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Chrisnick builds the better budget Bilstein coilover

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    Chrisnick builds the better budget Bilstein coilover

    I'll try to make this one quick as there's a TON of information in the Miata community about doing this. Notably these threads http://www.miataturbo.net/suspension-brakes-drivetrain-49/better-bilstein-ebay-coilover-thread-78451 and http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=289656.

    The biggest downfall of the eBay coilover conversion is that people put them on shocks that can't handle the increased spring rate and decreased ride height. The Bilstein HD's are a VERY strong shock and I could tell that they were very over-valved with the Skunk2 springs that were on them. My main goal with this was to get the benefits of a true coilover system, without the huge cost, and maintain ride height. No, I don't want to go stupid low, no I'm not going to lower it more. 13" from hub center to hub center is all that I want. I am not a greedy man, I drive my car daily, and roads here SUCK. At 13", I have PLENTY of stroke/travel in the suspension(especially in the rear, holy shit did Honda design a lot of travel back there), I'm not constantly smacking the front UCA into the inner fender(in fact, it's never touched it), I can fit a taller tire if necessary(great for winter)(and I've fit up to a 25" tall tire on it previously), the LCA's stay at a nice angle that's less than parallel to the ground(go educate yourself on why this is good), and it rides nice over the nasty bumps and holes that seem to populate the roads of BorHio.


    $118 total investment(not including the Bilstein HD shocks I previously had on the car). 550lb spring rates.


    The parts:


    New rear upper shock bushings from Honda($26):


    $50 generic Civic/Integra/Hondawhatever eBay coilover sleeves(measured and calculated to be around 550lb spring rates for front and rear):


    Energy Suspension front Shock bushing kit #16.8016G($22 from autozone):


    Energy Suspension 2.5" ID spring isolators($20):


    Fronts assembled:




    51mm for the ID of the sleeve, Bilsteins measure 50mm OD shock body. A couple quick wraps with some electrical tape around the shock near the top of the body and just above the perch keep the sleeve tight against the shock body. The spring perches could be removed, but there's some horror stories of snapping/losing the rings out of the grooves on the shock body with just the coilover sleeves riding on them(see above linked threads). They'll stay as it gives a nice solid place for the sleeve to sit on and I don't feel like bashing on the perch all day just to get it off.

    Adjusted back to my 13" hub center to fender measurement of the previously installed Skunk2 Sport springs, and under full droop, we have some room between the tophat and the springs, oh well.

    Yes, I believe the front's need longer springs. As it sits, they're about 7.25" long, and at full droop, are about an inch or two too short and have no preload. A tender or helper spring could work well here, but I'm aiming to keep a linear spring rate under compression.

    Yes, the rears DEFINITELY need longer springs. Also at 7.25" long, there's a good 2-3" gap between the top of the spring and the tophat. A tender or helper spring could work well here, but I'm aiming to keep a linear spring rate under compression.

    Both of the above mentioned problems will be resolved eventually as I play with spring lengths and rates.

    Post the taken off Skunk2 Sport springs for $100. $18 investment once those sell, so far.

    Ride height pictures? You'll get none. Why? Because ride height hasn't changed, silly.

    Performance: Definitely stiffer, not bouncy or harsh. I'd dare say it's a bit more comfortable now with these rates than previously with the progressive rates of the Skunk2's. WAY, WAY, WAY, WAY, less initial roll on turn in. Extremely responsive. Love it. The rear of the car is much stiffer than previously. Potholes and such still suck, but the car doesn't bounce as much and settles much quicker. Larger dips and bumps are much more quickly absorbed as well. Still crazy smooth on the highway. Gotta love the Bilstein's low speed damping. With the HIGH amount of high speed damping Bilstein's naturally have, the stiffer springs feel much better at controlling the faster movements that come with potholes and small, quick hits from road imperfections. Haven't driven it hard enough to really feel how it rotates, but that's because I don't drive that hard on the road and save it for autocross.

    I'll post more updates in my build thread, http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=204334.

    Any questions, post them here and I'll answer the best I can.


    '98 Prelude resto/mod thread

    #2
    I can't remember where you wrote it ,but you mentioned somewhere that you had a way to get Euro-spec Bilsteins that are a little stiffer than the USDM stuff. Any chance you could elucidate on that?

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