Bilstein B14 Coilovers - any good?

[Braveheart]

Thinking about these for my 172 Cup which will be used for track days. There doesn't seem to be much comments on them in the forum. They are fixed damping.

Anyone got any opinions, whether good or bad? Cost is approx £800.

 

[SBV116]

There are a few around, search gaz kev, he has a set!!

 

[ForceIndia]

If you can afford the difference, KW V2's are where my money would go. The adjustable damping is worth the extra IMO.

 

[Fletcher]

Pretty much the same as H&R coilovers IIRC

 

[legohead01]

i love mine mate really gd all round. adjusting damping. well do that and u really need to know what your doin with them. and everytime u go somewhere u need to mess about with them. where the billies have had some gd money in to lookin for the best allround setting.. i wouldn't have anythin else myself. hope this helps

 

[rob_clio197rs]

i have the b14s, love them. perfect balance i think for the road. i came from apex springs to these so they are worlds apart! ive had them on track twice and had no issues. as above they are less hastle if your not sure on dampening rates and how best to adjust.

 

[maynard]

i've read a few good reviews on here about them, i'll be ordering a set. they seem worth it for the price, especially as they can go a bit lower on the back compared to the KW V2's.

 

[ForceIndia]

i love mine mate really gd all round. adjusting damping. well do that and u really need to know what your doin with them. and everytime u go somewhere u need to mess about with them. where the billies have had some gd money in to lookin for the best allround setting.. i wouldn't have anythin else myself. hope this helps

That's nonsense. I have a road setup, and a track setup (1 wet, 1dry). Takes under a minute to switch between them.

i've read a few good reviews on here about them, i'll be ordering a set. they seem worth it for the price, especially as they can go a bit lower on the back compared to the KW V2's.

Go>show.

 

[legohead01]

what im saying is i get in my car and drive it. feels great wet or dry. and im not sayin the others are crap i as had other set ups on a clio. but if u dont know wot setting u need. you take it to somewhere that do (at a cost) and even then its not set up to how u like to drive. not sure on cost but if u need 3 settings does that mean 3 setup costs?

 

[robins]

I have a set on a PH1, high quality product and the inverted monotube on the front helps out a fair bit with steering feel (Its much stiffer in compliance than a standard Macpherson strut). They give really good body control but with that comes the price of a harsh primary ride - it will follow the contours of the road pretty closely and be quite tiresome if you use them day to day. Put a hint of understeer into my car, but what came off it beforehand was a knackered set of dampers without any spring aids and the previous owner fitted a 1.2 rear beam with a smaller dia torsion bar in it so I can't really comment on balance properly. Really good for track use as they make the car so stable and predictable on the limit, but I wish I had the extra control of adjustable damping - I know this isnt everyones cup of tea though. Recommend some camber bolts with them or if your feeling brave slotting the top hole on the strut as they also put a bit of positive camber on the front when standard. Hope this helps

 

[broster@JAM-Sport]

Great coilover, one of the best coilovers out there i think, well worth the money

 

[Steviant]

what im saying is i get in my car and drive it. feels great wet or dry. and im not sayin the others are crap i as had other set ups on a clio. but if u dont know wot setting u need. you take it to somewhere that do (at a cost) and even then its not set up to how u like to drive. not sure on cost but if u need 3 settings does that mean 3 setup costs?

No, any coilover that you fit should really be set up correctly. With two way adjustables, you can stiffen or soften the damper setting. You don't have 3 set up costs.

As Warren said, you find the correct setting for yourself. I would change mine depending on which track and weather conditions.

 

[Kam.]

The Bilstein's are really good quality. They use monotube technology rather than the less advanced twin tube technology used by KW and many others. I would certainly go for these if I was after a non-damping-adjustable setup.

If you want the damping adjustment the KW V2 only has rebound damping adjustment and not compression damping adjustment. A better option is the AST Sportline I which is mono-tube, has both compression and rebound adjustment and has a rear coilover damper (which no other manufacturer offers)

 

[Gaz_]

Really rate mine. Not the same as H&R (which i've had before on previous x3 RS Clios) They have different (harder) spring rates, and wont lower as much on the rear. As said they use monotube technology, so again different to the H&R''d. Very direct/pointy set up. Slight trade off is they can be a touch harsh over the rutted pot holed roads at the min (round town). But very good an A/B roads. Need to pull my finger out and get them properly set up with tracking/camber.

Few on mine,

They also still look like new. The H&R's corrode very quickly for some reason.

 

[ForceIndia]

The Bilstein's are really good quality. They use monotube technology rather than the less advanced twin tube technology used by KW and many others. I would certainly go for these if I was after a non-damping-adjustable setup.

If you want the damping adjustment the KW V2 only has rebound damping adjustment and not compression damping adjustment. A better option is the AST Sportline I which is mono-tube, has both compression and rebound adjustment and has a rear coilover damper (which no other manufacturer offers)

TBf the AST's are 40% pricier! And I wouldn't have AST's again on a Clio. Do you sell KW?

 

[ForceIndia]

Not bad mouthing the Billies, by all accounts very good. But for me, the ability to alter the handling (within a minute!) depending on the track conditions is useful. I think Legohead has the wrong end of the stick. Adjusting the damping on the KW's doesn't require an outside setup, you do it yourself.

 

[Carlos Fandango]

These would be interesting - made by KW and with the same rebound adjustment:

http://www.kamracing.co.uk/index.ph...-renault-clio-mk2-2-0-rs-172-172-cup-182.html

 

[Phil @ P5]

If you want the damping adjustment the KW V2 only has rebound damping adjustment and not compression damping adjustment. A better option is the AST Sportline I which is mono-tube, has both compression and rebound adjustment and has a rear coilover damper (which no other manufacturer offers)

If you have adjustment, it's far better having adjustment on one part of the damper range than all of it. With bump/rebound adjusters, you find that you can never get the set-up dialed perfectly over the whole range. It's probably why you have the culture of soft for road and stiff for track as it's always a compromise.

JMHO
Phil

 

[maynard]

Go>show.

lol! I know, I'm a sucker for getting that back down a bit lower! I know the B14's will go a bit lower then the V2's - I guess that's the only reason why I'm gonna order them instead!

 

[Gaz_]

Not massivly dude. I'll dig out some pics. Went for a passenger ride in a Markfish Trophy the other day, (springs/knoi rears) the Billies felt about the same tbh!

 

[Kam.]

TBf the AST's are 40% pricier! And I wouldn't have AST's again on a Clio. Do you sell KW?

yeah we can get KW, just not got it on the site for the Clio yet. Will get it on later tonight..

 

[maynard]

Kam - how come the your not offering the B14's on the discount offer anymore?

 

[Gaz_]

got to be quick

 

[maynard]

gathered!

 

[bmh.01]

I really like them, about the only ones i've tried that give a nice ride as well as the performance sub £1k.

 

[Jonny1*2]

That's nonsense. I have a road setup, and a track setup (1 wet, 1dry). Takes under a minute to switch between them.

i've read a few good reviews on here about them, i'll be ordering a set. they seem worth it for the price, especially as they c...

Go>show.

That easy Warren? No jacking required? Presume when you say 3setting you only mean damping and not ride height?

 

[Gaz_]

You wouldnt really want to adjust height if on a track day, as in theory you'd need a full geo check done

 

[Kam.]

Kam - how come the your not offering the B14's on the discount offer anymore?

it was a deal to clear an overstock we had..

 

[maynard]

it was a deal to clear an overstock we had..

No problems...thought I'd ask the question!

 

[Nick r26r]

kw v2's are good for road and track IMO , the ast's from what i heard are a track setup set of coilovers and are very bumpy on the road , i love my kw v2's on the clio , just a shame they dont go very low on the back , may get a set of custom springs on the back of mine as i want it a bit lower , my mate had bilstein's on his old m3 and they were great also very nice drive almost drove like my standard m3 !!

 

[ForceIndia]

That easy Warren? No jacking required? Presume when you say 3setting you only mean damping and not ride height?

Yep, just the damping. When I get the car back I'll do a vid of how quickly I can go full hard to soft.
























Then I'll do a vid of the suspension.

 

[Kam.]

The AST's can be whatever you want them to be. They are available with a choice of different Eibach springs. We offer a setup for either road, track or slicks but we can also supply custom spring rates so if you want it softer than the standard road setup it is possible..

 

[RichCup]

I love mine, think the damping is absolutely spot on. Can be a little crashy on poor roads but that's about it. Depends what you want them for really, if you want a decent quality coilover that's not a harsh ride, go for KW V1's, if you want something a little more track biased, I'd go with the Bilstein's.

 

[ForceIndia]

The AST's can be whatever you want them to be. They are available with a choice of different Eibach springs. We offer a setup for either road, track or slicks but we can also supply custom spring rates so if you want it softer than the standard road setup it is possible..

I wouldn't mind a go in another ast'd Clio, as it's no exaggeration to say mine were poor. Everyone that drove the car commented on the poor setup. Even the instructors at Oulton were amazed at the understeer, but as I understand it the damping has been altered a few times since I had mine. Shame ast neglected to let me know they were underdeveloped at the time.

 

[ForceIndia]

I love mine, think the damping is absolutely spot on. Can be a little crashy on poor roads but that's about it. Depends what you want them for really, if you want a decent quality coilover that's not a harsh ride, go for KW V1's, if you want something a little more track biased, I'd go with the Bilstein's.

The v1's aren't up to much IMO.

 

[Kam.]

lol! I know, I'm a sucker for getting that back down a bit lower! I know the B14's will go a bit lower then the V2's - I guess that's the only reason why I'm gonna order them instead!

One thing to bare in mind with KW, Weitec, AP and FK is that the figures given for lowering amount is not the maximum. It is simply the range that they have been TUV approved for so can go lower..

TBf the AST's are 40% pricier! And I wouldn't have AST's again on a Clio. Do you sell KW?

I've got the KW back on the site now

http://www.kamracing.co.uk/index.php/renault/renault-clio-mk2/suspension/coilover-kits.html

 

[maynard]

One thing to bare in mind with KW, Weitec, AP and FK is that the figures given for lowering amount is not the maximum. It is simply the range that they have been TUV approved for so can go lower..

Any ideas on the approx height they can actually go then?

 

[Bloooor]

Is there anyway to have a low setup that still handles alright with the billsteins? I like how low the front is on mine but the rear is on max and still seems a little high... It's also VERY arse end twitchy... needs a setup if im honest, but not like I had last time. (was set up for the ring so the front end was sky high, I didn't like the look of it but it handled mint on the ring!)

 

[Kam.]

Any ideas on the approx height they can actually go then?

not sure really as its not something we've ever tested.

 

[JCC]

As already said, the lowering advertised for most coilovers isn't actually the maximum they allow. Bilstein B14s are advertised as something like a 30mm drop front and back when in reality the fronts could easily lower the bumper onto the ground.