Pearlpower

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Got around to installing the Bilstein coilovers on the SC430 today.
Front was a piece of cake and took around an hour and a half. Rear was a pain as the rear carpet and covers need to be removed. Not difficult, just lengthy as I wanted it to remain spotless and there are alot of clips back there. Other than that install went without a hitch.

Here are some pics.





Lee

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

Keep in mind a couple of things first:
1) Not yet aligned. Though stock ride height was maintained and I carefully marked alignment points, the car will still need an alignment shortly.
2) Alignment will come after new wheels are installed late next week and then the car lowered once those wheels are installed. I am not into really slammed lowered car as I drive in the real world, but a nice 1-1.5 inch drop should work out nicely.

With that said, I was a bit surprised and at first mystified on my first drive.
The car corners flatter than the GS did when this kit was on that car. Could be because the SC is already lower than a stock GS and has a lower center of gravity. It could also be the stiff sidewalls of the run flats. Regardless, this car is very flat in the corners. Not as flat as my Porsches with aftermarket sway bars and coilovers but damn close.

Turn in response is exponentially quicker vs. stock. Turn the wheel and the car reacts akin to a telepathic response. No more mushy steering response. Pick a line or spot on the road and the car goes where you want it. Very nice indeed.

I was able to push the car around some turns and feel the car is very neutral in it's handling with this setup with a hint of oversteer. This will be resolved with the wider wheels/tires and stance. Plus the rear sway bars are adjustable if needed. Now I did not try to clip any apexes or slide the rear end (not yet at least) but I did take my favorite little back road at some slalom speeds (60mph) and was thoroughly impressed with the transition from hard left to hard right right and back and back and back ,etc.... The car was controllable and predictable. In fact this kit feels better in this car than in the GS which makes sense if you read my other post on the spring rates of this kit.

An unexpected benefit is the behavior of the run flats which are planted and no longer ,"skip" over bumps as it did with the stock shocks. Could be the stock shocks are a little wore, but I noticed others mention the skipping as well. No more. The run flats are still bumpy but easily maintain control over any road surface. This was a pleasant surprise.

The car now feels like a sports car-in a good way. One of the things I liked about this kit is that it uses the stock upper mounts which are more compliant than Tein Flex's (see my review in GS search) and absorb really small bumps. Feedback is instantaneous but not taxing to the hands and arms. It is not jarring, just communicative and the car can easily be handled with one hand where as before two hands were needed over bumpy surfaces due to the run flats. I went over some rough roads with the Caltrans Special treatment on them to check for noise and/or abnormal behavior and there was none. These Bilsteins have always been quiet unlike the Teins I had for the GS as some others have complained about as well. I am not saying these are better than Teins, they both have there strengths and weaknesses as described in my GS review.
Will post more comments as the miles pass, alignment done, and new wheels installed. I am also interested in how the top/down will affect the handling as the weight is shifted from center to rear.

KevsSC

Excellent review!! I love Bilstein. I had the PSS system in my S2000 and in my Integra. I had no problems with them and the ride was very good. I even took out the helper springs and the ride was smooth. good stuff

herragge

Thanks for the writeup Lee! I think your one of the first owners to get the bilstein kit.

Just wondering, why did you opt to go for the Bilstein's over the Tein's? I would imagine the bilsteins are slightly more aggressive with a higher spring rate...

Looking forward to some overall pics of your car.

Steve

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Nice job Lee.

I don't think he bought the Bilstein kit per se. I don't even think Bilstein has a kit for the SC430. I believe this PSS setup was on Lee's GS.

Pearlpower

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Neo is correct, this was the kit off my GS400. I had Tein Flex's on the GS originally and wanted something stiffer which the Bilsteins are. However because the Bilsteins use the original upper strut mount, the ride was nicer vs the Teins which have the pillow ball mount with the advantage of the flatter handling. Since I already had them in hand and the calculations show that they would work well with the SC I gave them a try and so far am very pleased.
Lee

rominl

iTrader: (4)

nice writeup lee, awesome props to you!!!! if eveything goes right, maybe this is a good alternative to peope

SeattleWRX

This is very interesting. Great write up and good pics. How does this compare to the the Tein CS? Price and drivability?

Looking for stock ride quality with a lower stance. Everyone swears by the Teins, but this looks like an interesting alternative.

tonydt1g3r

I think everyone swears by them because tien makes good quality products and I cant think of another manufactuer that makes CS for the sc