PSS10's vs All

[jstyer]

Steve/Other knowledge junkies,

I know you have been a longtime supporter of the PSS series of shocks from Bilstein. Even when pitted against sets such as KW V3, B6/HD's, H&R Monoball Adjustable Coilover kit, etc...

While I realize that suspension is perhaps the most subjective performance modification one can make, I am very interested on why you prefer the PSS10 over most other coilover setups. Is it primarily customer service based? Durability based? Strictly performance?... I'm just interested to hear your take on it.

p.s. I'm looking at this from the point of view of a 60/40% machine in regards to street/track time. In other words, a setup that when including RS or M030 roll bars, could easily make the transition to a monthly track day, but also perform street driving duties without too large of a penalty.

As always, your thoughts are extremely valued and appreciated!

[Steve]

Hi Justin,

Good question and frankly, I'm glad you posted on this subject. First,...my disclaimer. Each and every individual is ultimately the collective result of their own experiences in life so all I can do is offer mine. You'll likely read & hear many others, however I'd simply ask you to maintain context of the providers during your fact-finding "tour".

There are several manufacturers of shocks (accurately called dampers) for our cars and each maker offers what they feel people want regarding features and performance. Some are better than others for ride quality, handling, adjustability, durability, warranty, etc. Some are directed toward the competition/track day user, some for street & track, and and some are just meant to be a high-quality OEM replacement.

I select suspension components based on three main criteria: type of use, performance, and longevity (there are others, too). The first two are pretty intuitive but the last one needs some clarification and explanations. No matter how good something might be, if its fragile or delicate, or lacks an effective warranty, its useless to me. Product support in particular is extremely important to me as I've had to deal first-hand with manufacturer warranty claims. Despite all the advertising noise, every manufacturer administers their warranties differently and many do not stock parts nor replacement shocks on the shelf for immediate resolution. For me, I cannot afford nor should a client be expected to wait 2-8 weeks to fix a product defect,....owner-damaged parts are a different situation altogether. Truth is, there ARE distinct quality differences between shock brands and some are really better than others. One soon realizes this after installing and selling many many sets over the years.

While I cannot go into details in a public forum, I can tell you that IMHO, two shock companies rise above all the rest for handling warranty claims and overall product support: Bilstein & Motion Control Suspension (race). The latter carries no warranty (naturally, given how these are used), but nobody in the trade is better about standing behind their products and keeping customers happy. Bilstein's warranty is a "living, breathing document" that they take seriously and they handle claims much better than other makers of street suspension.

For these and some other reasons, I do use, recommend, and sell Bilstein dampers for road and dual-purpose cars. Serious track and race cars gets MCS ones since I know my clientel will not have problems with either choice, respectively.

Didn't mean to go on for so long here, but your question was a good one and deserved a more thorough answer. I may cross-post this to the 964 Forums since I think those folks wonder about the same things and may find something useful here.

Hope this helped,

[jstyer]

Thanks for your thorough and we'll thought out response! This was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.

I don't mean to move this too off topic, but in regards to the PSS10 vs. HD's:

Some think that a properly setup HD is a more cost effective setup than the PSS10 because once you dial in your proper valving and spring rates, you're really never gonna change them much.

On the other hand, while the PSS have adjustable dampening, isn't there only really one TRUE dampening value for a given spring rate? And wouldn't adjusting the dampening just start making me over or under damped?

[Steve]

[Eugene-Taiwan]

new on the forum but I too use the PSS10 on my 993 for me its just a easy to use suspension.

its easier to dial in

[mschacht]

"Serious track and race cars gets MCS ones since I know my clientel will not have problems with either choice, respectively."***

I took Steve's recommendation and in early 2013, ordered the MCS system from him along with H&R springs and tenders, 700# F, 900# rear I believe. Although there were other MCS dealers closer to me, I selected Rennsport for suspension and springs...just a little "payback" for the support and advice Steve has provided since 2001. I was going to take the car to Portland for the install but Steve was just to busy to accommodate my schedule. I needed pretty quick turnaround on the install.

Prior to the MCS system, I ran PSS9s, acquired "used" in about 2003, rebuilt 2X over the years as a precaution

Steve said the MCS system and H&R springs, along with the 993 RS wheel carriers, would transform the car: They did. Magically I can point the car where I want it to go, and it does just that without protest of any sort. Out of my last 5 races, I have 4 firsts and a second. I could have won this one, but I had a brain fart at the start. And note I do have competition in my GT5 class, 2 other drivers that are hungry as hell and cut me no slack.

Lex Carson from MCS formerly of JRZ and Moton, is a great knowledge source. Call him if you need to, he is not an e-mail type.

***I drive my 993 on the street now and then...the MCS suspension is just fine.