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Been running H & R springs and Bilstein HD's for about 6 yrs now, both have performed very well. A local Porsche tuner shop did the set-up just above RS ride height and alignment which is important with the overall performance. I wanted a lower ride height with a firm but not harsh ride and have been pleased. At the end of the day this set up really transformed the ride and have proven very reliable and fun on extreme twisty roads.

Is your car a Targa? Would the spring rate change with the extra weight of the Targa roof?

justin993

I concur
I went with the PSS9s about 6-7 years ago and I couldn't believe how much better the ride quality and feel was over stock. Plus the adjustability is simple and nice option.
PSS10s are a great choice considering they are an improvement over the old 9s.

nile13

Bart, I exaggerate, of course, with Konis. But they fail (leak) a lot and in my own and friends' experience don't last too long. I'm not so sure that it's not cold related either. And they provide a pretty easy lifetime replacement, but, of course, labor and alignments are not free.

So far in my own experience on three cars with Bilstein HDs it appears that they are more reliable. Whereas PSS9s seemed to have several issues, one of them was loosing adjustment *****, IIRC.

pp000830

I have the H&R coilover kits on my car. For street driving they are great!

P-daddy

I also have HDs and M030 set slightly above RS. Got them from Gert. I could be wrong, but I thought the HDs from Gert gives you height adjustability on the rear and extra thread on the front. Not sure if the ones sold in US are the same. I'm very happy with the set up. It's sports car firm, and never harsh. I drove a friend's 997 S with oem suspension, and that was much stiffer by comparison.

tian647

No kidding! Unfortunately Bilstein prices took about a 50% price hike this fall. You know, right when I started shopping

If anyone has serviceable take-off Bilstein HD/M030s or PSS9s they want to unload, "How you doin'?"

As to OP's inquiry, the biggest complaint regarding Koni's is the lack of adjustability at the back makes it more difficult/limiting to corner balance the car. Bilsteins are height-adjustable front and rear so make it easier to setup.

Many folks also add a Front Protection Bar when lowering to add some measure of safety to their undercarriage. As ever, opinions vary regarding its merit.


Christian
'95 Carrera

Kika

I have the M030 springs with HDs and am pretty happy.

Although my car does not serve any track duty, just street.

OTOH, I have never compared side by side with H&R/ HD combo.
I think the only way for you to know is to drive cars equipped as such if possible.

Jeff Crowley

You and everyone considering Bilsteins else needs to get the new Bilstein B8 sport shocks not the HDs specifically designed for sports cars with MO30 from Gert in Austria. Can't get them in the states easily. I think I paid $1400 shipped for shocks & springs. Gert@Carewal.com

stickypatch

The B8 are slightly shorter, as I understand it, and don't allow quite so much adjustment of height.

Are you saying the B8 are set up better for M030?

nile13

You are slightly confused, Jeff. In order to understand that let's look at Bilsteins recent history on naming their shocks:

1. They had two shocks identical in every respect except the actual tube length. One was called HD (longer), one Sport (shorter) in US. To make it confusing US-HD was called "Sport" in Europe and US-Sport was called "Sprint". Again, the two shocks were the same - same monotube technology, same valving.

2. Bilstein recently renamed everything. US-marked HD is now B6, Sport is now B8, PSS10 is now B16 and something called B12 (pro-kit) is listed but I personally don't know what it is (Steve W. or Bill V. probably do).

So... Sport/Sprint was designed to be used on "lowered" cars. In case of a 993 even with perches down to RS height shorter shocks were not needed. That's why HD has been used for the last 15+ years in this application. I've had HDs on both my 993 and Sport (now B8) on my old E30. I can tell you that valving there was also slightly wrong

PS. You are welcome, Bilstein. It's great that you are doing your marketing job so well that most of your customers are royally confused.

dbrians

As I'm looking to update the suspension of my new-to-me 96 C4, I've exchanged emails with Gert this week. Here's the nomenclature: Bilstein B6's are better known in the US as Bilstein HD's...two names for the same thing. When B6's are paired with ROW springs and the car is on a lift, the longish piston allows the wheel to droop so much that the ROW springs appear loose while a gap forms at the top of the springs...which can be unsettling to an American owner and can cause a European owner to fail a tech inspection....so the Bilstein (still an HD) B8 was born. The B8 is identical in every way to the B6, except that the piston is shorter by 20mm. So when your car is on a lift, you will no longer observe a gap at the top of your ROW springs.

I intend to pair Bilstein HD's with ROW M030 springs, so I'll spec the B8's from Gert..

Garth S

I have had both H&R's and '030' with HD on my C4S .... set at ~140mm/125mm f/r ( ROW sport -10mm).
I removed the H&R's in favour of the 030's - very pleased with the latter combo, as it suits my driving style on secondary roads - and remains controled and compliant over all surfaces, which the H&R's did not
PSS10's ?.... probably better, but I'll never know unless I become dissatisfied with this set up.

cp993C2S

I have a '98 C2S which origniated w/ M033 US-spec. I first changed to ROW M033's on Euro-spec Monroes, then changed springs to H&R Sport on those shocks. OK. Then went to PSS10's all-around...perfect! NOT harsh, but excellent damping and adjustable, when needed. I was concerned these would not be nice to live with daily, not a worry at all...compliant spring rate w/ adjustable damping and a rebuildable strut. Works for me.

I have a set of OEM ROW M033's, if anyone is interested.

pirahna

Im interested. let me know a price.

nile13

As I wrote above, B8 is not an HD. The rest is correct, although it's unclear to me why but B8s (I believe they are more expensive).