 6 front 6 rear to be the perfect balance for me. 3 front 3 rear felt like the car had too many oscillations after hitting a bump/dip. I prefer to stop oscillations as soon as possible in order to recover body motions and have grip, even if it's at the expense of overall ride quality. I haven't tried full stiff, but I'm willing to bet it's still livable for a daily driver.

Thank you! I'm excited to see how much better the car is with some proper setup. Just need to find someone around Asheville, NC who can corner balance the car.

x.shell · 06-23-2018, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R1-Racer

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesGames

I have -1.8 camber all around on PSS10 with slight toe in rear and even less toe in in the front. If you have uneven heights yea, any coilover is going to handle like crap. I would recommend an alignment with corner balance to get the most out of your setup especially if you're tracking. I've tried multiple setting on the shocks and found 6 front 6 rear to be the perfect balance for me. 3 front 3 rear felt like the car had too many oscillations after hitting a bump/dip. I prefer to stop oscillations as soon as possible in order to recover body motions and have grip, even if it's at the expense of overall ride quality. I haven't tried full stiff, but I'm willing to bet it's still livable for a daily driver.

Thank you! I'm excited to see how much better the car is with some proper setup. Just need to find someone around Asheville, NC who can corner balance the car.

James gave some good info here. A corner balancing and alignment will set you up nicely.

I also found that the PSS10 doesn't like the same setting on all 4 corners. For me a softer setting on the front with a stiffer setting on the rear made for a more balanced car. Albeit, this was on my F30.

R1-Racer · 06-25-2018, 11:57 AM

Thanks for that feedback. We're working on the corner balancing thing now, I think I may order the scales and do it in-house. Only local guys who do it are 'booked out' and the cost is almost half of a set of quality scales.

One final question. Where is the damping adjuster for the front coilovers?

x.shell · 06-26-2018, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R1-Racer

Thanks for that feedback. We're working on the corner balancing thing now, I think I may order the scales and do it in-house. Only local guys who do it are 'booked out' and the cost is almost half of a set of quality scales.

One final question. Where is the damping adjuster for the front coilovers?

At the bottom of the shock body. You can turn the steering full lock and just reach for the knob by going in between the tire and wheel well.

06-22-2018, 04:29 PM	#1
R1-Racer Private 53 Rep 59 Posts Drives: '23 M3 Comp X, TT Huracan Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: WNC iTrader: (0)	Turns out my car has a Bilstein PSS10 Kit - Settings No Good. Help? Hello all, I recently posted concerns that my car may be lowered, because A: it looks really low and B: It handles poorly. I thought perhaps it had been lowered some inadequate way, but it's actually got a full Bilstein coilover kit, albeit installed improperly. Immediately I noticed after doing wheels and tires today that my heights are uneven, both at the fender and in terms of actual suspension length. Can you guys make some recommendations on where we should baseline the settings all around? I'd like a blend of good handling and steering in the mountains, but where I won't break teeth on potholes. I'd err towards comfort in this car, it's a daily driver for me. I was thinking going 6/6 on damping all around to start (after searching another thread) and now we need to correct height. The car is now running 19 x 9.5" front, 10.5" rears, with 275/30 - 305/30 tires. Many thanks to any and all who can get me pointed in the right direction.
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06-23-2018, 01:21 PM	#2
R1-Racer Private 53 Rep 59 Posts Drives: '23 M3 Comp X, TT Huracan Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: WNC iTrader: (0)	To add to this, should I do OEM alignment specs? Looking for good handling characteristics, but without unusual tire wear.
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06-23-2018, 03:44 PM	#3
JamesGames Major 1326 Rep 1,481 Posts Drives: E60 550i\|F82 M4\|F48 X1\|VA STi Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: SOCAL iTrader: (0)	I have -1.8 camber all around on PSS10 with slight toe in rear and even less toe in in the front. If you have uneven heights yea, any coilover is going to handle like crap. I would recommend an alignment with corner balance to get the most out of your setup especially if you're tracking. I've tried multiple setting on the shocks and found 6 front 6 rear to be the perfect balance for me. 3 front 3 rear felt like the car had too many oscillations after hitting a bump/dip. I prefer to stop oscillations as soon as possible in order to recover body motions and have grip, even if it's at the expense of overall ride quality. I haven't tried full stiff, but I'm willing to bet it's still livable for a daily driver.
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06-25-2018, 11:57 AM	#6
R1-Racer Private 53 Rep 59 Posts Drives: '23 M3 Comp X, TT Huracan Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: WNC iTrader: (0)	Thanks for that feedback. We're working on the corner balancing thing now, I think I may order the scales and do it in-house. Only local guys who do it are 'booked out' and the cost is almost half of a set of quality scales. One final question. Where is the damping adjuster for the front coilovers?
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