Bilstein B14 coilovers.

Discussion in 'Suspension, Brakes, Wheels & Tyres section' started by Mike265cup, Oct 25, 2015.

  1. So I fitted the bilstein coilovers on Friday. Such an improvement over the OE cup suspension. Soaks up the bumps so much better around town, doesn't feel like you're getting bounced about the place. Had a short blast out the road today and it's much more direct with zero body roll. Will give them a week or 2 to settle and then see if I need to adjust them a bit more. Pretty happy with the way it sits just now but possibly needs the rear up some more or front down, see what happens. Then I'll get the geo setup.
    6b57e4779b01c758ec65128b105bc3fd.jpg 3a545a51ad2a168d4860b437dd93dc8d.jpg
     
    Nigelo and Bowen like this.
  2. Daz

    Daz

    Still don't know why they don't do these in mk2 fitment
     
  3. They're a fairly new development aren't they? I know for the Clio 197 they're fairly new, so maybe Mk2 megane is in the pipeline
     
  4. :cool:
    Do love your wheels as well Mike
     
  5. I've got Bilstein pss9 coilovers on my Audi fantastic bit of kit.
    Looks spot on ! These are good at setting them up www.centregravity.co.uk
     
  6. The car does look better without the comedy arch gaps!
     
  7. Yea they've only been on sale a short while so so like you say the mk2 might be in the pipeline. You could alway ring bilstein and ask about them.

    Cheers mate.
     
  8. Looks good, you'll have to let us know how you get on with them and if they rust to bits or not :smiley:
     
  9. Haha will do mate. They better not rust to bits, they've got the bilstein triple C coating technology and come with a lifetime warranty so I'm sure they'll be fine.
     
  10. I've had the Bilstein on my Audi for 5 years and about 100k miles and still no problem
     
  11. Nice one.
     
  12. lovely

    Ive had them on a 172 Cup in the past, and bought em for my 197 but didnt get round to fitting them before I sold the car.

    Might end up going down this route eventually.
     

  13. I only mention it to be honest because people have paid loads for the Ohlins on the 275 only for them to basically tarnish horribly months later! 'Shocking' really >.<
     
  14. Yea I knew what you meant, I've seen loads of coilovers rust really bad and it is shocking considering how much they cost. Mainly why I chose ones with the lifetime warranty and rust and they'll be getting sent back.
     
  15. looking good Mike! and you messed up my head with this post... I was not supposed to see this... Keep me updated how they perform pls.. I'm going for the #199 trophyR probably, bud i may keep mine 265 and these coilovers were up in my mind for a while..
     
  16. Cheers mate. Will do
     
  17. So little update on these for you that want to know.

    Had them set as it looks in the pics above and after about a week the front had settled about 10-15mm lower than what it was, everything seemed perfect although it was looking a bit low for my liking.

    Finally managed to give he car a good blast with them on and noticed a vibration from the front through the whole car at 5k rpm onwards in every gear, was almost like an unbalanced wheel, not extreme but enough to notice.

    So I'd heard rumours before of the MK3 destroying driveshafts when running on coilovers and instantly thought it must be the shafts as I did notice they were pointing up at a fair angle. Got talking to another guy who runs these from Belgium and discussed heights he was running etc etc as he wasn't having any issues. After he had measured his and I compared mine he was running 20mm higher (bearing in mind mine had dropped almost that amount just with settle)
    So I set about winding them to the settings he was running and that has cured the vibration. BINGO! Must of been the strain on the shafts with such an angle.

    Super happy with how they ride/handle, like night and day from the wallowing OE setup. Couldn't recommend them enough. Will still be playing about with the height in the future, fancy it 5mm lower at the front than what it is now (provided the vibration stays away) but it's fine for the winter months as it is.

    Also I'd like to know if anyone else running coilovers on the Mk3 has experienced the vibration or not.
    I'll get an updated picture of the height it's at now tomorrow.
     
  18. Kept meaning to nudge you for an update :smile:

    On the note of ride heights, there was a cracking video on /drive youtube about suspension and ride heights etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0oi9SHJPvg I believe other than the complex hub arrangement the suspension is still basically a mcpherson strut just with an extra hub.

    Do they actually ride the bumps better noticeably?
     
  19. Pretty much is just a McPherson strut that doesn't rotate.

    The ride is completely different, it feels more solid if that makes sense like it's connected to the road better. Hard to explain, the cup setup felt almost bouncy if you like when going round town. Yes it's still firm but a different kind of firm.
     
  20. where did you get the billies from Mike, and which model are they....also any indication what the spring rating is ??
     
  21. This sounds good mike! I was wondering if my ride height was too low at the front, I'll take a good watch of that video at the weekend Grumpy!
     
  22. They're B14, I'll check the spring rates for you tonight when I'm home. Got them direct from Germany, a place called TVH.
     
  23. bcf374dd26334d48e3ea8d236b9442ad.jpg 33721b4494c539dd998e68569965cb26.jpg

    This is how it sits now, pretty happy with how it is but possibly have another fiddle with the height after winter.
     
  24. Looks spot on !
     
  25. -Jamie-

    -Jamie- RSM Moderator

    Looking forward to getting mine on as well to replace the shagged oem stuff. Even better that they didn't cost me much more than new Cup shocks
     
  26. how did the car end up after the fire Jamie ?
     
  27. That looks great!
     
  28. What sort of spring rates do these run? Ran bilstein dampers on me old same years ago real good quality and TUV approved iirc???
     
  29. Looks gorgeous Mikey. Is it not a bit too low on the back roads? They do sit high as standard to be fair. Mine is like a rally car lol!
     
  30. Not sure on the spring rates mate, I'll need to email bilstein direct to find out because I want to know this also. Gives you all the details but not Spring rates. They're excellent quality and TUV approved.

    Cheers mate, na there's still plenty of ground clearance. The standard height is rediculous haha.

    Cheers bud.
     
  31. -Jamie-

    -Jamie- RSM Moderator

    Awaiting fuel lines from Renault and a couple of hoses, aux belt kit and a headlight and that should hopefully be it, Mike has it at his garage the now just awaiting parts
     
  32. only thing with lowering these cars is, drive shaft UJ is already 'bent' out the factory, lowering only puts more bend in the join, and we see what happens when go too far hence the vibration you had initially. Really wonder how long the shafts will last at the lowered angle, guess lot depends on how the vehicle is used
     
  33. Now that there is no vibration I think the shafts should be ok. You could go lower if you fitted adjustable top mounts and ran some camber to counteract the bend in the joint.
     
  34. indeed, KTec tell me they've never heard of shaft issues when lowering and they, I guess, do lot of this kind work, think ill dive in on the billies also from TVH. Did you call them up as don't see the B14 specifically for renault on their site.
     
  35. When you're on the site you need to click on the bit where it says coilovers, just to the right of the home symbol then select Renault and car model that way. Then it will show you them. But you can also phone if you like, the guys are extremely helpful.
     

  36. Thanks Mike, appreciate your help
     
  37. No problem bud.
     
  38. Car looks great! Nice work.

    I don't know for definite it it was the coilovers, or the fact that I did lose a lot of CV grease when a boot split and didn't notice straight away, but I ruined a set of driveshafts in a few thousand miles, but I was running my car really low.

    I had H&R coilovers first, and now I've got KW V3's, and I'm actually running it a bit higher than it used to be because I think the height did ruin them. I think the height you're at now is perfect, so I wouldn't advise going any lower. Especially not when you see how expensive driveshafts are!!
     
  39. Cheers mate, yeah I have heard of a few that needed shafts after running low. To be honest it will probably stay the height it's at now for good. Nice to get some input from someone else with a MK3 that has coilovers. When mine was low I was getting a light wobble through the steering wheel when turning at low speeds, that's gone now too.
     
  40. Just a little bump for this thread.

    Really looking at going down the coilover route and was wondering if anyone else had any experience with the B14 kit and any photos to show how the car looks etc?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

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