H&R Street Performance Coilovers

[reyoasian]

--delete please

[onerazorsharp]

Last time I researched and paid for some coils, H&R always used the Bilstein monotube shock (same as PSS) and were stainless steel.

I believe the downsides, when I compared to something like the PSS10 at the time, was that they used a pretty generic spring and top mount design. In the end, for my application (STI), the H&R coils required the vehicle to be too low for optimal compression/rebound and the perches were reported to make clunking noises. HOWEVER, my buddy just picked up a H&R street set for his B5 S4 and they're fantastic - no noise, ride quality is great, and ride height was a lot more adjustable. His are stainless too.

You could spend months researching the best coilovers, but consider two things:
1) you get what you pay for
2) buy based on features, not just "performance"

I ended up opting for an adjustable set last time around - a set I could adjust on the fly. Life saving feature when temps dipped below 15 here in MN. My buddies H&R's are adjustable, but you need to jack up the car and take the wheels off. Much more of a set it and forget it suspension. Also, by adjusting the dampers I was able to dial in more oversteer and WAY less bounciness by increasing rear damping vs front. 13front/17rear.

If you're concerned about Stainless, I'd assume you're concerned about corrosion. Consider something like this to ease your mind: (click for link to see size/price)


I used these on a set of non-stainless coils and after 2 winters I took them off and they still looked new.

[onerazorsharp]

Hi, as I won't be going to the track with this car, and might not even go auto x (possibly just 1-2 times a year), I'm thinking of just going with B14 for the 1-way adjustable. I won't even adjust the right height, just gonna let it set at 0-finger-gap.

From my experience, the more adjustment I have, the more I'll be tempted to play around with it....

Also another question, do we need extenders to adjust damping in the rear? Doing so on my current IS250 is a PITA without extenders as I need to get all the trunk lining off...

As claimed by Bilstein, B14 and B16 are 100% the same except damping adjustability, that's why I'm willing to settle on the B14 for 60% of the price of B16 (things are expensive here in Canada)

And yes, I care a lot about SS and corrosion resistance coating....with Canadian winter, any non SS will rust after one winter :)

Haha, I'm not far from you here in Minnesota - though this winter decided to Ice Bucket Challenge the East Coast instead of us per usual.

Honestly, look into those coil covers even if you get SS. They're only like 30 something a pair.

With your cold weather, if you're driving them year round, I would suggest finding a set with adjustable dampers. Had the Variant 2's been available for my previous cars, that's the route I would have gone.

just my $.02

Where would you grab a set of B14's?

[chris@fifteen52]

Yes KW has V1s, V2s and V3s.

[onerazorsharp]

I'm reading H&R Street Performance are not damping adjustable. Is that true? So they're just like B14 or KW V1 then..

The street performance set is not. The premium set, which they have made for some of the previous gen cars, has adjustable dampers. I believe they are 1-200 more than street perf (at least on ECStuning) and have not been released yet for these cars.

Until you mentioned the warranty, I completely forgot to factor that it. As far as I've seen, both H&R and Bilstein have lifetime warranty to original buyers. That's a big plus for someone that will ride them year round in harsh conditions.

So far as I've seen, adjustable dampers comes at a hefty price - about 800-1000 more for a set. If price point is set, the B14's might be your answer. At the same time, just consider that you'll have to live with them just as they are

Edit: Check out the AWE Bilstein Thread and talk to Mike

[onerazorsharp]

GENERAL AFTERMARKET WARRANTY DETAILS
ThyssenKrupp Bilstein of America warrants its gas pressure shock absorbers against defects in workmanship and materials for as long as you, the original purchaser, own your car.

If a shock/strut malfunctions and Bilstein determines it to be defective, we will either replace it or repair it depending on the term of the warranty based on the assembly's model type.
Note: If your vehicle was equipped with Bilstein from the factory (original equipment), warranty claims must be directed to the vehicle manufacturer.
WARRANTY DETAILS FOR TC (B4) / C / HD (B6) / Sport (B8) / BTS (B12) / PSS (B14) / PSS9 & PSS10 (B16) / 5100 (Application Specific) GAS PRESSURE SHOCKS
LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
Bilstein warrants to the original retail purchaser that, for the life of each Gas Pressure Shock, this product shall be free from defects in material and workmanship. Proof of purchase is required process warranty. Please return product to the original place of purchase.

[onerazorsharp]

Tough choice there...

Both use progressive rear springs with linear front. Both have lifetime warranty. Both are TUV approved. Both are German made. The KW's have external bumpstops so you can change/replace them if needed. This typically only matters when you lower the car significantly. The Bilsteins are internal, but are monotube and therefore easier to rebuild and re-valve.

In my opinion, the Bilsteins mono-tube design is an advantage for handling performance vs the KW twin tube design on the V2 (the V3's are better than both imo). However, the twin tube design will offer better ride comfort and the V2's are more adjustable - meaning you can adjust them to be as stiff when it's time. The Bilsteins offer only about a 1" drop or so, but this is the most you'd want to go unless you're looking to slam the car. The V2's can go lower.

The Bilsteins are more simplistic to adjust, 1 knob does both compression and rebound. KW's are separate adjustments, but can be fine tuned to rid any negative handling tendencies.

I would recommend Bilstein. I believe two vendors on the forums have deals on them.

[JGreen76]

If you don't live in an area where the roads get salted, I recommend ST XTA. I am very pleased with mine. They are basically KW V2 with a galvanized body opposed to SS.

[onerazorsharp]

better get ahold of AWE for promo on Bilstein if you're gonna do it. Their sale ends today.

[onerazorsharp]

Exchg rate ewwwwww. Ya, waiting on mine too. Know when yours will be here?

[onerazorsharp]

spend the $ - get the Audi.

[onerazorsharp]

I opted for leasing, but Audi's are seriously expensive. Lame that I could lease an M235xi for 479 a month and yet I'm paying 600/month for the the cheaper sticker S3. Oh the BMW would have been damn near fully loaded.

I am curious to see how the vehicle value holds in 3 years. My last vehicle, I made 4k on top of getting my down payment back. I doubt that will be the case with the S3, but if this thing drops like the S4's did it'll be something new when lease is up.

[onerazorsharp]

Only down side to leasing is I will need to sell my vehicle privately and there may be downtime of having no car, or overlap where I have two cars. But would be nice to get that cashflow to mods and stuff though.

Haha, this is exactly what I had to do. Sold my STI on the 3rd of this month and now barrowing one of the family vehicles (2015 Chevy Tahoe) - got super lucky that my folks have migrated south to the timeshare just after retiring. Good lord I feel like I'm driving a school bus...

My car should be arriving next week. I hope...