Bilstein B4- fast road set up

[MaxTS]

I've been looking around at various suspension set up for my S70R as it is currently on Pro Sport cheap coilovers. They are fine when the road is flat but as soon as you hit a bump at speed them become un stable and I don't feel safe going fast in a twisty road.

My first choice was B6's but in all honesty I cannot afford these and yes they are great I'm sure but I am really thinking of B4's which are OEM replacements. The reason for this is that I actually like a car that moves around as you can feel what is going on with the car and on British roads, lets face it, they are crap so we need softer suspension really.

I understand that B6's are ultimately better on track but in the real world would they be THAT much better?

Any thoughts?

[jamesy12345]

I've been looking around at various suspension set up for my S70R as it is currently on Pro Sport cheap coilovers. They are fine when the road is flat but as soon as you hit a bump at speed them become un stable and I don't feel safe going fast in a twisty road.

My first choice was B6's but in all honesty I cannot afford these and yes they are great I'm sure but I am really thinking of B4's which are OEM replacements. The reason for this is that I actually like a car that moves around as you can feel what is going on with the car and on British roads, lets face it, they are crap so we need softer suspension really.

I understand that B6's are ultimately better on track but in the real world would they be THAT much better?

Any thoughts?

B6 dampers were pretty good around Croft but I've never tried the B4's. If you are going to use standard springs they should be an improvement over what you have now, but the set up might feel a bit soft for a tight track.

Roll, roll, roll your boat...



...standard T5 suspension. "R" should be a little better esp with new B4's.

[MaxTS]

Cheers James. I am planning on getting some lowering springs to suit, which I know the B4's aren't designed for exactly.
I know people say that stock suspension is crap which I'm sure it is on cars with nearly 20 year old suspension and it was bad on my old S70.

I plan to get Poly ARB bushes and the like to go with it which I am hoping to make a nice fast GT road car

[jamesy12345]

Cheers James. I am planning on getting some lowering springs to suit, which I know the B4's aren't designed for exactly.
I know people say that stock suspension is crap which I'm sure it is on cars with nearly 20 year old suspension and it was bad on my old S70.

I plan to get Poly ARB bushes and the like to go with it which I am hoping to make a nice fast GT road car

I agree mate any new dampers will be an improvement over old stock ones! They are great GT cars - last month I did 600 miles in one day in mine & enjoyed it too.

[MaxTS]

Yeah I love driving mine too but with the suspension and the roads round me I can never really let the thing go as I'm always worried about hitting a bump!

I've seen FPS sell a budget kit which looks okay and comes with lowering springs but it's very closely priced to the Billies.....

[MaxTS]

Also I like to watch my alternative motoring channels on Youtube such as Chris Harris on cars and he always states that whenever he is on a country road he always puts it in comfort mode no matter what type of driving he is going to do.

[kmb]

I'll be interested to see where you go with this Max, I'm also thinking of refreshing the near 20 year old suspension on my 855, I have looked at the £250 PFS kit as well.

How much do the B4 Bilsteins and spring cost? What springs will you use for the slight drop?

[Doingitsideways]

Roll, roll, roll your boat...

... Lame!

I've turned it into a bicycle

TBF, the standard suspension is mega soft.
On the S70, it's quite worn to the point that it now feels genuinely scary and unstable at speed.
Think I'll go for Eibachs and Billies when funds allow.
Coilies are too harsh for a daily, I think.

[kmb]

I think my 855 might look like that under tighter corners, I've taken to wafting around them at lower speeds

Max - There might be some potential for a group buy here?

[jamesy12345]

Yeah I love driving mine too but with the suspension and the roads round me I can never really let the thing go as I'm always worried about hitting a bump!

I've seen FPS sell a budget kit which looks okay and comes with lowering springs but it's very closely priced to the Billies.....

Aye it's pointless having rock hard suspension on our roads - just ends up making you go slower

... Lame!

I've turned it into a bicycle

TBF, the standard suspension is mega soft.
On the S70, it's quite worn to the point that it now feels genuinely scary and unstable at speed.
Think I'll go for Eibachs and Billies when funds allow.
Coilies are too harsh for a daily, I think.

see you on the strip then!!

[Doingitsideways]

see you on the strip then!!

Lol.

Think you'll destroy me in the Pork Chop Express, somehow!

[jamesy12345]

Lol.

Think you'll destroy me in the Pork Chop Express, somehow!

...might turn up in Pollution or the 'Mystery Machine'



not dressed like that though. Well maybe

[MaxTS]

I think my 855 might look like that under tighter corners, I've taken to wafting around them at lower speeds

Max - There might be some potential for a group buy here?

FPS sell the billies for 210 and and the Lendjfords (or however you spell them) are about 110 plus top mounts and bearing for EuroCP's for 30 it comes to about £350 which isn't too bad really.
I'm happy to try and set up a group buy if people are interested.

Do we get forum discount with FPS?

EDIT- Kilen springs

[Saaamon]

I've seen FPS sell a budget kit which looks okay and comes with lowering springs but it's very closely priced to the Billies.....

I bought that kit when i first purchased my T5 thinking it would make an improvement over the tired shocks, sadly I was very disappointed and ended up buying a different kit a month later.

[MaxTS]

Interesting, perhaps I should stick to the Billies. What did you not like about them?

[Saaamon]

They just didn't make any noticeable improvement, the car still felt very boaty. I could of been expecting to much of course. I understand the whole comfort thing, i don't like a hard ride either, if you buy an adjustable kit you could always set it on soft. Thats how i have mine.

[MaxTS]

Thanks for the input Saaamon.


I did some searching on reviews and the Saab guys seem to like them a lot.

"No boaty type feel here. Much tighter than stock ride, not harsh though.

So I've had some time with the PFS lowering kit. I've also never done anything with suspension before so my opinion isn't based on any real experience. I've experienced only a few friends cars with suspension mods and while it was cool for them I could't do it everyday. Now while I clearly feel a lower center of gravity, I imagine the ride feels like what a brand new Aero might feel like plus a few extra degrees of wow! I'll also admit (but not to my wife) that the suspension I took off the car (-rear springs) was nowhere near exhausted. Bumps are dampened now with a noticeably different tone and feel. They are absolutely felt with more sensitivity but in no way is it harsh. In fact it makes me smile. This kit is worth every penny and I think if the purchaser could know what they were getting in advance they would gladly pay even more for it.

So to summarize, non-spirited driving feels similar to stock Aero. I roll lower which I like and when the suspension actually is pushed a little I am quite pleased with its ability to dampen bumps, hold the road and it's response time.

I can't roll my jack under the car now though! I have to put it in at the wheel well and slide it down to the jack point. I can no longer go straight it with 2 fingers in the front and the rears are nicely tucked. Just the perfect amount of "stance" for me.

Still raining so the car is a mess. That being the case, had to take some pics.

Made a new set of low profile car ramps from 2x10's. Bump, bump, bump bump and stop."

[Saaamon]

I'm very fussy with suspension so tend be quite critical. Anyhow here's my 850 on the PFV kit while I had my front shocks rebuilt, this was taken at the weekend.

It's only the front that has the PFV kit on.

[martin_r_smith]

I love my bilstein b4's and eibach pro setup, perfect for everyday and stiff enough if you want to give it some stick. Might get overwhelmed by a full on track day but if you don't do many then I'd say they are spot on. My tdi is a little heavier over the front end too but still handles well.