BILSTEIN B14 - PSS Kit
The Bilstein B14 PSS Suspension allows adjustable vehicle ride height without the expense of a fully adjustable damping system. This system features both coilover and standard mono-tube gas pressure shock or struts with performance level valving for application specific, progressive rate coil springs.
The product benefits at a glance:

Threaded body adjustable range of 20 mm
Lowering of approx. 30-50 mm at front and rear
Road-tested and fine-tuned by BILSTEIN ride engineers, under extreme motorsports conditions
Aluminum Spring plates and lock nuts
Surface coating using Triple-C-Technology®for long-lasting corrosion resistance
Round threads for easy adjustment
Quality sport springs made from highly durable material
Gas pressure technology
BILSTEIN monotube technology, made in Germany

Tirerack recently listed this new set of coilovers for the GE Fit. While I have never ran Bilstein products myself, I did own an Evo X at one point, which my friend had an MR that uses Bilstein dampers. Bilstein has a very high reputation for performance and a surprisingly comfortable ride. The Evo X is an example, where the MR was more comfortable during daily driving than the GSR model, which I owned.

Any who, they're listing for about $1,100, which seems fair for what you're getting, not to mention the quality. If Im not mistaken, the PSS line is a simple coilover that you simply install and set your desired ride height, without the need to fine the proper adjustment for compression and rebound like other coilover systems. If this is true, it would make them perfect for a DD, since you would really only use that feature to make fine adjustments at different tracks. Also, they have a limited lifetime warranty.

Personally, I never used coilovers due to the high maintanence factor compared to a spring/damper combo(you coilover guys know what im talking about) plus how noisy they can be(D2 Racing as an example). Overall, its good to see a high quality set being made available for us.

 

These have been out for a while now...I would have got them last year if I didn't get a good deal on my Teins. I would love to check these out some day.

 

I know. Just spotted them on Tirerack listed as a new item and since I didnt a post for it, I thought might as well do it since I'm sure there are other members who don't know they exist.

 

I posted this yesterday!

 

wait, so dere jes height adjustable like the tein basics? the front strut design looks quite peculiar...

 

HONDA JAZZ GE8 WHITE + BILSTEIN B14 + YOKO ADVAN DB V551 + ENKEI RPF1

Very popular on this website... don't know where they are based out of.

 

YouTube - Honda Jazz with BILSTEIN B14 at the Papenburg test track

 

I'm a jdm fanatic but, bilstein knows how to make good shocks and struts. I've had their pss9 coilovers on my previous car and I don't have anything negative to say about them. Bilstein valves their shocks like every german automaker, sporty yet cush on bumps and dips.

The only downside of these B14 coilovers is the fact there is no dampening adjustment.

 

Hmm. Nice find. Me being a tire whore, I was shocked to not be familliar with that Yokohama Advan tire they were using. Apparently that tire was released in China for the Chinese Touring Car Championship.
I guess that might answer your question about where they're based from. Perhaps.

 

good thing i searched and found this thread...

anyone have comments from experience with this setup on their GE FIT?

 

I've got these on my car. Had them on for a couple months now and they're amazing. Better ride than stock. They are stiffer for sure but the damping is so much better that the car is much less bouncy.

Probably not the best choice of you want the car as low as possible. I have the collars adjusted all the way down in the back and less than half way down in the front. It would go lower if I removed the adjustment collars in the rear but it's low enough for me.

 

What size wheel and tire are you running? And thanks for posting a pic.

 

wheels are 15X6 et45. 15mm spacers in the rear. Tires are yokohama avid envigor 195/55/15.

 

is it at lowest setting? the gap would fill up if you had the right tire size since you're running 15" now

 

looks good... although going lower would really make your ride look good, i think the ride height you're at is just fine. it's a better stance than stock but yet conservative and not creating a SLAMMED image. i give it a thumbs up.

unfortunately i was reading the description, it says that this set of coilover is only ride height adjustable. this means that the dampening is not adjustable which limits the enthusiast's ability to tune accordingly... this may not be most important thing to car owners but i figure at the price, might as well pick up something that you can tweak a little bit.

 

I actually think its excellent that its only height adjustable. Like you said, having the ability to tune damping rates is great for those going to different tracks. But for a daily driver its the best choice. You get a more comfortable ride than pretty much any other coilover set on the market, yet with improved handling. All coilover sets will improve handling, but with sacrificed comfort, with few exception.

The biggest plus is that they are lifetime warrantied, not just the springs. If you ever had a set of Teins, after a certain amount of miles you need to send them in to get overhauled, but not these. I talked to one of the reps from Bilstein and they told me that there are UPS trucks with over 200k miles on the original springs and shocks, which is awesome.

Yes, you dont get adjustable dampening rates, but you get a better handling and in many cases a more comfortable(as you will in many reviews of this set in different make vehicles) plus reliability and an excellent warranty. I love JDM products, but when it comes to suspensions, Bilstein and Ohlins take the cake for overall performance and comfort(not an extreme on either side). They are the reason why HKS came out with their Euro Hipermax Coilovers.

 

The rears are all the way down but you could remove the adjustment collar and get it lower.

The 15s do make it look like it sits higher. It's probably 2 inches lower than the wife's sport Fit. I like the way it looks. Stockish but not high like the stock hieght.

Also if you slam it the front suspension will be working against you in the corners. That lower control arm needs to have some angle to it so when the suspension compresses in a corner it will push the bottom of the tire out.

 

These look very nice! Kinda like a Koni strut except with height adjustability. I also noticed they will accept custom spring rates? You could Ground Control to make some custom spring rates and really have a nice set up. I think this is the route I will be going with the Fit (once I get my civic build finished).

Just so everyone realizes...there is a fine line between low and too low. Anything over 15 mm drop will require extended roll center adjusters (if you actually care about performance and handling). If you just want to hard park, then this probably isn't the set up for you.

 

is a camber kit neccessary with this bilstein pss coilover kit ?

 

I don't think you need bolts unless you just want to dial in a little more camber.These coils do not go very low.