Talk me out of Bilstein PSS-10

J

Joker2

Member
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2011 Mazda 2 Sport 5 MT
Why should I not spend $ on this setup? Car is DD with about 15k per year on mixed quality roads, some gravel roads <1000 miles per year, some rainy day autocross events, some TSD rallying mostly paved, winter tires Nov-April and BFG SC2 for rest of year.

And if I get this setup how much should I get it for and why?
 
Less than a thousand miles a year for daily driver? Do you work at the end of the block? And mixed quality roads all the way?
 
Honestly, I can't talk you out of it. I'd be the one to talk you into to it. With the "stock" Bilstein kit springs, the car is still comfortable to drive on the street, and gives a lot more resistance when stressed into serious handling maneuvers. The only thing I changed on my kit from the way it came in the box, was added stiffer front springs (and custom machined stock top hats to fit them) and removed the rear rubber isolated (installed a thinner material) to get the rear lower by a 1/4".

You will not be disappointed, nor will be be asking if "I shoulda got xxxx instead". The kit is so well engineered, it could have easily come from Mazda as a factory accessory, or option kit.

Just be careful and don't go too low with crazy offset rear wheels, they will rub. But on stock wheels or anything 7" wide with a 35(conservative) offset, have no worries. Keep the front camber under -2.5, and enjoy.

For serious autocross use, you will need better, but for an all around dual use(or great driver), this is the setup.
 
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Joker2 said:
And if I get this setup how much should I get it for and why?
Click to expand...

Gave the why ^ shop around and you can find it for mid $800's. I got mine from a place called AJ USA. $828 shipped
 
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Just a footnote, at full "low" on the kit, a 15x7.5 with a 225 tire and 42 offset fits with no problem. It will rub on the front struts if you try and slot them to get more than -2.5camber, but -2.2 ish can be had with upper camber bolts and stock lower bolts in the front.
 
Thanks for offer. I was going to Englishtown for a track day but I screwed up my back yesterday. So yes within driving distance. I may take you up on the offer. If you are going there today my friend Bob will be there with his Turbo Miata. You would recognize him because he also aurocrosses with the NNJR. He can show you the lines, and he is very safe. We have been doing track days there for a few years.
 
i couldnt decide between this kit and the corksport dampers/ h&r springs combo.. i too was going to order from ajusa as they were lowest price on bilsteins when i had my titan, but the corksport kit was still cheaper and i had already commited a lot of my money to corksport to begin with.. people would think i was sponsored by them with all the corksport stuff i have on the car.. but they dont,, they just take my hard earned money hahaha.. anyways.. i love the corksport setup. it is VERY comfortable as the dampening is adjustable. My wife doesnt even complain which is a big test. Lately tho i have really wanted more LOW which i cant do anything about... So i would assume the corksport setup is more comfortable but the bilstein setup will look better as its height adjustable but not dampening adjustable. You cant lose going that route tho as bilstein is a very respected company. Do it or do the corksport combo.
 
I have to call corksport and order the camber bolts and the skid tray for an upcoming TSD rally.
 
Joker2 said:
02semiata, do you have this kit?
Click to expand...

Yes I have the same kit. All the info is in my build thread. I changed the front springs from the progresses 275 rate to a linear 400 rate. I will be changing the rear springs as well from 220 to 350. This is not needed of course but I wanted some better and stiffer springs then what ship with the coil overs. I might also send my shocks out to get revavled but so far I am happy.
 
honestly i don't think anyone could talk you out of them with engineering, it would have to be price. If you don't want to spend $816, i would most likely go corksport, if price was no issue i would most likely look at the AST kit that Andy has talked highly of(i don't know if it's actually "released" yet though). I choose the Bilsteins and am very happy with what i got, for my needs. My car is my daily driver, and my autocross car. I'm new to autocross but i wanted something that would perform well in both autocrossing and city driving. In the future if i ever got really serious in autocrossing and went more of a dedicated autocross car and less of a daily driver i could always revalve the dampers and get double rate springs, without having to spend a small fortune upfront for a car that might be too "tracky" to daily drive. Much like others have stated the performance is great, the ride comfort has definitely gone to the sportier side of the spectrum but i actually really like that, all my past cars have been lowered and it feels weird to just float along the road, on stock suspension. On at least decently paved roads it won't be too much of a difference, on serious road irregularities or really uneven ramps you will definitely be reminded that you have performance suspension.
 
Like the OP I'm looking at the Bilstein setup for mostly DD, but some autcross use. However, I'm curious how the height adjustment affects the performance. Personally, I love firm, sporty suspensions, but I hate dealing with the BS that comes along with a lowered car. So I'm attracted to the bilsteins cause I can dial the height as high as possible. Does having it up high negatively affect the sportiness of the suspension setup, or does it ride about the same?
 
George Patches said:
Like the OP I'm looking at the Bilstein setup for mostly DD, but some autcross use. However, I'm curious how the height adjustment affects the performance. Personally, I love firm, sporty suspensions, but I hate dealing with the BS that comes along with a lowered car. So I'm attracted to the bilsteins cause I can dial the height as high as possible. Does having it up high negatively affect the sportiness of the suspension setup, or does it ride about the same?
Click to expand...

Having it set to the highest point will keep your center of gravity higher than if you had it lowered, but having all the extra suspension travel room will keep the ride more comfortable.
 
I love mine! Bilstein is quality. Ride is firm but not uncomfortable at all. I matched my ride height to my old H&R sport springs and only the occasional steep driveway/monster speedbump will have me second guessing. If i recall correctly, the minimum drop for the kit is 1". They look pretty too. :)
 
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