Another PSS9 / Cross comparison

It has been a month since I replaced the PSS9s that had been on my car for the last 85,000 miles. I wanted to wait before writing this until I had adequate time on the Cross coilovers and until I figured out what the knocking noise was in the rear end when running over small bumps in the road.
I installed the Crosses myself in my garage in about four hours and since I was replacing coilovers with coilovers I did not need to compress any springs. I get a little squeamish when I have to compress springs. The front went on quickly, about 30 minutes apiece. The rears take longer because they require drilling holes in the top of the strut tower openings, so the adjuster cables can be routed into the cubby holes either side of the trunk.

Note: It is very important to use the top of the strut towers with the bushings as a guide, when locating the hole for the flexible adjusters. I used a center punch to mark the spot. You could also use a dowel with a touch of paint on the end and slide it through the strut tower bushing to mark the spot. If you are off by even a little, the adjuster will bind and bend the adjustment **** at the end of the shaft. Bummer . It is also a good idea to make the hole slightly larger than the instructions say. The top end of the shock moves around in the bushings when the damper is compressed and uncompressed and will again bend the flexible adjuster shafts, another bummer that I know about.

Now for the comparison. First the disclaimer. These opinions are based on my own preferences and experiences and not scientific data.

PSS9s
I installed the PSS9s myself as well about 3 years ago and don’t remember having any problems. The craftsmanship of the PSS9s is fantastic . The welds are clean and smooth. The stainless bodies and anodized CNC’d hardware are top notch German engineering and well worth the money. I bought them at Shox.com and felt like I got what I paid for. The height adjustment increases and decreases the damper travel, since the adjustment is on the shock body. This is where my biggest gripe lies.

Ride impression. First of all I need to list some of the other components on my car. I have front and rear Hotchkiss competition anti-sway bars and road IE front adjustable camber plates. I usually run UHP 215-40-17 tires that last 18,000 miles if I am lucky. I have another set of wheels for the track wrapped in Falken Azenis.

The PSS9s, set at the softest setting, were pretty rough on city roads. It didn’t feel like they were way stiffer than the sport suspension on my Cooper S, but it felt like I got “boinged” around on uneven roads a bit more than before. At sub highway speeds I could feel each bump and manhole cover in the road as I would expect with a high performance set up. On the freeway, the PSS9s where very smooth and controllable and felt better than the OEM sport suspension. On the track I set the rear sway bar on the stiffest setting and the front on the softest setting. With the PSS9s adjustability I could set up the car from fairly neutral to minor oversteer, depending on damper settings and tire pressure. I felt the PSS9s performed very well on the track. Side to side lean was minimal with PSS9 and Hotchkis combination.

Now for the height adjustment: On the road, I keep my car set at around 23 ¾ inches from the ground to the top of the wheel arches, which is nearly as high as they go. I lower them ¾ s of an inch for the track. With the car lowered, it didn’t take much of a bump for the dampers to surpass their stroke and slam the strut tower, so driving to the track was always touchy. As the PSS9s wore, after about 70,000 miles, they started to bottom out on pot holes and bumps in the road even when I had them raised. Changing the strut settings didn’t help, it only made the ride more uncomfortable. Over the last year I started to brace myself every time I came to a little bump in the road, waiting for the slam. Yes, my strut towers are mushroomed now. A knock in the rear suspension developed. I later found out this had nothing to do with the PSS9s. For the most part I was pleased with these shocks; however I will not consider these or any coilovers that travel is affected by the height adjustment.

I had been researching new coilovers for a while and had it narrowed to a couple different brands. I leaned towards the Cross coilovers, because the height adj. did not effect the damper travel. The decision was finalize, however, after being schooled by Jan (of Revolution Mini Works) at a track day. Jan also said they felt about as smooth as his OEM setup on his GT. I was skeptical about that part, but wanted something for the track that wouldn’t kill me on my daily 60 mile commute. My main concern with the Crosses was the spring rates of 400 front 337 rear. I was afraid they would induce OEM understeer with the Hotchkis ft/rr competition sway bar combination. In the end I figure if the understeer is too bad on the track I could always put my stock front sway bar back on the car.

The craftsmanship of the Cross dampers was not, IMHO, as clean and polished as the PSS9s, since they use galvanized steel instead of SS. The Crosses are solid and well built. The adjustable camber plates and CNC pieces are gorgeous and everything fit perfectly.
My impression of the general ride of these shocks is that they are stiff but smoother than the PSS9s. My car rides more like an E36 M3. My car doesn’t “boing” like it used to; it kind of feels like it grew about 6 inches longer. It has been a long time since I had my sport suspension on my car, but I think Jan may be right, this new setup feels like it may be smoother than my sport suspension. The Crosses are without question more comfortable around town than my PSS9s. I am no longer embarrassed to take other adults for a ride in my car. There is a short canyon run by my house that I know very well. One of the 50 mph turns has a bump that would cause my car to bounce about a foot to the side if I didn’t straighten the car out before hitting it. With the Crosses, my car did not hop to the side, and the wheels remained planted to the road and that was with the dampers set at 1/3 stiff. I also found a great cloverleaf that I could safely hit at speed and did so several times. The car felt quite neutral, throttle steering was a kick in the pants. I haven’t taken the Crosses to the track yet, so I don’t know if I will need to replace my front Hotchkis sway bar yet. . After a month on these dampers I can honestly say I love them. I wish I would have switched before my shock towers mushroomed. I would suggest finding someone with a set Cross Coilovers and go for a ride.
By the way the knocking in the rear of my car was due to a slightly loose endlink bolt . When the weight was off the suspension everything felt tight, but when driving at sub 40mph the knocking was very annoying. It was also very difficult to locate, because the sound was transferred to different locations along the rear sway bar and it happened when either wheel hit a bump. A very reputable shop told me my rear shocks were going out. I was about to yank my rear shocks out for a third time, to make absolute sure that I didn’t do anything wrong, when I decide to try retorquing the endlink bolt. TAH DAH it was loose. I torqued it, replaced the wheel and went for a short ride. Silence. I had to go for an hour ride just to make sure. I have had my Cooper for 106,000 miles and I still love driving it.

 

Thanks for the review! Cross makes nice stuff indeed; glad to hear you're pleased. Do you know what spring rates you're running?

Your story about the end-link being loose is a kick; I've heard that one many times now!

 

Ryan,
Matt is running 400 front/337rear

 

Cool thanks Jan! That would equate to a 7kg/mm front and 6kg/mm rear, which is very close to what I'm running in my MINI. You know I'm always looking for more data points!

 

Great write up! Would love to read your opinions after tracking them

 

 

I will post my impressions of the Crosses on the track. After driving around and trying to push, them I fully expect them to be fine. I might have a little driving style adjustment, but that's good for me. Unfortunately, my next track day probably wont be until the end of February, but more realistic Springmountain in March. I dig Springmountain.

 

we are going to SOW on the 9th of Feb

 

Good write up, I've been leaning towards the Cross coil overs now that I am ready to upgrade from my stock shock/H-Sport setup, and this helped to confirm that choice, thanks.

 

Great write up. i'm going to go with Cross coilovers now!

 

Maybe I should start a new thread about this, but for all the Cross owners out there now, how much from your initial install did your car end up settling?

I originally lowered my car so there was gap where I could slide my index finger between the top of the tire and the trim comfortably. No gap around the finger but just right - so, maybe about 1/2". Since the install, I'd say my car has settled another 3/4" on the rear and maybe 1/2" on the front. Is that about the same for everyone else?

 

mgbeut,

Great writeup. It is no surprise that your PSS9's lasted 80,000 miles, they are a solid setup. I was pleased when I sold them in the marketplace for a great price. The Cross definitely have a different feel to them and the everyday drivability is DEFINITELY improved. I love mine! We will see what they look like in 80,000 miles.

 

I am glad this review helped a few people out. I've actually started looking for reasons to go drive again. Little errands like picking up the kids or running to the store.
As for the settling. I had just had my car corner balanced about a month before I changed to the Crosses and the technician said the car was almost right on when he put it on the scales. He did say he had to adjust it a little. I guess just enough to charge full price. It had been about three years since the last time I had it corner balanced and had raised and lowered the car for track day about 10 times. I was careful and used digital calipers each time, so I guess I did a pretty good job of moving them up and down to the same location each time. Anyway, that was also when the technician said the rear strut was beginning to wear out. Turns out it was just the loose end link bolt. That is neither here nor there, as I was ready for a change after 80,000 miles. Before changing the shocks I measured from the floor to the top of the wheel arches and made sure I adjusted the Crosses to the same height. I figure this should get it pretty close to the same corner balance. With worn 205 40 17s the front were at 23 3/4 and the rears were at 23 5/8. I now have new 215 40 17s on and the fronts are at 23 3/4s and the rears are at 24 1/4. Not too scientific, but it looks like the front may have settled around 1/4 to 1/2 and the rears not at all. I may put the old wheels on in a month, take a little more time measuring and readjust the height. If it looks like they are settled in then I will schedule to have it corner balance.
I haven't noticed any difference in ride quality.
That reminds me, IMO the height adjustment of the Crosses is a little easier.

FYI:When adjusting coilovers, I found it helped to put a light spray of oil, like WD-40 or Tri Flow, on the coilover threads and then wipe them off as clean as possible. If you leave oil on the threads they will attract grime. Before I adjust them each time, I clean the threads with a little brake cleaner and a nylon brush then give it a light spray of Tri Flow again. It just takes a few minutes, but it keeps the threads in good shape and makes the adjustment go a lot quicker. If there is a lot of sand and grit in the threads it helps to raise the coilover a full rotation, THEN clean with brake
cleaner, THEN lower to the exact height. If you get anxious and start lowering your coilover when it is a little dirty it will bind up and turn into a real bear. Keep your Cross instructions, because it tells you the exact distance of one full thread.
If you have digital calipers (cheap at Harbor Freight) you can just measure the exact height.
I hope this make sense. I'm an engineer not an english teacher:impatient .

 

Great write up as I am on the same track on going with the cross. I currently have Hotchkiss sway bars in front and back, 22s and 26. Not sure if they are competition adjustable ones.

I was contemplating to go with pss9 but this just further validates my chioce. I wanted a little more comfort ride in the street while being able to adjust them to track stiffness.

The technical language and their height adjustabilities with dampers, the spring rate and all is a bit overwhelming for me and not quiet sure in how to get this figured out by myself. That's why I have to have a shop do all the work for me. I would like to learn more about how to set/adjust the suspensions when I do get mine so I can request the shop to set them at levels and stiffness that I want while driving in street.

 

Search for the largest jpeg of both shocks and you will see the difference. You can find a good shot on the manufacturer's web sites. Cross is JIC/Cross if you do a search.

You will notice the PSS9s have a one set of lock rings right below the spring. This is how you adjust the height on the PSS9s. As you thread the lock rings down (lowering the car) you are also reducing the travel of the shock (damper portion). When the car is lowered for track use their is very little travel left. At first I rarely hit the end of travel, but after a couple of years I seemed to hit it quite often.
On the picture of the Crosses you will notice the same set of lock rings below the spring, but you will also see another lock ring about two inches below them. The lock ring is loosened and the entire shock/spring is turned down into an additional outer body. The travel is totally unaffected, cool. Cross is not the only manufacturer to do this and there is probably some trade off, but it seems to be worth it on the Cooper.

 

mine settled too. I set it higher than stock and the rear now sits about stock height, the front a bit above. need to crank it down once the winter ends