ele

Hi, I would like to know what is adjustable with H&R coilover. Can you adjust their height and the stiffness? I am a bit confused. Some says stiffness can only be adjusted on PSS9 coilover and not H&R. Let's sort that out.

Ed

DJF1

There are two flavors of H&R coilovers now:

The H&R PCS coilover which is adjustable as the PSS-9 ( height, stifness, corner weight and balance)
and the H&R coilover varities which you can adjust height, corner weight and balance but not damper stiffness.

ele

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the corner weight and balance?

Thanks
Ed

DJF1

Each corner of the car has a weight value. Our car weighs around 3000 pounds, if I remember correctly is around 900 pounds each rear corner and around 600 each corner in the front. When you set up a car for a particular purpose ie a specific track you can adjust the weight for your benefit on each corner which will also alter the balance of the car. For example if you lower one corner by even a mm and you have the car on the on the weight scales you will see the weight on this corner and the cross weight ( opposite cross end) change dramatically which affects the weight distribution and ultimately the balance of the car. Ideally each car when it goes on alignement/ corner balance, will have the driver or the normal weights in the car when this is done. If you are on the alignement rack and sit in your car you will see camber, caster, tow values change dramatically with you in the car as well as corner weights. In other words If the car is perfectly set without you in the car when you get in the setup values are way off. So lets say if you are the usual only driver in the car or setting up the car for the track then you must be inside the car or your equivalant weight for the mechanic to tune the car perfectly to you.
All the manufacturers have setups for various cars. Some also some specify weight like BMW when the alignement is done but without the true weights in the car the balance and ultimate handling is a compromise.

If you plan to run your car on the track or you are usually the only driver in it, ask your mechanic to corner balance and align your car after the H&R install with you in the car. If you find this bothersome or he has some insurance grouches to let you be in the car tell him your true weight and demand to see it placed in the drivers seat.

Hope i explained it as plainly as I could!

Greg H.

If you regularly run with a passenger or instructor, would you want to have the car corner balanced with two people in it, or would none be close enough?

Greg

DJF1

If you are advancing in your track experience you are not going to have an instructor for ever. Also when you drive the car at the limit usually it is in a track envinronment. The procedure is not cheap, I would go with just the driver.
Its your choise, if you want to go with both seats then have you or your weight in the drivers seat and an average weight that you think on the passenger seat.

hn

Danny, is it obvious that for a perfect balance, the weight should be distributed equally to each corner, with the driver in the car? Or it's not possible since the back is much heavier than the front?

I guesst the amount of gas in the gas tank has to be considered, too.

thx

Kristoffer

I always hear about the PSS9s. what is the difference between the two??

DJF1

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by hn:
<strong>Danny, is it obvious that for a perfect balance, the weight should be distributed equally to each corner, with the driver in the car? Or it's not possible since the back is much heavier than the front?

I guesst the amount of gas in the gas tank has to be considered, too.

thx</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">yup, gas,driver, rims, tires everything counts! My car is set with 3/4 full gas since we had to worry about minimum weight for my class. Our cars by definition are rear heavy due to the engine location. Again setups are varied for the track but as my mechanic explained the most imprortant measurement is the cross balance. His scales measure the corner weights, axle balance and cross balance. To get the cross balance which essentially is the combination of all 4 and measures both ends, crossing corners he said its the most important. Think about an X with each corner of the X representing the corner weight of each corner. You want the middle of the X to be at a certain percentage and each crossing end ( \ or / )to balance perfectly.He spend about 2 hours with me inside the car to tune it perfectly ( he is too ****). Looking at the individual corner weights they are not the same on all axles. The car without me in it again the weights and cross balance change...
In the same fashion Robert's and Sean's cars were setup in his shop when I was there. A combination of ride height adjustment on all 4 corners does this. Then the alignement follows which is another painstaking procedure...

Kristoffer what is your question? sorry I did not get it!

hn

Thx Danny. Now I can see why a proper alignment cost a bunch.

Kristofer asked the difference between pss9 and HR coilover.

HR coilover = height adjustable
Bilstein Pss-9 = height+stiffness adjustable
New HR coilover PCS = height+stiffness adjustatble

Hope that was what you asked.

Edward

Sorry, but this is the first I've heard of the H&R PCS. An option to the Pss9...Interesting. Should I assume that the H&R adjustable is a Bilstein "PSS9-like" unit with compression/rebound valving that's similar? IF so, what in practical terms is the difference between the two? Spring rates? Price? Anybody...?? TIA

Edward

DJF1

I posted a thread not long ago about the PCS. I do not know about the spring rates, it certainly looks PSS-9 like, but I'm sure that the shocks would be bilsteins valved to H&R specs and the springs would be different rates than the PSS-9.
The big question mark is if this system would be install friendly with the stock perches and sways and will not have the known difficulties of the PSS-9.