Zuffenhausen :O)

Hi Guys

I'm new here, based in the UK, 1st post so take it easy with me, got my 993 back in May its a 96 Carrera 4 coupe and I'm delighted with the car with one exception, its on standard, worn, lowered, original suspension which needs changing so I wondered if I could pick your brains please guys, sorry if this is a repeat post.

Bilstein PSS10's............

These are high on the shopping list for fitting next year, but it would be nice if anyone out there with experience of these dampers could give me some feedback, I get the impression that these are able to be adjusted for a supple ride on the road then dialled up for track day use, I wasn't going to track this car but have now decided to go in this direction.

The other shocks on the shopping list are the Bilstein HD's with ARB or sway bar upgrade, while these are considerably cheaper than the PSS 10's over here, I'm not entirely sold on them, even though I've been in a 993 with them fitted and really couldn't fault the ride.

I suppose it's the big kid in me wanting the adjustable suspension AGAIN! Although as I understand it, the adjustment of the PSS10's is limited to soft and hard which saves me wasting days fooling around with it. I would like to just dial in the extra stiffness for a track day rather than have the car permanently set up in that fashion, but obviously I don't know how much difference to expect between the soft /hard settings, hopefully this is where experience of these shocks will chime in and mention what the ride comfort's like set on soft.

I'm also kinda just wondering what I'd gain though by fitting the PSS10's in real terms over the HD's and that's the reasoning behind the thread, decisions decisions eh!

Anyhow chaps any pearls of wisdom either way would be appreciated, and may just make the decision a less agonising one!

Thanks for reading my babble.

Toodle pip.

jscott82

I may be a little biased here (see my avatar) but if you want to do ANY track time, anything less than the PSS9/10 will let you down.

One thing I will point out though as it is a very common misconception, you are not changing the suspension for soft to hard.... That is determined by the springs and they do not adjust. The only adjustment offered by the PSS shocks is the compression setting(even the rebound is fixed).

There are two benefits to the PSS over “stock” type suspensions…
1) Spring rate – PSS is twice as stiff as stock suspension
2) Some adjustability

There is a sweet spot with these shocks which is about ¾ full stiff where they are setup “correctly”. You have the ability to soften the compression which makes the shock slightly under damped (car tends to bob) but give a nice subtle ride quality, or you can set them to over damp (car tends to “vibrate”) which makes it feel sporty and turn in quickly.

Just my 2cents.... there are some much smarter people than I on this board that may have other opinions...


edit: And Ill add, at 3/4 full stiff the ride is still pretty comfortable.

Paul K

+1 for the PSS10 setup.

bart1

I have the HDs and H&R sports. While I am pretty happy with them, I wish I had gone with adjustable units. I do intend to add adjustable swaybars at some point, which I hope will keep me happy. If I lived in the UK, I would strongly consider KW V3.

matt777

I'm running the PSS10s with H&R sways on the street and they are very nice. I don't know what the HDs are like but am happy with my choice and have no problems running them at 3/4 settings (6-8).

cgfen

i have a 96 4S with B 10's.
I like them for their adjustability for track days, but even when set to the softest setting, #1, i wish the ride was more plush.
if you use low profile tires, (30 series), i think you'll find the ride quite stiff even when set to full soft. Setting #1 is more "harsh" than the stock dampers were on my car.
And i drive in So. Cal. where we have quite smooth roads!

cheers

Craig

ironimages

+2 for the PSS10's I looked long and hard at the HD's and JIC's the PSS10 for me was the perfect compromise, it's nice to have adjustably. Depending on how many miles is on your car you might need to replace the front A arm bushings and rear lower control arms also.

stace

I have the HDs with H&R springs and overall like them. great improvement over stock. I have also driven Paul Ks PSS10s set about middle of their range. I thought the 10s were very slighly less harsh when going over pavement breaks or road flaws. From all I know and have read the PSS10s are better - its a matter of are they enough better for the extra cost? if you are going to set them and leave them and always be on the street - HDs work fine for me. if you are going to do any consistent track time - the better the suspension the better the car will handle. its only money!!!!!

cdmdriver

Are you kidding? I too live in Southern California and our roads have been neglected for so long they are horrible.

I would highly recommend the PSS10's not only because they are a great setup, but also for the adjustability. Not only can you easily adjust the shocks (rebound or compression) for track(or very hard driving) to daily street driving, you can also adjust your ride height from RS to US and anywhere in between. I set my PSS10's to 1 for normal street driving and 7 to 9 for track. I also was able to lower my ride height from US spec to RS +10mm!

Why limit yourself?

Cheers

beers4all

The HD's are a huge improvement over stock but I regret not going the coilover route.

Zuffenhausen :O)

Thanks guys

I really appreciate your input, I love the idea of the coil overs and in all honesty will be a little disappointed if they don't go on the car, my problem is the car will be used mostly on the road with planned regular track days as often as possible, but over here in Blighty the condition of the roads is far from ideal, the car will also be wearing low profile 18's which wont help the cause.

As I don't want to lose all my fillings with a harsh road ride, I was kinda hoping that the Bilstein PSS 10's might have the flexibility of adjustment to have a margin of suppleness built into the ride, unfortunately the KW's appear to be even more hard core track orientated than the PSS10's, so no matter how appealing they are its unlikely they'll go on the car.

At the moment I do find myself leaning toward the HD's with Euro M030 springs or similar, combined with a sway bar upgrade, perhaps this combination may just be the best compromise for everyday usage and track time where my needs are concerned.

Obviously I'd love a more track orientated car but it would just end up being shaken to pieces and be a real pain in normal usage over here.

Plenty of thought will be given to this though, and any further comments are most welcome.

zone5

HDs are great, never harsh and I wouldn't want them firmer. They seem perfect. Very happy with no regrets.

ReinerFink

I track H&R springs with the HD's and I like it. I have a friend with Moton's on his 993 and I like that better. HD's will be fine for daily driving plus the weekend track warrior.

-reiner

177mph

+1

Adrienne

Well, if price is no object, go with the pss10s. I have had both the HDs and the pss10s on my Targa, on the street and track (DEs only). Now on the pss10s, I am quite pleased. It's a great improvement for track, and it's comfortable on the street too. Best of both worlds.

However, if price is an object, the HDs are a very good alternative. I tracked with the HDs for a few years and they were just fine.