Bilstein B14 PSS Coilovers

[duffdbub]

So I'm trying to decide on suspension set up for my 2017 A3 and am currently looking at Bilstein B14 Coilovers. They seem to be a good midrange option. https://www.urotuning.com/products/b...=8385728675895

Urotuning says they can drop up to 35mm and moddedeuros says they can drop up to 50mm(about 1.9in). 2in is about what I am looking for. Does anyone have these and can attest to how far they can drop? Or what the ride quality is like?

Also, did you have any fitment issues? urotuning and moddedeuros both say they are an exact fit but the bilstein website says they don't fit my car.

[MikTip]

So I'm trying to decide on suspension set up for my 2017 A3 and am currently looking at Bilstein B14 Coilovers. They seem to be a good midrange option. https://www.urotuning.com/products/b...=8385728675895

Urotuning says they can drop up to 35mm and moddedeuros says they can drop up to 50mm(about 1.9in). 2in is about what I am looking for. Does anyone have these and can attest to how far they can drop? Or what the ride quality is like?

Also, did you have any fitment issues? urotuning and moddedeuros both say they are an exact fit but the bilstein website says they don't fit my car.

The B14 kit you linked was specifically designed by Bilstein for certain cars by German engineers at Bilstein. Probably why Bilstein says different that US tuners...

US tuners think all MQB platforms are the same for the Golf R, A3, S3...they are except if Quattro/4-motion is or is not on the car.(Front Wheel Drive)

The 4-motion/Quattro system is really the only difference on these cars. (Haldex rear diff...drive shaft...) Its about 300lbs less weight if its Front wheel drive, vice Quattro...

The B14 kit will work.. and most wont notice the differences as most folks just cruise the streets and drive in the fully lowered settings of these setups.

Fully lowered looks cool...but limits the suspensions travel and its ability to absorb bumps. But most dont care about this factor as they want the low look!

Very few people fully understand suspension and its usually the guys who race track their cars wanting to maximize the suspensions handling ability.

Coil overs were designed at allow the drivers to adjust each corner/wheel as needed for track use.

Today coil-overs are put on cars to slam'm down as far as they can go.

Lowering also effects camber, caster and toe.

[will13k7]

there're other benefits for the non-racecar folks. with just lowering springs, the dampers wear out prematurely since they were not designed for the higher spring rates and lower stance, with coilovers you don't have that problem.

I have the b16 kit on my s3, it's pretty low, no wheel gap, and after they broke in (took many months), the ride quality was surprisingly good, even with the dampers set to 8 (with 10 being the stiffest). Something about the MQB platform works really well with these coilovers. I didn't have the same experience on the B8 and B9 platforms, it was harsh on those cars.

if you are going with coilovers, definitely get the versions with the adjustable dampers, you can adjust the stiffness to your taste and comfort level. my first set of coils didn't have adjustable dampers, major regret.

[duffdbub]

Something else I'm considering is Bilstein B8's with H&R super sport springs. Anyone have this set up?

[MikTip]

I have Bilstein B8 with APR springs.

I had H&R Super Sport Springs...IMO they are too low. Rides bouncy...I removed them and landed with the APR springs I have now.


This is my S3 on H&R SS springs.


The APR springs have settled nicely and provide a stance that looks good.. yet have enough travel to allow the shocks to work.

This is APR springs with 20's...



The 20's fill out the fenders nicely.

All depends on what you want to do and spend your money on!

I DIY all my mods so I often experiment with several setups before I settle on what I like for my own personal tastes.

[duffdbub]

I have Bilstein B8 with APR springs.

I had H&R Super Sport Springs...IMO they are too low. Rides bouncy...I removed them and landed with the APR springs I have now.


This is my S3 on H&R SS springs.


The APR springs have settled nicely and provide a stance that looks good.. yet have enough travel to allow the shocks to work.

This is APR springs with 20's...



The 20's fill out the fenders nicely.

All depends on what you want to do and spend your money on!

I DIY all my mods so I often experiment with several setups before I settle on what I like for my own personal tastes.

That looks dope! I'm wanting the H&R super sports because I want to retain the stock 18's. Super sports seem like they'd take up all that room. The way yours looks is exactly how I want mine to look, your wheel gap is perfect.

[will13k7]

I DIY all my mods so I often experiment with several setups before I settle on what I like for my own personal tastes.

Stance looks great, wish I still had the time to DIY, it takes many visits to the shop get everything dialed in perfectly.

op, fwiw, here's the b16's, 10mm spacers rear, 15mm front, smooth ride with very little lean, will sometimes briefly rub when pushing it in really tight corners.

[duffdbub]

^^^^^Looks great!^^^^^
What size tires are you running Will?

[will13k7]

What size tires are you running Will?

oem size (235/35), but the Michelin Pilot Super Sport's have taller square sidewalls.

[Chaoscreature]

The B14 and B12 kits are both excellent kits that are often under-rated.
The B16 is a fantastic kit, but most people don't need adjustable dampers and 99% of people who install adjustable dampers set them once and never touch them again anyways. The same goes for adjustable height kits. The more adjustments available, the more opportunity there is to setup and tune a car poorly. When I used to used to instruct for AX I found that new track drivers with lots of expensive racing goodies had a tendency to focus on their cars and not their driving so they learned slower than a new driver in a stock or near stock vehicle.

[will13k7]

Yeah, once you find the ideal damper setting for how you mostly drive the car, you’ll probably leave it for awhile, but you get to dial that in to your preferences, just like the ride height.

Some folks compare the non-adjustable kits to setting the pss10’s to ‘6’, that is a great setting, finding a balance between comfort and performance, leaning slightly more towards performance. It can start to wear on you if you’re daily driving the car, and it’s not the best setting for the twisties. 4-5 is better for daily driving and 8 is just awesome on mountain roads imho.

in the past I got coil overs that were not adjustable and too soft, after shelling out thousands for a mod, I wasn’t happy. If you go with a static setup that one of your buddies has, test driving it first would be the way to go.