i know this will depend on road conditions...

but can you guys give me a rough idea how long they last assuming you use your Mini for about 10,000-12,000 miles a year with 6 track-days and 6 canyon-like driving?

 

Good topic that there doesn't seem to be a ton of information out there for yet...I think it depends on which setup...I have the PSS9's for 15k miles and they are still running great. Hopefully alot of people contribute their information.

By the way, my current setup is for sale...I am moving to Cross/JIC setup....

 

there's no one answer. Some need to be rebuilt every 20k miles, others 75k+. The benefit of coilovers generally is rebuildability (I made up a word ). The cost for this service varies widely, not including shipping which can add big $$$ (if you must send to Japan, etc).

click this for Bilstein pricing (both shocks and coilovers). It's done in SoCal.

One reason I sold the Cusco Zero-2 setup on my Subaru was rebuild - they had to go back to Japan. Figured I'd get out of them while they were still worth something.

Here's a set of $3K ZEAL Function6 that were 3k miles old (needed a rebuild ):

 

i'm not very technical so bare with me...

what do you actually do when you rebuild coilovers?

 

tear them down, replace the seals, change the oil, replace any bad parts, etc. Basically, they are as good as new minus any physical wear on the bodies themselves.

 

Koni and Bilstein shocks and struts are also rebuildable. Tokicos might be also. You can also have them custom valved to the spring rates you want to use. The shocks/struts used in a coil over system are very similar in the way they are made to regular non coilover shocks and struts. Some shocks use oil for the compression while others use a gas. Some are single piston; others use more than one.

The difference between traditional OTS struts/shocks and coilover type shocks/struts is in the spring perches. The spring perches on coilvers are designed to be adjustable so that the ride height can be easily set to where the end user wants it.

 

It will depend on the coilover. Many coilovers are really meant for track duty.

My experience in the RX7 and BMW and VW world over the last 20 years of modding and tracking cars is that very few coilovers shocks used on the street last as long as a set of good street oriented shocks like the Konis for example. Konis and Bilsteins are designed for long usable life on the street.

I would think that the Bilstein PSS9s and H&Rs might have longer life than some of the lesser known ones since they have more experience building street oriented products and those shocks really do seem to be built with street driving in mind. I don't have any direct experience with either so I'm just speculating on that.

 

On some c/o's (megan, cross, m7...) you can replace the cartridge w/o having to rebuild the damper. It's easier, IMO, that way. Price...depends on the company.

 

Why are you moving over to the Cross/JIC setup form the PSS9's?

 

I wanted to be able to slam the car while maintaining full travel. The PSS9s are incredibly durable and comfortable for a street setup, if they are run at normal to -1" drop. Since it's dropped so much, I lose so much suspension travel because I can't adjust ride height without preloading the spring to the max. The Cross system, ride height and spring preload are independent.

It's not that the PSS9's don't handle great or ride great, but they are just not the right application for me. Someone could really get a deal on these if they bought my used set, considering they are hard to find new for under $1900.

 

Our AST's are fully rebuildable - right here in Dallas, TX no less. HOWEVER, their longevity is much like Bilstein, in that they rarely (if ever) need rebuilding for a street car. Our local partner (ast-usa) has all the rebuild tools, seals, valving, and a shock dyno - they saw sets in Holland that had been on cars for 5+ years that were coming in for rebuilds and the internals looked brand new - even the seals were flawless. One set came in from a GT3 that'd been tracked solely all around the EU for 5 years with nary a mark on the insides...

Now, for the track guys, you may want/need a rebuild more often to maintain 'optimal' performance - or, you may just want to change the valving if you change spring rates. Turnaround would be very quick and we'd dyno them before they went out to ensure they were exactly what was asked for...

FWIW, we've run a rebuilt set of Leda coilovers for 30K+ miles and a brand new set for ~12K miles with no leaks. Not everyone was this fortunate, however, as Leda seemed to have tried some different seals at some point which led to some premature failures (and rebuilds). Ledas can be rebuilt here in the US, too.

We've seen PSS9's that have been on track mules for 3+ years and they also functioned like new...

Bottom line? High-end coilovers are extremely reliable, IMHO.

 

I would probably snap those up if you were in the UK like myself. I'm looking for something for day-to-day street use as well as the odd track day here and there. PSS9's seem the way to go. when you have the Cross system installed let me know how it compares please :D

 

Installing this weekend...can't wait

 

So how did it go?

How do they compare to your PSS9's?

 

I am going to give it a week of driving, final ride height adjustment, and an alignment, then I will do a full comparison. The initial handling, road noise, and overall ease of adjustment are all a step above my previous setup (not knocking PSS9's, Hotchskis camber plates, or alta end links).

I will post pictures and more details later in the week! Thanks!

 

Sounds good so far! I think you might be the first person to be able to compare the two setups against each other. PSS9's have been on my list if bits to buy, but I am always on the lookout for something better. I cant be the only one interested in this comparison.

 

Well I think that as with anything with the Mini (or any car), I have learned that you have to try a setup before you buy it. Also, you have to compare Apples to Apples. I didn't do my homework completely the first time around. I bought the PSS9's because I thought they were the best setup for me, without getting a ride in them first. Also, I didn't factor in right camber plates. I got a great price on the PSS9's, so it wasn't that big of a deal when I wasn't totally satisfied. It's not that the PSS9's aren't a great system, they just weren't right for my needs. I wanted to drop my car significantly and maxing out the spring preload (virtually eliminating all suspension travel) is not the correct way to do this if you want a nice ride on the street. The Bilsteins might offer a GREAT ride with full suspension travel and no camber plates, but I wouldn't know because I never ran that setup.

The best thing I did when thinking about the Cross system was getting a ride in a car with that setup. As useful as all of the information is from vendors, on NAM, and other sources, there is nothing like first hand experience. I am lucky enough to be in Southern California where there is an abundance of modified Mini's, so finding someone with something I want is never hard.

Another big thing is cost...and by the looks of your signature, it sounds like you might be able to spend the extra money on the Cross's if that's what you choose.

More to come...

 

Lot of things in my sig were very cheap, with the exception of the brakes (and then I fitted them myself to cut costs).

Still, I only like to spend my money once, and the bits that come with the cross setup would be bits I would buy to go with the PSS9's anyway. I'm after something I can use everyday (26k miles a year) and on the race track.

Anyway, get those shocks settled in and give them a good ragging! wish I knew people over here with either setup to try. Or anyone that would let me drive their car :D

 

I have H&R RSS Clubsport coilovers for about 13k miles now, all street driving, and no problems yet.

 

hey PGT have you installed yours yet? I'd like to take a ride before I set my install date with Funktion.

 

Wednesday. The guy buying my PSS9's is coming by to watch and hand me tools