Bilstein PSS Coilovers (Previously H&R Coilovers)

[AmbisoniK 0]

Hi all,

 

i've just recently bought myself a Corrado VR6 & am looking for the best suspension package for around £700 or under.

 

i realise that bushes/topmounts etc will need to be replaced on top of that + i'll have to get the geometry/camber etc sorted.

 

my shortlist is : -

 

H&R coilovers

 

Bilstein PSS coilovers

 

FK Koenigsport coilovers

 

Bilstein Dampers/Eibach or H&R springs

 

i've got a set of BBS RS301's 17"x7.5" to put on @ a later date as there in need of refurbing.

 

anyone got any experience of any of these setups ? - also is it really worth taking the coilover route ?

 

i'd like to drop the car as low as possible without compromising on handling.

 

any help much appreciated as i can't really seem to find much info about the H&R/Bilstein coilover setups in particular.

 

cheers :wink:

[alby 0]

i had the h&r height only adjustables on my old mk3 vr6.excellent ride quality.i took them off a year or so later and they had no corrosion whatsoever on them.

 

smart bit of kit

[AmbisoniK 0]

i had the h&r height only adjustables on my old mk3 vr6.excellent ride quality.i took them off a year or so later and they had no corrosion whatsoever on them.

 

smart bit of kit

 

cheers for the reply :)

 

that's pretty much what i thought - they seem to be very highly rated,but it seems most people tend to go for the Koni Top Adjustables with Eibach or H&R springs or FK coilovers.

 

out of interest how low did you drop them ?

[Slimbo 0]

Get yourself onto the Edition 38 forum, they've got a group buy on the go at the moment where you can get a set of FK Konigsports delivered to your door for £500.

[alby 0]

i had them set at approx -60mm with 7.5" 17's.

 

once i got them to that height i never touched them again.seems a bit of a waste having all that adjustment available and never using it but ive bought fixed height kits in the past and never been quite happy with the ride height.

 

at least with the coilies you can set it exactly as you want.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The FK Konigsports work well on a VR6, as does the Koni/H&R combo.

 

The H&R and Bilstein coils are pretty hard, a lot more so than the FKs.

[AmbisoniK 0]

Get yourself onto the Edition 38 forum, they've got a group buy on the go at the moment where you can get a set of FK Konigsports delivered to your door for £500.

 

yeah i heard about that - i sold my Vento VR6 yesterday to one of the Gwent VW Audi Centre boys & he recommended these - he's got them on a MK4 TDI...the price definitely interests me,but i'm not 100 % about the quality of them as say compared to the H&R's or Bilsteins (talking long term wear)

[AmbisoniK 0]

i had them set at approx -60mm with 7.5" 17's.

 

once i got them to that height i never touched them again.seems a bit of a waste having all that adjustment available and never using it but ive bought fixed height kits in the past and never been quite happy with the ride height.

 

at least with the coilies you can set it exactly as you want.

 

yeah i'm with you totally on that - the 35/40mm drop you get with Eibach or H&R springs for example don't seem quite enough.

 

what suspension setup you using @ the moment ?

[alby 0]

at the moment i have got some fk ak coilovers on my corrado.

 

they are excellent for the money.but i cant see them looking as good as the h&r's after a year tho.

 

i would definately buy h and r's again in the future.but couldnt warrant spending 6-700 on a car that didnt cost me much more.

 

ive had konigsports on a mk1 cabriolet last year. but its hard to compare them to the h&r's as they were fitted to 2 completely different cars.

[AmbisoniK 0]

The FK Konigsports work well on a VR6, as does the Koni/H&R combo.

 

The H&R and Bilstein coils are pretty hard, a lot more so than the FKs.

 

cheers for the replies..i'm kinda heading towards the Koingsports - what's the difference between the Silverline ones & standard - i assume it's just that there stainless steel ?

also does this mean they will wear better (ie won't corrode) or just the 'bling' factor ?

 

Kev - i always thought (not much experience in this field mind:)) that Koni coilovers were considered among the hardest out there - i suppose FK have tweeked the dampers to there own spec so there not so harsh ?

 

appologies for the endless questions :wink:

[AmbisoniK 0]

at the moment i have got some fk ak coilovers on my corrado.

 

they are excellent for the money.but i cant see them looking as good as the h&r's after a year tho.

 

i would definately buy h and r's again in the future.but couldnt warrant spending 6-700 on a car that didnt cost me much more.

 

ive had konigsports on a mk1 cabriolet last year. but its hard to compare them to the h&r's as they were fitted to 2 completely different cars.

 

the wear factors what i'm worried about as i'm looking to keep the Corrado for as long as possible & don't want to have to replace the suspension @ all really - i know what your saying about not wanting to splash the cash too much - i suppose it's all about finding a balance really.

 

think i got it down to one of two choices now,either FK Koingsports (poss the Silverlines) or the basic H&R coilovers.

 

any ideas where the cheapest place is to buy the H&R's ?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Tom (VR6) has the normal FK Konigsports on his car and they're over a year old. When we adjusted the ride height to fit his RH 17s, the collars just spun off freely as if they'd been soaked in oil all year and there was no surface corrosion *at all*, so whether or not you actually *need* the silverlines is up to you.

 

On their ride quality..... I couldn't really fault them, even with the 17s. OK it's slightly too bouncy for my liking on the bump, but the rebound is fine....just depends what your local roads are like. The ride quality isn't quite H&R/Koni standard but for a coilover, they are very very good indeed.

 

The koni coilovers aren't the hardest around.....Avos are pretty hard (and cr@p) and the Bilsteins are supposed to be bone jarring. I've driven a MK2 Golf with H&R coilovers and felt they were too hard aswell, but the setup for the Corrado VR but not be so harsh.

 

Leda suspension is pretty good actually and they'll make anything you want to your spec....but that kind of service and quality comes at a price unfortunately.

 

It's looking like the FKs isn't it? :D

[alby 0]

i bought mine from the last inters at the trl.they were 550 at the show.the firm was motorsport wheels based in essex iirc.

 

you could also try stsmotorsport.co.uk they are based in slough

[AmbisoniK 0]

Tom (VR6) has the normal FK Konigsports on his car and they're over a year old. When we adjusted the ride height to fit his RH 17s, the collars just spun off freely as if they'd been soaked in oil all year and there was no surface corrosion *at all*, so whether or not you actually *need* the silverlines is up to you.

 

On their ride quality..... I couldn't really fault them, even with the 17s. OK it's slightly too bouncy for my liking on the bump, but the rebound is fine....just depends what your local roads are like. The ride quality isn't quite H&R/Koni standard but for a coilover, they are very very good indeed.

 

The koni coilovers aren't the hardest around.....Avos are pretty hard (and cr@p) and the Bilsteins are supposed to be bone jarring. I've driven a MK2 Golf with H&R coilovers and felt they were too hard aswell, but the setup for the Corrado VR but not be so harsh.

 

Leda suspension is pretty good actually and they'll make anything you want to your spec....but that kind of service and quality comes at a price unfortunately.

 

It's looking like the FKs isn't it? :D

 

 

thanks for the info - i dunno i'm still 50/50 on this,i'm gonna get some quotes on the H&R's & take it from there - i'll keep you posted :wink:

[AmbisoniK 0]

i bought mine from the last inters at the trl.they were 550 at the show.the firm was motorsport wheels based in essex iirc.

 

you could also try stsmotorsport.co.uk they are based in slough

 

£550 - damn that's cheap ! - only £50 more than the Koenigsport's on the Edition 38 group buy,or about the same as the Silverlines (not incl postage tho)- very tempting !

 

sent off emails asking for quotes for the H&R's from the 2 x places you recommended above - will let u know how i get on.

 

thanks for your help guys :)

[gradeAfailure 0]

There's a few places in Germany selling the FK coilovers on eBay for around the 400Euro point - that's about £275 in old money, plus the shipping, which shouldn't be more than about 40Euro...

 

Gewindefahrwerk is German for coilovers, I believe; they do two versions (I'm guessing one for the valvers and G60, and one for the VR), you just tell 'em which car they're going onto and they send you the correct set...

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 95493&rd=1

[146 Jockey 0]

I Have the H&R coilovers on mine with 17's and find the ride great on the motorway but around home(Speed ramps etc) they are hard enough. Still can't fault them even though they were one of the most expensive.

[daves16v 1]

Just because I'm curious, are Konigsports part of the Koni range as in Koni-gsports or are they made by FK.

 

Cheers

D

[Kevin Bacon 5]

They're made by FK but use Koni dampers.

[AmbisoniK 0]

Just because I'm curious, are Konigsports part of the Koni range as in Koni-gsports or are they made by FK.

 

Cheers

D

 

yeah - a bit of both...

[carpoid 0]

'Konig' is German for 'King' though, has nothing to do with the Koni shocks!! I'm sure i read somewhere that H&R Coilovers are made with Bilstein shocks, with H&R's own springs ??? True or False?

[LicklePaulie 0]

I'm sure i read somewhere that H&R Coilovers are made with Bilstein shocks, with H&R's own springs ??? True or False?

True - and in my humble opinion they work jolly well indeed... I mean speed-bumps are not the most enjoyable experiences but are still passable (unlike some others I've had) but the cornering ability is still superb. 'You get what you pay for' as they say.

[AmbisoniK 0]

'Konig' is German for 'King' though, has nothing to do with the Koni shocks!! I'm sure i read somewhere that H&R Coilovers are made with Bilstein shocks, with H&R's own springs ??? True or False?

 

 

True :wink: - http://www.needforspeed.co.uk/hnr/pages/HRProducts.htm

[AmbisoniK 0]

well i bought a set of Bilstein PSS Coilovers today,thanks for everyones input :)

 

...got them for a good price/deal from Eurocarparts Bristol with basically most of the old suspension parts being replaced with new OEM parts -

 

Rear Beam Bushes,Topmounts + Bearings,Wishbones + Ball Joints,ARB Bushes/Track Rod Ends/Drop Links etc.

 

thought it would be a good idea to replace any suspension parts now,so i ain't got any problems with it later on & hopefully get that 'new car' feel on the ride.

 

thought about going Powerflex with the Bushes etc.but decided against it as i expect the ride is gonna be quite hard anyway (if my Bro's Golf VR6 with Bilstein/Eibach/Powerflex setup is anything to go by !) & in Newport the roads look like the surface of the moon (huge craters everywhere) - the council needs shooting :2gunfire:

 

anyways will let you know what i think of them & post some pictures when i eventually get them fitted :wink:

[AmbisoniK 0]

well i fitted them + all the new OE suspension components & got the tracking/camber sorted to -1.5

 

been on the car for a few days now & all i can say is i'm well happy.

 

i'm running 'standard' ride height for now until i get my BBS RS 301 rims on & get the arches rolled.

 

i say 'standard' because the car has dropped @ least an inch over the OE height without any adjustment to the coilovers...which is nice :)

 

contrary to the popular belief that Bilstein PSS's are supposed to give a hard ride i've found them to be only a little more so than standard,yet corner very very flat to the point where i havent found the limits of the handling ability yet & that's with standard speedlines on ! (& believe me i've tried).

 

obviously i gave it a couple of days for the suspension to settle before really pushing it.

 

would definitely recommend them.

 

to sum up there built to last,are very heavy duty,the ride is not too harsh @ all & above all handle superbly well...