Received the new PSS9 coilovers today and had them on the car within 3 hours. The set comes in a nice professional package, two spanner wrenches, clear instructions, nice finish and everything fit perfectly. First test drive around the neighborhood was wow. I can tell the spring rates are higher but the fact they are progressive makes them just fine for the street. I set the rebound to 9 all around (softest) and the suspension is quieter and smoother with these coilovers than my previous configurations, plus I went out of my way to run over bumps, manhole covers, etc. Tomorrow I get to autox on them and learn which rebound settings work best for my driving style (not real fast) and car setup.

So you know, I've run stock shocks with H-sport springs, Leda's with 3 different sets of springs and lots of rebound settings, and have even run Leda's in front with stock shocks and H-sport springs in the rear.

I was unable to get a alignment done this afternoon, but was able to get my camber settings very close to what I had before. (-2.2 F, -1.2 R) The Bilsteins use the stock tops in the front and I can report that they work fine with the RDR camber plates. The rear adjustment is easily reachable - it is near the bottom -- the front adjustment is under the tube at the very bottom.

Some weights as promised for TonyB:

• Front w/stock shock, H-Sport Spring, and top = 10 lbs
• Bilstein Front w/Spring, and stock top = 10 lbs
• Leda Front w/spring and top hat = 10 lbs
• Rear stock shock w/h-sport spring and stock top = 10 lbs
• Bilstein rear w/Spring (& helper spring) and stock top = 7 lbs
• Rear Leda w/Hypercoil spring, and stock top = 7 lbs

I got these from www.stranoparts.com for $1699

 

You are a man of your word! Thank you. It looks like there is nothing to gain weight-wise with these, and that is ok. I think the KWs are a few pounds lighter, but weight is obviously not the primary reason for going to coilovers...

Glad you got them before the weekend, and your auto-x event. If you don't mind, please share what you experience. Also, I would love to see some photos installed, if feasible. Did you do the install yourself, or did you go to a shop?

 

did you say you got the PSS9 Bilsteins for your MINI for $1699?

how come i've seen them advertised for like $2500 elsewhere?

 

Where have you been Danner? It was brought-up in this thread, obviously

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=27518

I can't wait to hear his impressions after the auto-x. Some photos installed, revealing adjustment points would be most cool (hint, hint)

 

Got a ton of runs in yesterday :smile: I set the front rebound to 6 and the rear to 4 (9 is the softest).
The rears ***** are easy to reach. The front ***** require you to turn the wheel out -- then
lay down and reach under the shock. There is a little blue plastic cap that fits over the adjustment ****.
It is not easy to get off. You can't see what you are doing and must turn the **** clockwise-softer
or counter clockwise-stiffer and listen for clicks.

It's going to take a little practice to be able to adjust these quickly and precisely. I've got to say the
adjustment **** on the Leda's is easier to use.

The shocks felt very good -- I think I need to experiment more with the settings - I think I should go
stiffer for autox. 9's on all corners is great for the street.

I didn't get any pictures of the install, but here's one of the rear bilstein unit compared to the stock
shock with H-Sport spring.

 

Thanks for the follow-up, here and on MINI2. I suppose you'll be pursuing an alignment fairly soon. Once dialed-in, please continue to share your impressions. Any corner weight figures are always nice to see as well .

I'm checking on shop prices in the Bay Area for the install and alignment...

 

dpayne1

Do you get any poping noise from the front springs when turned? I'm trying to figure out how to stop the noise, do you have any reccomendation?

Thanks

 

No I don't but I do have a slight rattle when going over bumps in the front I'm trying to run down.

When you say "when turned" do you mean "while turning?"

Are you running front camber plates?

How much clearance do have between tire and fender liner? Or what is the distance from the ground to the fender? and what is your tire diameter?

David

 

dpayne1

I have the JLM Camber Plates. The spring poping noises can be heard while turning or when I'm running over uneven surface. I run on the 16" X-lite standard wheels and the ride hight is very close to standard hight.

pyugala

 

I have heard a variety of noises from the P&D camber plates during development, but the latest edition with the moly-filled nyon *****, well lubricated with moly grease are pretty quiet. Use the zerk fitting to give them a squirt. They may take a bit of bedding-in time. it is possible that at the most negative camber setting, your spring is contacting the inner fender and rubs when turning.

As far as noise in general, I have tried three sets of coilovers and they are all noisy with suspension movement, mostly from spring rattle when topping out on rebound, or coil slap from progressive spring action on compression. the Leda's I have now are scarey if you hit a slight pothole. I have still to minimize the dampening for the street. i also have all polyurethane front bushings and the nylon ***** in the camber plates, so how can I complain?

I tracked down a slight rattle to a shake in the steering rack (changing toe on the passenger side by about 1/8"!), I have a new rack waitng for the install time.

 

John

Is Moly filled grease is the same one that you put on the CV joints (the consistency is quite runny in comparison to the normal grease)? The mechanic here in Thailand dont't know if it is call Moly. When I have the plates installed, the mechanics used normal grease. Will this damage the nylon ball or the o-rings inside? If I could not get the Moly here in Thailand can I use silicone grease instead?

Thanks

 

for something like those ***** which don't rotate very fast, a sticky grease is better, like wheel bearing grease. moly is probably overkill, but it is designed for extreme pressure applications. the nylon and O-ring material is impervious to any greases i know of. don't worry if some oozes out aroung the ball socket...just wipe it off.


my set has been in the car for 5000 miles and I have not felt the need to re-lube.

 

dpayne1,

Now that you've had a chance to run your car for a few miles (both street & track) with the PSS9's you've likely experienced a noticeable improvement in handling & performance in your MINI. So, what is your overall impression of the Bilsteins compared to your previous setup?

A

 

My overall impression is that the bilsteins are smoother than the leda's -- especially on the street. The leda's feel more harsh over the same terrain. Now this is not an apples to apples deal as the springs on the leda's were linear and 250F, 275R, and the springs on the bilsteins are progressive and 325F and 345R. (approx)

After corner balancing and an alignment the car feels better - I have another autox on Sunday and will report again - I'm going to go firmer on the bilsteins and see what happens.

 

Good to hear. You've encouraged me to place my order and I look forward to having them installed as soon as they arrive. Meanwhile, keep us posted and please continue to share your thoughts of the Bilsteins under each of the different conditions as you continue to put them through their paces.

 

i finally! got around to adjusting my Leda's. Previously, breaking them in at a setting of 12, hitting a NY pothole (even a little one) felt like someonw was slamming my axle with a steel hammer. I set them to 24 (softest) and now it feels like a rubber mallet; much more acceptable. No track time yet; I haven't had the time to corner balance them either.

 

John - what sort of spring rates did you get with them?

 

as Karl recommended: 250 or 275 front, 350 rear (i think)

 

Update on the Bilsteins.

Went to adjust the shocks for Sunday's autox and discovered the blue plastic cap and the adjustment wheel missing from the passenger front. It was there last week and apparently has fallen off. Grrrr. The shock is still adjustable with some small vise grips, but not optimal at all. I'm working on getting these parts from Bilstein.

Shocks still work great however. I set all 4 to firm for my first run -- made it through the 2 gate slalom, the 45 degree left turn -- then into a 180 right hand sweeper, lifted in the middle of the corner -- spun it and stalled it. Restarted, and finished the run with a very tail happy MINI. Softened the rear's to 8 (9 is softest) And also relaxed the fronts to about 4 for the next 3 runs. Car would still rotate on lift, but much less aggressively. I continue to be impressed by these shocks, but I'm again dialing in the car. I look at this as my science experiment in suspension tuning. I do not remember the Leda's as having quite this much of an impact on handling through rebound adjustment.

 

Thanks for the update - much appreicated. Please share your experiences in how Bilstein addresses that issue with you...

You seem to be one of the few venturing the MINI into SM. If that is so, I truly wish you well, and hope the Bilsteins's help you achieve your goal(s). Thanks again.

 

dpayne1,

thanks for sharing your impressions on the PSS9 setup. I have mine coming...it should be here soon.
I will have to keep an eye on the **** and cover.

Alex

 

dpayne1,

I found my PSS9's for $1,627.51 on shockwarehouse.com. I ordered them Friday, received them today and am having them installed tomorrow. I'll keep what you said about the **** in mind with this new setup. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the PSS9's.

AMPR

 

Called Bilstein yesterday -- they are shipping me the parts no charge. There is a small set screw that holds the adjustment wheel onto the bottom post. The guy I spoke with said these are the second iteration of the PSS9s for the MINI. Apparently the first version were too stiff.

 

I took a look at the set screw, just in case, but couldn't figure out the size. It might be a MIL spec and if it is I hope they send you the right tool. BTW, my intial impressions of the PSS9's are favorable. Even on 9 they're slightly more firm than the stock setup. It's recommended that you let all the bushings settle for a wee, so I go back for the wheel alignment next week.

 

Anymore feedback guys? AMPR, if you had them installed when you mentioned, I guess it's been over a week already. Curious to know if everything is going well, and if your impressions are also favorable. Please do share...

dpayne1, I hope you got the set screw, and all is well. Alex, did you ever get them? Boy, I sound like a pest! Thanks a bunch.