Bilstein PSS9's for a 2003 NB

[RJ45]

Just double checked SHOX's website & the online quote for shipping to Sydney is almost $600!
I will call them to see if they can do better, close to $200 like they did for GM would be great.

Now, I'm looking forward to a holiday & having a bigger grin everytime I drive!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice & helping justify that i've made the right decision, much appreciated.

[Old Dude]

Just another tip, if your going to be driving, a GPS is a great help but check how much they want to charge you to hire it, I was quoted 15.00 a day at Xmas and bought a Garmin from a company called "Best Buys" all over the states like a Harvey Norman for $80.00 with all the US maps.
Also hit the Premium factory outlet centers, again everywhere, Billabong and Quiksilver hoodies $25, T shirts $10, Levis stretch jeans $ 20.00. Plus all the cheap name handbags and shoes to keep the girls happy.

Enjoy yourself

Cheers
Dale

[BadBong]

While we're on this topic - is there any run-in procedure that someone should take right after they've had the PSS9 installed?

[sliq]

While we're on this topic - is there any run-in procedure that someone should take right after they've had the PSS9 installed?

yes. if you live in sydney. give them a proper christening by taking them thru Putty Rd

[RJ45]

I bought from SHOX after emailing them (thanks to GM for suggesting) and finding they could send via DHL for $200.
From pickup at SHOX to delivery to my work took 3 days - DHL ROCKS!
Customs let it through without any duties, maybe because it was Friday.

$200 ain't worth the hassle of using up so much luggage allowance.
And not having to worry about the honesty of baggage handlers was another plus.

[RJ45]

OK, well finally got around to getting the kit installed last Friday.
Now, maybe it's just the shitty Sydney roads, but it seems to be jarring over stuff a fair bit; is that normal?
Hard to compare with original as it was so overdue for changing that I was used to cringing before every rough bit of road to/from work. It's better now, but just wanted to get some input.

Is there any specific run in procedure?
As in, should I driving with it set to full soft for the first 100K?
Will it improve after a certain number of K's driving?
Done about 250K since install.

Cheers, RJ

[NMX516]

Sydney roads, I'd have them on the softest setting - 9. Not sure if they need running in as such, but it took me a few hundred kilometres to get used to them. The hard settings are far too hard for most public roads in my opinion. I have mine set on "7" for the road.

[RJ45]

should I driving with it set to full soft for the first 100K?

Sorry, missing a 0, I meant 1000K.

Sydney roads, I'd have them on the softest setting - 9. Not sure if they need running in as such, but it took me a few hundred kilometres to get used to them. The hard settings are far too hard for most public roads in my opinion. I have mine set on "7" for the road.

What year is yours and how low did you go?
Also, how long have you had the PSS9?
Thanks for chipping in.

[BadBong]

Try a 4 at the back and 8 at the front on public roads and 2 at the front on twisties.

I would also recommend getting an alignment done right after fitting the PSS9s.

Hjt and I have considered getting new bushings, bumpstops and top hats as the PSS9s uses the OEM, which are worn in most cases. Forgot where he said he was getting them from though.

[Hjt]

Hjt and I have considered getting new bushings, bumpstops and top hats as the PSS9s uses the OEM, which are worn in most cases. Forgot where he said he was getting them from though.

They are in transit from Fat Cat Motorsports, great people to deal with!

Just hope they get here by the 4th ;)

[NMX516]

What year is yours and how low did you go?
Also, how long have you had the PSS9?
Thanks for chipping in.

Mine is a 2002 SP, so a little bit more weight over the front. I went with the height that they were set at "out of the box". There may have been some minor fine tuning to balance the heights, but nothing notable. I had them fitted early December 2010.

As a slight aside, I set them fairly stiff at the track a few weeks ago and forgot to put them back before driving home... The ride home was very rough! But on 7, 8 or 9, they're very comfortable - the best of both worlds!

[RJ45]

Try a 4 at the back and 8 at the front on public roads and 2 at the front on twisties.

I would also recommend getting an alignment done right after fitting the PSS9s.

Hjt and I have considered getting new bushings, bumpstops and top hats as the PSS9s uses the OEM, which are worn in most cases. Forgot where he said he was getting them from though.

Alignment - Done
Bushings/Bumpstops/tophats - I bought the FCM kit with 46/36mm F/R bumpstops & new tophat mounts.
I even bought shock mount gaskets, then found out it's a bloody thin 1mm thick film of plastic. What a waste of $8.

In case anyone else is considering, here is a link to the instructions; http://fatcatmotorsports.com/FCM_MT_KIT_SM_Instructions_3_12_10.pdf
I had to pack the 2 washers that came on the PSS9's under the red washer (see pages5/6), otherwise the custom nut FCM supplied will bottom out on the threads.

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll try adjusting a bit tomorrow.

[RJ45]

Hjt and I have considered getting new bushings, bumpstops and top hats as the PSS9s uses the OEM, which are worn in most cases. Forgot where he said he was getting them from though.

They are in transit from Fat Cat Motorsports, great people to deal with!

Just hope they get here by the 4th ;)

Mine came in about 8 days.

Did you guys tell him that it's for a PSS9 kit?
He supplies a custom nut that is for the 10mm shocks.
But he went out and bought a new tap and retapped to M12x1.0 to suit.

Yeah, very good service from FCM.
I kinda wish I bought one of his custom setups, would have saved on hassles, although no adjustment.

[RJ45]

Been working late in a bunker for the last few days, so no chance and no energy to post till now.

Tyre pressure was set to 36psi, not sure who did that.
Dropping to 30psi made it more liveable.

Also setting it to 7 at all corners (thanks NMX516) has helped on shitty roads.
Experimented with 4/5/6 at the rear, but did lose traction when taking some easy left hand turns over uneven road, *very interesting in the wet*.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

[NMX516]

Experimented with 4/5/6 at the rear, but did lose traction when taking some easy left hand turns over uneven road, *very interesting in the wet*.

Yep, if anything you want them softer on the rear than on the front to help with drive traction, but otherwise keep fronts and rears the same.